I don’t care how many shifts you’ve worked—there will always be days that make you wonder if you’re secretly on a reality show called Nurse: The Survival Edition.
Take this one shift. I walked in feeling like I could handle anything. My badge was clean, my stethoscope was shiny, and I had meal-prepped like a champion. By 9:15 AM, I was already regretting life choices.
- The call light was going off like it was trying to win an award.
- A patient swore they saw “a raccoon in the hallway” (spoiler: it was a therapy dog).
- The computer froze right after I finished charting—because of course it did.
Somewhere in between helping a patient find their “good slippers” and explaining (again) that no, I can’t make the cafeteria cook any faster, I realized: shift happens fast.
🎢 When a Smooth Morning Turns Into a Circus
Nursing days don’t unravel slowly. They unravel in moments.
One minute you’re sipping lukewarm coffee, the next you’re sprinting down the hall because the IV pump is beeping like it’s announcing the end of the world.
In my book Each One Teach One, I share this:
“Some days you’ll drive home wondering what on earth just happened. Those are often the same days you learned the most—about your patients and yourself.”
And as Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us:
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
Even in the chaos, there is purpose shaping us.
🧠 Food for Thought:
If every shift went exactly as planned, would you grow as much?
✨ Selah Moment Cliffhanger:
What if the shift that throws you off balance… is exactly the one that helps you find your footing?
🟡 Next up: “Trading Scrubs for a Second Chance”
A heart-to-heart for anyone who’s ever stepped away—or started again—and found their purpose renewed.
💬 Your Turn:
What’s the funniest or most unexpected thing that’s happened to you on a shift? Drop it in the comments—I might just share mine in the next post.
