Delusions of Order

Occasionally, I have parenting moments where I realize that certain things my parents always did were not as easy as they made it look. I never remember them being exasperated or stressed on my birthday - the treats for school, the presents, the little things - always seemed to fall into place. Hopefully I am able to give my children the same memories - the same delusions of order. 

The Inconvenient Truth of Night Shift

I would definitely label myself as a night owl. I've never been so great at waking up early, functioning in the morning - and night shift has seemed to fit very well into my life and personality for the last 5 years. I love my job, I love my shift, the people I work with . I spent a few months doing the day shift thing a few years back and it was... enlightening. The job is different. People everywhere. Noise. Commotion. Family members. Doctors. Residents. Medical students. Managers. Administration. Physical therapists. Pharmacists. Dietary. EVERYONE is there during the day. Night shift is calmer, things go smoothly - there's more autonomy. 

So, I've been denying it for the last 5 years... putting it off - ignoring the fact that just as every study and medical professional will tell you - night shift is bad for your body. I was off for a weekend - still had work related things to do - a certification course out of town. And I didn't sleep much, spent too much time out - but the point was, I did it on a day shift schedule. 

Despite my very little sleep - I was able to function all weekend - fairly well. Then, much to my surprise - I was somewhat productive on Monday. And Tuesday. And Wednesday. All week. Usually I spend the first half of my week recovering from the weekend of night shift; transitioning back to a normal sleep schedule. For the last few years my most productive day (cleaning, laundry, basics...) has been Thursday - I recover just in time to switch back to night mode.

So, as much as I resist all forms of change - and as much as I will miss my current job and the people I work with - perhaps this job change will be the best thing that I've done in a long time. Maybe it's time to join the non-nocturnal world - where stores, doctors offices and banks will all be open during my waking hours. Who knows - in a year I may be that person who wakes up 2 hours earlier than I have to just to enjoy the morning, some coffee and a newspaper? Nah, let's not get crazy - in a year I'll still roll out of bed 10 minutes before I have to leave in the morning, look in the mirror and be thankful I have short hair and don't wear makeup.

Certifiable

So the new job has this long list of certification requirements. A few basics that I've already done - and then the rest. So I get to spend 5 hours on both Tuesday and Wednesday this week to be certified - ACLS for this course (which I let lapse, so requires 2 nights instead of one). The classes always amuse me a bit. They change every few years depending on whatever research somebody published most recently. 

And of course, they're usually taught by education professionals in the healthcare field. Many of them have been in numerous situations they're teaching about - but some haven't. The process of certification is kind of amusing to me. I can memorize anything - but that doesn't really mean I can do it. So I'm in the process of becoming a hypocrite to my own mantra: the best nurses are not always the ones that look best on paper. So in a few months I get to be a letter nazi too - just call me:

Nikki: RN, BSN, BLS, ACLS, PALS, IHTLS, PHRN, CCRN