12 Funny Things That Wake Nurses at Night

Even off the clock, a nurse's brain keeps working. You collapse into bed after a 12 hour shift, finally start to drift off, and then, BEEP BEEP, that's Room 12's IV pump. Except it's 0300 and you're home. Back to sleep. It's practically a bedtime routine. Some of what wakes nurses up is actually funny, so I asked a few colleagues. Here's the list.

1. Call lights. They ring all shift, so naturally they ring in your sleep too. The soundtrack of nursing.

2. Forgetting to call a family member back. They'll call again next shift.

3. "Did I forget to pass something off in report?" Asked out of pure habit.

4. "Do I really have that same difficult patient again, or did they finally get discharged on day shift?"

5. A Code Blue alarm or the red phone.

6. "I keep people alive all night, but did I actually clock in and out?"

7. Waking up sure you forgot to set a patient's bed alarm.

8. "Did I chart everything?"

9. Forgetting to bring someone ice chips, peanut butter, crackers, or juice.

10. Patient overload dreams. "My assignment is one endless winding hallway, every room packed with four or five patients." And the classic: "It's end of shift and I just found out I had patients I never knew about."

11. "I dream about the daily blood drive, all types needed, walk-ins welcome." That intercom announcement runs so often it follows you home.

12. "Honestly, after 12 hours I sleep too hard to dream. But I have tried to unlock my car by scanning my badge. True story."