Many people ask me how I do it, how do I work night shift come home be a mom, wife, got to school and then do it all over again. The answer is I just do, with a lot of help from caffeine. I only work part time though and that helps but I do love what I do (most days) and I love the people I work with, so it all balances out one way or another...
Anyway, here are some of my favorite things I use at work to get me through the long hours of this crazy life we call hospital life.
~So first up is this amazing dry shampoo by Suave. There is nothing like the I just did a double shift and I look like it, look. Come up to our floor around 6am and you will see a bunch of oily hair, oily skin, smudged make up, stained scrubs...you get the picture. And some days when I get home there is no down time, I need to look like a presentable adult ASAP and that's why I love this stuff. Shake it up (shake good) and spray on your roots and rub in and it eats up that oil and actually adds some volume as well. It smells great to, which is always an added bonus when you work with smells like we do. This stuff is great for after work, and I even use it sometimes during work especially double shifts when the oil takes over. It's way cheap too! Find it at Target, go you will love it!
~Next up are these cute little nail files. They came to me in one of my beloved Birchboxes. I am always chipping nails at work so once I got these cuties I put them right in my work bag. They are small and fit right in my little make up bag thing I use a work and they are cute...sold. Patients ask for nail files a lot, and as long as they are not suicidal or crazy confused which would cause them to use said file as a weapon against me, or I don't know, try to eat it.... I hook them up with these.
~This next one is a necessary evil. Our favorite pizza place, and I say favorite because it's the only one open at 3am, Sarpino's. I swear the ER people must think we are the biggest heffers ever (night shift food deliveries go through the ER) We don't do it thaaat often, but often enough, there is something so good about a pizza with yummy toppings at 3am. Sometimes it's the only thing that gets us through the night. The calzones are good too. Also I love that there is no guilt when we order a pizza on night shift. We run our asses off at night and we get hungry and we are going to eat that damn pizza and enjoy it! (I use to be so good about not eating on night shift, but now my body is so use it and I do get hungry in the middle of then night, especially when I worked the night before and slept most of the day).
~In a stunning turn of events, we actually had a patient that was happy and showed appreciation for all that we do and bought the floor a Keurig coffee maker. I had gotten one for Christmas so I already knew how wonderful the Keurig is, but let me tell you having one at work rocks. I keep my stash of k-cups in my locker or my make up bag. Those of us that use it like to share kcups with others, which is a great way to find new yummy kcups (my fav find so far has been blueberry coffee, soooo good!) and lets face it, the regular coffee, if not touched since pm shift, can get a little scary by 2am.
~Everyone knows the best part of working in the hospital is going to work practically in your pajamas. BUT, not all scrubs are created equal. I have pretty much tried them all and can break them down for you. A comfy pair of scrubs and good shoes can make a huge difference. My favorites thought are Greys Anatomy and Med Couture. Greys Anatomy scrubs are super, super soft which I love. I also like their teal shade, its more subdue then others. Med Couture I think are my over all favs though. They are comfy, cute and have some shape to them so you don't look like a big box. They have coordinating shirts for under you top and they have awesome wetness protection that most other brands do not (I sweat a lot at work, gross I know, but when you running like crazy and gowned up in an isolation room, your gonna sweat). They are spendy but worth it, they hold up great. They finally came out with a real teal paired with my fave color, purple and a new top style that I have sitting in my basket waiting for pay day! (I have mint and a darker tealish color now cause that's as close to teal as I could get at the time) The only way I ever ruined a pair was by washing them with a gel pen in the pocket...opps. My runner up brand is Wonder Wink. The worst one I have tried is Dickies, they just don't work for me and they are so stiff and blah. I like Cherokee pants, but their tops make you look huge, wish they would fix that!
~Other must haves for me are a lip gloss or two, some of my PINK Fresh&Clean spray (by the way we know who is working just by the smell of the locker room when we walk in, it's kinda funny, we all have our identifiable smell) and good hand lotion cause you wash your hands a lot. I use my PINK lotion in Fresh & Clean or whatever is laying around that others have brought in. Good smells are important, if you work in healthcare you understand this, c-diff anyone?
That's all I can think of right now, so there you have it, my hospital must haves!
