This past summer, I picked up a night-shift nurse technician position in the Heart Hospital of a local health facility. It was my first time ever working 12 hours through the night, but I learned a lot about myself and, more importantly, the kind of nurse I want to be.
Between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., the hospital becomes a world of its own. Less staff around often means that I am on my own providing patient care, whether that means repositioning patients by myself to prevent pressure wounds or cleaning them up after incontinent episodes. It seemed intimidating at first, but thanks to my previous clinical experience, I was able to manage just fine and even find my own tricks to make patient care more efficient. My first time doing three nights in a row was tough. I had a hard time working up an appetite to eat a full meal at 3 a.m. and could barely keep my eyes open once the sun started to rise. Night shift is a constant battle with your body’s natural rhythm, and it taught me that working nights is not just a job but a lifestyle of resilience fueled with a midnight energy drink. Or two.
The nurses on my floor range from freshly minted new graduates to seasoned vets in the field. They function as anchors that handle everything from medication administration to sudden crises when there are fewer resources and staff available to give an extra hand. They became my role models in maintaining composure and expertise.
There was a night when I had to hit the staff emergency button because my patient was sundowning, and my brain could not think of anything else to do. I watched as three nurses quickly came to the rescue and were razor sharp in their observational assessments and brisk interventions. They did not judge my panic or chide me for not knowing what to do; in fact, the first thing they asked me once we walked out of the room was a simple: “Are you OK?” It taught me that, while it is important to be independent, it is equally important to be dependent on your team.Â
Some of my favorite memories from working this past summer were spent giggling at the nursing station about silly patient interactions while updating patient medical charts. I would spend countless hours asking questions about nursing school and what it is like to be a real nurse. This sense of camaraderie built up within and outside of patient rooms is an essential part of feeling belonging while also escaping burnout.
In the quiet hours of the night, when a patient’s heart monitor has a funky reading or if they are feeling a bout of anxiety, the nurses are there right away to assist through not just medication, but grant reassurance or sometimes even just act as a calming, silent presence. Night shift requires a specific kind of empathy. Many patients feel more vulnerable, anxious or even lonely in the dark. There are fewer people coming in and out of the rooms, family members have typically gone home for the night and the only people left on the floor are the nurses and technicians. But no matter how late it is, night shift nurses remain precise and thoughtful in their every interaction with patients. This is what true patient care looks like to me.
It is not easy walking out of the hospital as the sun rises, knowing that all of my peers are either still in bed or just now getting their day started. Trying to run errands or make time to hang out with friends took extra effort this summer and sometimes meant I had to sacrifice a few extra hours of sleep. But there is a calm that settles on me knowing that I was a vital part of each of my patients’ care team that was there for them when everyone else is asleep.
So thank you to all night shift nurses, for being awake from sunset to sunrise to give your time, energy and efforts to every patient. You are who I want to be when I grow up.