Transcripts from a Night

10PM: My alarm rings. I slowly get out of bed and get dressed. Another day of work at the respite care clinic. Except it’s not a day of work. It’s a night of work. The clinic runs 24/7, meaning someone needs to work from 11pm to 7am. On occasion, that someone is me. 

11PM: I arrive at Christ House and get a quick report from the evening shift nurse assistant. The night shift is very different from the day shift. While the day shift includes a lot of cleaning and wound care, my main responsibilities at night lie in doing the patients’ laundry throughout the night, sitting at the nurse’s station, and pacing the hallways.

12AM: One of the patients wakes up for his pain meds. I chat with him for a bit. He complains a bit about another patient’s snoring. I apologize on the patient’s behalf. We have thin walls.

1AM: Boredom sets in. I sit by a window and watch cars go by. The world looks different at night. Nobody on the streets, only the long shadows of a lamp pole. I begin to appreciate the simplicity of the night. It’s a lot less hectic than during the day.

2AM: I get a call from a police officer. He asks if we’re a shelter and if we are accepting any admissions at the moment. To his disappointment, I answer no to both questions. 

3AM: I take a quick twenty minute power nap. One would think a nap would be rejuvenating. In my case, it makes me more tired. My body has begun to realize it is not supposed to be awake. 

4AM: I start pacing the hallways to stay awake. I read up on the latest oddities section on AP news. I finish my latest crochet project, a mini dinosaur. I look up cooking blogs and form ideas for the next community dinner.

5AM: One of the patients has an early appointment. I wake him up and get him dressed. Breakfast consists of cereal and milk. He’s a little grumpy, and I would be too. Luckily he understands I have to do my job.

6AM: The early risers begin to wake. It’s ironic, seeing people wake up when I’ve been awake most of the night. I grab towels for them to take showers and let them know the weather forecast so they can decide if they want some fresh air. It is cold this morning, around 30 degrees. The patients decide to stay inside.

7AM: The day shift staff arrive, and I’m able to give the report to the nurse assistants. I give them a quick rundown of patient updates and we talk for a little afterwards, the typical healthcare chatter mixed with a dose of gossip.

8AM: I arrive home, take a shower, and stumble into bed. It’s the start of a new day, though I’ll be asleep for most of it. 

Question for Reflection: What would a transcript of your day (or night) look like?