6p - 2a

I've worked a new shift today - the 6pm to 2am shift, aka the 'swing' shift. I think I have mixed feelings about this new entity in my life.

Pros:

• Night nurses
• Night charge nurses (Nell don't take no shit, baby!)
• I'm the 'help' so I'm never alone, i.e. there is no part of the shift when there isn't at least one other doctor with me.
• It's a really fast shift, mostly 'cause of bullet #3.
• The shift runs during prime time - lots of actual pathology seems to show up in the evening. That's always fun. ;)
  

Cons:

• Night nurses - those ladies don't do anything they don't want to. If they disagree with me? Guess what, my orders won't be carried out for hours...
• 6p - 2a pretty much means I don't get to see the husband all day. A HUGE bummer.
• Getting home at 2a as a non-driver in Houston. Cabs are slow, and the shitty drivers work the graveyard shift. My cabbie tonight? Clueless. And he didn't have change. Sheesh.
• Feeling like you're abandoning the overnight doc. 'Cause, guess what, you are. When the swing shift doc leaves, the overnight doc is all alone for the next 6 hours. And they are a painful six hours. Tonight I ended up staying a little late to prevent unloading a procedure onto the overnight guy. Granted, it was a minor procedure, but still... Overnights suck, and I don't wanna make his worse.

Mostly, I think con #2 is the most disturbing. I like my husband and I like seeing him. This shift doesn't allow that. So I guess the cons will win and I'll sigh every time I see an evening swing shift on the schedule... but at least the silver lining is decent.