cyclical in nature

January 31, 2010

mobius life
image credit

the problem with the night float schedule? by the time i am finally rested from the previous night, it’s time to head in for the next shift. it feels like an endless (and very short) cycle of work — crash — rest — work.

except it’s not endless — and after tonight’s shift, i’ll be over the hump and able to say ‘less than one week left!’. so, there’s that.

in addition to appreciating the temporary nature of this lifestyle, there’s one other thing that makes NF bearable — and that’s my coworkers. i feel lucky to have a great set of interns and other residents to spend these nights, and a super-strong batch of nurses (especially those on stepdown and the hem/onc floor where the night float tends to spend most of his/her time).

i will try to go into tonight’s shift focusing on the good rather than the bad. who knows, maybe the snow will keep things slow . . . we’ll just have to see!

Q&A of the day
“i’ve always wondered . . .: Is it possible to wear make-up as a resident, or do you just look like an embarrassing smeared-mascara mess on those thirty-hour shifts?”

ahh, good question, especially this year since i’m trying to amp-up my work look a little (ie, not roll in looking as tired and haggard as i sometimes feel). the answer is twofold:

when on call/overnight/in the ER, i definitely go in makeup-free 90% of the time (exception: a clinic day where i also happen to be on call).

on night shifts (like now), i wear our standard-issue scrubs (we actually have to wear these if we are in scrub-mode and cannot buy our own replacements unless they are the right color of duke blue), the most comfortable shoes i own (which happen to be . . . not the cutest), and a completely makeupless face. my face breaks out enough from the sheer bodily abuse of overnight work to give it the extra challenge of a layer of product.

when working normal-person hours (or close to them) – and YES pediatrics residents at our institution do this quite often, depending on the month – i try to dress better, and that includes some makeup, earrings, and (sometimes) pretty shoes. going to work in a dress really does lift my mood and makes me feel more confident. while it’s not fun to run to a code in heels, i’ve done it before . . . and survived.

snow, shmow
i plan on leaving extra early for work this afternoon, but otherwise life is just business as usual! i did take advantage of our apartment complex’s treadmill for my long run today, though. i’m too uncoordinated to run on ice and snow — i’ve never had to use crutches and i don’t plan on ever doing so!

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1.30.10

workout: none . . . my gym was closed, making XT/weights difficult. i could have shredded or something, but honestly my body was grateful for the excuse.

the easy way out: really, this schedule calls for some shortcuts. i love amy’s pizzas for nights like last night! this one was an individual-sized spinach variety:

jazzed up with some tomato slices and enjoyed while josh plowed through leftovers

reading: none yesterday, but an article on sickle cell disease on friday. if i read tonight, i can still make my 5/7 goal.

4 Comments

  • Reply Anonymous March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    that pizza looks almost too nice to eat. almost 🙂 i like how you added tomato slices too it. very yummy.

    and you should at least try to use crutches. i was on them for one day in high school (then i switched to the boot) and it was really fun to hit people with them who were in my way muahaha 🙂

  • Reply Anonymous March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    Glad to hear that you only have a week left of the night shift. Sounds not so fun.

    I&#39ve never thought about the makeup thing before but I have wondered if you had to wear scrubs.

  • Reply Susan March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    Yay for the end of night float! That&#39s interesting about the make-up conversation. I feel like our night nurses wear make-up. All of our hospitalists are male sooo they don&#39t wear make-up when they&#39re at the hospital all night. 🙂

  • Reply Chelsea March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    I think a long run on the treadmill is 1000 times better than slipping and sliding around on ice. Good luck making it through the last week of night float.

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