When I'm scheduled to work the 6am shift, my alarm clock typically goes off at 4am. What I realized this morning is that I absolutely CANNOT hit the snooze button. This morning, I hit the snooze and because of this, I nearly missed the shuttle bus! Thank goodness Dave was driving this morning because he waited for me!
I've been at Mayo for 8 1/2 years and still don't have downtown parking privileges. I was told that after 10 years of service, I should be able to park downtown. (I'm not holding my breath.) So, I have to be out the door by 5:15am to get to the shuttle lot at 5:25am to catch the 5:30am shuttle. He comes around again at 5:45am, but then I'm a few minutes late for work. What should be a quick commute to work since we only live a few minutes from the hospital, ends up adding nearly an hour to my work day.
Now that I've griped and complained about being up so early, I also get to leave work at 2:30pm! I love this part of working the 6am shift! And, the doctors don't show up until 10am, so I'm able to get so much more patient care done before they arrive. I can get our unit and patient rooms organized the way I like and ready for the day. It's a little eerie walking around the Mayo and Gonda Buildings because I'm literally the only one around, but I walk right past our friendly security office.
I really enjoy the variety of shifts and also being able to work between two different areas: Outpatient Dermatology and the Ultraviolet Light Phototherapy Unit. Well, I suppose... back to work...