I got back to where I belong in the ED. What I didn’t say is that I am back on night shift. I’m not complaining, in fact I am extremely happy.  But I have not worked night shifts on a regular schedule for about three years, so I am a bit concerned.
I have hired nurses who were worried about working nights. I always had advice about how to do it, to get through it and learn how to be a nurse on the night shift. But when it comes to me, I don’t know if my advice will work.
As all of you who work nights probably remember, the first few months were the worst. Trying to adjust your body to living what I call the backwards life is tough. Also, the last time I worked night shift on a regular basis my daughter was a baby, she slept all the time, which meant I slept, it worked out great. Now I have a big kid, who doesn’t understand how to be quiet when daddy is trying to take a nap, who doesn’t understand why daddy has to sleep during the day when she is up, ready to play.
We will figure it out as a family, plus the night shift differential is a plus!