Night of the Living Nurse

It's been far too long since I've been awake during the day. Today, coming off almost two weeks of nights I feel like my skin just might set fire from the light of the sun.

Sometimes I can't believe how hard this job is and I catch myself wondering, "Why in the world did I sign up for this?" But the good usually outweighs the bad from day to day. Looking into someone's eyes in the middle of the night, knowing they probably won't be around much longer (not that most of my patients are that acute), and trying to give them a little comfort from their physical pain and the pain and loneliness that comes from being in the hospital is heart wrenching. It's weird to share such intimate moments with "strangers."