Call Secrets of the OR- Call shift is great until something wakes you up

I still call my job the coolest shift I’ve ever had.

There are a LOT of positives. And I’ve written about them. As well as some instructions on how to deal with them. And how to sleep on call.

Now let’s talk negatives.

The first negative is that you now have a hair trigger sleep habit. Because when the call comes, you have to be awake, dressed, and at the hospital within 30 minutes.

I live stupid close to the hospital (less than 3 miles) and it still sometimes takes me 20 minutes to get there.

Because of this hair trigger sleep habit you are especially aware of every little noise the pager or your phone makes. Because it might be a case. Or it might be a pager in need of a battery.

Or it might be a stupid political text at 0400 (four in the morning).

Or it might be the university that is 90 miles away that you are attending virtually anyway with a new announcement regarding the snow day. Or the hurricane. Or once, memorably, a car fire in the parking garage.

Or it might be a text alerting you that the delivery drivers/installers will be there sometime in the next 12 hours with whatever you ordered.

Ask me how I know…

Or it might be your brain going off. For no apparent reason except to get you of bed at 0300.

Regardless of the time the hair trigger has been pulled. You are now awake and there will be no more sleep tonight.

You could toss and turn and read on the Kindle and check your email. Or try all the myriad of things that past insomniac you used to do to get to sleep. I mean counting sheep is an option. So is sleep hypnosis. I use repetition of one particular number, just that number, until I am asleep.

But you know that it is useless and your brain is now engaged and awake.

So you get out of bed.

This makes the cat happy.

You brush your teeth and get dressed to start the day.

Who cares that the sun isn’t even up?

There’s a new crossword puzzle to do and emails to catch up on and a cat to feed and a sunrise to watch.

Don’t worry, there will be a nap in your future.

I hope that for you.

Now this negative doesn’t happen every night. No.

It is just often enough to be obnoxious.

I still wouldn’t change a thing and this remains the coolest shift I’ve ever done.