Well, nothing caught fire due to Daylight Savings Time. We were there for 11 hours instead of 12. Initially, we rejoiced in the fact that we were giving it to The Man and shafting him out of an hour of our misery. Hahahaha!
Whatever. The night went by so slow, it felt like we were there for 16 hours. One of those rare quite nights where patients actually slept and no one stopped breathing. Code Browns kept to a minimum. We'd glance at the clock, do some busy work, look at the clock and let out a stream of profanities when we realized only five minutes had passed.
Two coworkers thought it would be a great idea if we all brought food. Everyone agreed and we all vowed to bring food to share. Naturally, only a couple people actually did it. I brought a veggie tray, some dip and crackers. A new nurse made brownies. However, someone failed to tell her to set out said brownies after day shift went home, and she made the mistake of leaving them on the break room table in a Tupperware container. An observer likened their descent upon the brownies like guests on Jerry Springer would descend upon a welfare check. It was ugly. The new nurse was very sad for the remainder of the shift.
I proposed that we add that to the orientation manual for new grads. Never, ever put food out that you want to eat until after 10pm. I've seen a large bag of Sunchips devoured within minutes. Bags of chocolate disappear so fast, it was like they never existed in the first place. If you put something in the refrigerator, there is a 95% probability you will never see it again. I've been told by some day shift people that if it's leafy and green or has a fiber content, it gets left alone.
I've yet to test this theory.
At any rate...
Saturday night went by slow. Sunday night it's polar opposite. We were short and short-tempered. A float nurse (of whom we refer to as Cat Lady) kept paging a doctor, then not answering the phone when the doctor would call back. After five cycles of this crappy game of tag, Cat Lady came to the desk to complain to me that she could never get a hold of said doctor. I almost threw a phone at her head. Good thing I had The Most Awesome Orientee on the Planet. That would be a bad example to set on her fifth day of orientation. I try to wait until at least the 12 day before incorporating workplace violence into the regular routine. Don't want to overwhelm!
Yesterday, I engaged in sleep-deprived dialing. I woke up around noon to let Sam out, and decided to return a phone call to Paul who called earlier. I don't remember much of what was said, but I remember something about a basketball. I also remember sitting there trying to remember why I called in the first place instead of crawling back in bed. Last time I did SDD, I actually fell asleep on the phone and started snoring. Good thing it wasn't long distance.
I'm going to go to bed now and nap. Have fun working. Hopefully, you won't have to sit next to a window and look outside at the amazing weather, lamenting that you are not out in it. I'll think about you as I am sleeping.
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