Slow Night

I'm not quite willing to say the Q word yet, as its only 0430 and we could get still a code from the floor, or even an ER admit, though nothing down there right now to concern us in in the ICU. We've only got 5 patients, three nurses, and I'm the one with only one patient- and she'll go out to the surgical floor on dayshift. I've got my empty room partially stocked- we're discarding everything in the room after each patient leaves, so we're trying hard not to overstock, but of course, we also need to be ready. I figure its kind of like carrying an umbrella- if my room is stocked and ready, I'm less likely to get a patient!



I started this blog to put down some of my memories, concerns, and other thoughts from my 20+ years as a nurse. Most of it has been spent taking care of patients in middle of the night, though I did a stint working in the corporate world in Disease Management for a few years. Night shift isn't less work, but it is quieter, and you don't have management hovering around. And sometimes, the quiet and darkness encourage confidences. I will never forget the night that one of my patients started talking about when she was a young girl- in WWII era Poland, in the Jewish section. She skipped over most of the concentration camp times, but talked about the time leading up to when her family got sent to the camps, and how she was the sole survivor in her family by the time the camp was freed. She showed me her tattoo, and tears were falling as she talked while I sat next to her and held her hand at 3 am-- there's just too much hustle and bustle during the day for that kind of talk.