I have a love-hate relationship with 12 hour shifts. It's really nice to have more days off, but those days when I do work...let's just say, I have learned a new meaning of the word "exhaustion."
The transition to my new schedule has been both better and worse than I expected. On the one hand, I've really appreciated how almost all of my coworkers have gone out of their way to offer to help me and been really supportive. There are a lot of things that are different about day shift than evening shift. There is a lot more teaching to do, as well as just new routines to get used to. I have been really blessed with great coworkers who have been great about lending a hand with some of that, or at least talking me through what I need to do. I wouldn't have survived the last couple of weeks without them.
On the other hand, I hadn't anticipated that I would feel like I was literally running for about 12 hours straight every time I came to work. It's not that it's really busier than evenings, but it's a different kind of busy. Part of it, I think, is that we changed charting systems the very same week that I changed shifts, so there is a ton to get used to.
I am being forced to realize that: a) I am a perfectionist and hate to feel like I am not able to do absolutely everything for people, and b) I am not very good at asking for help. So, if nothing else, maybe I need to go through all of this to help me learn to stop trying to be super-nurse and let people help me. It sounds really obvious, right? Maybe it'll sink in one of these days...
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