On my unit we have break relief nurses who come in from 11:45 to 5:15 and cover nurses (two at a time) for their hour long lunch breaks. We sign up for time slots at the beginning of the work day starting at 1200. I usually try and get one of the 1300 breaks because noon is too early, but I would be starving with any of the later options. The last one is at 1600. Anyway, since we use our own staff to work that shift, it’s a pretty seamless transition. It’s a good system.
On Tuesday I worked a full 12 hour shift, but on Wednesday I was pretty desperate for some extra sleep, so I signed up for break relief… and enjoyed:
- a few additional hours of shut eye
- a leisurely morning of blogging and crosswording
- a home-made coffee frappuccino
- a peanut buttery pancake stack
- a semi-decent morning run
All before heading into the hospital.
Good deal right?
Since it wasn’t going to a full shift, I didn’t pack as huge a load as I typically do.
Ok, that’s not true. I just skipped the breakfast part of my work food.
In addition to the Patxi’s pizza, I had a Trio bar, corn nuts, Somersault snacks, & seaweed chips.
I’m really milking this leftover pizza, huh?
Unfortunately, this was an extraordinarily insane day at work and I didn’t even get a chance to eat much of anything. I was running all over the place, helping people out and doing as much as I could to keep the nurses from falling behind that I truly didn’t have a spare moment.
The only time I was sitting was during the 1500-1600 time slot, in which I was relieving the telemetry monitor tech. That’s when I got to enjoy these scrumptious little guys.
If you’ve never had the pleasure of trying Somersaults, you are missing out. They taste just like sesame seed crackers, but they are small and cute and extra crunchy thanks to the sunflower seeds.
Mmmm. I got them in my Lollihop package. Have you registered for this service yet? If you haven’t, check out the site and enter the referral code Elise-hungryhippie when you sign up.
When 5 o’clock finally rolled around I was so excited to go home (so much earlier than a normal work day!). I had already coordinated carpooling with Kyle (who was also on campus) so he met me at the car and I drove us both home. He actually had his own car on campus, but was feeling ill and I thought it was a bad idea for him to drive home while he felt so sick. Don’t worry, he was just dehydrated. This summer heat is confusing in October. It’s so hot right now we have multiple fans going on. He felt better once I nursed him back to health at the apartment. Never underestimate the power of fluids.
In addition to the leftover pizza (and other uneaten lunch food) I made a lettuce-less salad with corn, bell peppers, and peas. Let the fridge scraping ensue…
I added Bragg’s liquid aminos and called it done. Meh. Reminds me of college days – frozen veggies were a staple of mine.
No more Super Charge Me cookies left :(
What would the hours of your dream job be? I could never be at a desk for a 9-5 job. It’s just not me. I’d be bored and go stir crazy for sure. That said, 12 hours in a row can be brutal at times. Some shifts leave me aching and exhausted and near the point of collapse. But I also have the benefit of days off in between. People always think it’s such a luxury to “only” work three days a week. Well, let me just dispel that myth right now. Sometimes it takes a full day to recover from those 12 hours…not to mention the time adjusting that has to happen when I work night shifts. And I don’t get weekends or holidays off. So whenever people tell me I’m so lucky, I have to bite my tongue. And yet, I still think my job is pretty ideal. I can cluster my shifts in such a way to get a stretch of time off without using vacation days…and I can really milk some long weekends, too. In that regard, my job kinda rocks. Now if I could do break relief full-time I’d really be living the sweet life!
I’ve been debating that right now. I worked 9-5 last year and got a little bored of sitting, but now that I’m in retail the weird hours drive me crazy. I hate that i have to work when people are out having fun. So as I search for new jobs and decide between more retail (lululemon) or corporate (ad agency) all of this is floating through my mind!
I’m a stay-at-home mommy/personal trainer…so I NEVER get to sit down!! And I kinda like it that way!!
i’m an rn also and when i first met my boyfriend a few years back, i would sometimes complain about my 3 nights in a row (you know, if you had a bad 1st night or if you didn’t get enough sleep and you’re grumpy, etc.) and he never understood why i complained. he works 5 days a week with no set days off, so sometimes he ends up working 8 in a row before getting even 1 day off. so i get why i seemed like a whiner to him, but at the same time, if you’re not a nurse, then it’s hard to fully understand how precious our days off are. (does that sound mean? i don’t mean for it to…i know i could not do a 5 day work wk! i’m a sissy and i admit to it!) 🙂
I think that nurses have some of the hardest jobs out there! I would never want to work 12 hours in a row – and that amount of time would take a while to get used to! I would love to work from 9-1 every day (haha!) – that would give me enough time to get some stuff done in the morning and some time to take a nap in the afternoon. Hey, a girl can dream right?
People always say I have it easy as a teacher as well because I get breaks and summer. But then they say they could never be a teacher because they couldn’t deal with the kids. I love being with those kiddos, but believe you me – those breaks are well deserved.
My perfect hours would be 10 to 6 or 7ish. I like to have ample time to exercise in the morning, without having to get up at 5AM!
Seriously, nurses amaze me – good on you for doing what you do! I’ve had such lovely experiences with my hospital visits, can’t believe how patient and kind the nurses are, considering the long hours and stressful conditions. I couldn’t do it – I take my hat off to you!
The idea of break relief is genius! Many of the things I have experienced involve a nurse running to get food and eating at the nurses station because there isn’t time for breaks. It just makes me shudder sometimes. My ideal work schedule would be from 10 AM to 6PM.
What!? People think your job is easy? They must be insane. The number of days you work is totally cancelled out by the long and/or irregular hours, and the mental and physical stress of the job. Working 3 days as a nurse is the equivalent of a full week at any other occupation!
I would love 10-12 hour days. Wait, I’m not totally nuts: my dream would be to be certified to teach all of the BTS training systems classes (Pump, Attack, Combat, RPM, Jam) and spend all day, every day teaching. I’d run first thing every morning and then be a freelance coach commuting between gyms by bike. Ah, if only I had the talent to do that!
xxx
Wow. I’ve heard that California is a great state in which to work as a nurse. I’m in Tennessee, and my hospital does not have break-relief nurses. I agree that it sounds like a marvelous idea. We’re also not allowed to leave the hospital for our breaks. I usually eat at my desk, which I would prefer not to do, but leaving the other nurses shorthanded doesn’t seem appropriate or safe. Last night was my first of four consecutive 12-hour shifts. Guess I’d better go get some sleep… 😉
Thanks for the Lollihop login, I’m checking it out now! And a peanut buttery stack of pancakes? Way to make me drool!
I currently work a typical office 9-5 (although it’s really 8:30-5:30) and while I don’t mind sitting at a desk, I get a little ADD at times.
My first job after college was four days a week working 10 hour days and that was pretty awesome. Sure, I got home a little later than most people, but the extra two hours was really not noticeable while I was working and I had every Monday off.
No kidding! 12-hour shifts are brutal, especially when you have a busy patient assignment. On my unit, we have the option of working 8-hour shifts. Even though I work more days, I am at least able to get a little sleep before going in, since I could never sleep in the middle of the day when I worked 12s.
I currently work 8:30-5:30 (ish) Mon, Tues, Weds, and Fri, and 9-7 on Thursdays. I thought I’d be going crazy because I *have* to be doing stuff all the time but miraculously…I am! haha. I work as a medical coder/biller/front desk receptionist/check-in-er/check-out-er/medical assistant at a peds office so every day is different — which I LOVE. This schedule is perfect for me although I wish we had one more person to act as a reliever — it’d sure make going back to school easier!
haha, i know right? i should have been more specific. my DREAM job would be winning the lottery and picking random shifts up every once in a while, just so i dont lose my skills…so yes, a girl can dream…
thanks lou! i think being a mom deserves props in its own right as well.
wow…thats one intense schedule! although any day that involves cycling as transport is a win in my book.
you have no idea! coming from nyc – its night and day in how i am treated and supported. although it does help that im at the hospital thats “the best in the west”
thats kinda cool that you have that option. i agree, after a few 12s a bit of extra sleep would be perfect.
not a whiner in my book! i totally get what youre saying. sometimes you get a crappy pt load and when you know you have a few more shifts in a row with them…yikes…it can be just as mentally exhausting as physically!
umm….could you send me some lululemon stuff then? 😉
“Sometimes it takes a full day to recover from those 12 hours” <-Soooo true! My 10 or 12 hour shifts ARE nice since I end up with a longer weekend, but my god, sometimes I'm not sure if I'll even survive the week! I get the "you're so lucky" thing too, but I just bite my tongue as well. The only people that can ever fully understand are those that work in the medical field.
It's nice that you had a little break in the routine…sounds like you were pretty productive too!
Unfortunately my job is a “stuck at your desk all day” and a “at least 12 hours a day” double attack. 4:30am to 5pm-ish. Rough! But I count my blessings because I haven’t worked a single weekend this year, which was not the case last year.
After 6 years of this I’m starting to burn out though, so I’ve been giving this question A LOT of thought lately. I’m much more productive in the mornings, so early mornings to early afternoon would be ideal for me (maybe 6am-3pm) My productivity/attention span/ability to sit still all decrease drastically in the afternoons…
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