“Hey, I need somebody to run this to the lab.”

“Hey, I need somebody to help us move in here.”

“Hey, I need somebody to open our next room, check our next case, get some instruments from downstairs, clean my room, find my surgeon, I need someone to give me a break…”

Honey, I hate to break it to you, but you are somebody.

These are quite frequent comments heard when a person not used to working evenings, ie a day person, works pms. Let me explain. The day shift is quite busy, yes, and they run four operating rooms from 0730 to 1700. We on evenings are also quite busy and run two operating rooms from 1700 to 1900 and run one room from 1900 to 2300. Day shift has roughly twelve people to run the four rooms, not including the charge nurse. This allows for free people to run things to the lab, move patients, open the next rooms, clean the rooms, get all the equipment needed, find the surgeons and give breaks. On evenings we do not have that luxury. We have four people until 1900 and two people after 1900, not including the charge nurse. Some nights the charge nurse is one of the two people. So there is no somebody to enlist to help. You are that somebody.

Welcome to evenings. You’ll like it here. You are somebody.

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This was the very first dispatch that I wrote. But I didn’t know it was for Dispatches from the Evening Shift at the time.

This was in reaction to the incessant calls out by day shift for SOMEBODY to get them something they needed.

Well, on the evening shift, we are all somebody.

On the evening shift, sometimes you have to help yourself.

More than that, you have to think 4 steps ahead.

Oh, and answer the phone.

It’s for you.

Happy Nurses Week to us all.