You worked a long shift. Your feet are throbbing, your back is aching, and your eyelids are drooping closed. Sound familiar? Nurses work long and tiring shifts. Twelve hours on the clock is standard, and that’s if you manage to get off on time.
After a long shift, you probably want to jump in the car and get home to bed.
But Nurses’ long and tiring shifts put them at a heightened risk for dangerous and potential deadly drowsy driving.
You’re a Nurse. You already know how important sleep is. But when you’re so busy taking care of other people, it is easy to forget about yourself. It’s also not uncommon for the nature of a Nurse’s job to make it difficult for him or her to fall asleep at night. Did I remember to chart on that last patient? Did I give the right dosage of that last med? Did I leave the right instructions for the night shift nurse? These running worries make it hard to check out and rest up.
Next time you finish a long shift on your feet, maybe even running on less than a full night’s sleep, make sure you’re in good shape to drive. You want to return to work tomorrow as a Nurse, not tonight as a patient.
Here are some signs of drowsy driving:
Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking, or heavy eyelids
Daydreaming or wandering/disconnected thoughts
Trouble remembering the last few miles driven; missing exits or traffic signs
Yawning repeatedly or rubbing your eyes
Having trouble keeping your head up
Drifting from your lane, tailgating, or hitting a shoulder rumble strip
Feeling restless and irritable
Turning up the radio or rolling down the window
Impaired reaction time and judgment
Decreased performance, vigilance and motivation
What to do to keep yourself safe:
Already driving and realize you’re in no shape to be behind the wheel? Pull over and call a ride. Middle of the night? Pull your car over in a safe, well-lit location and call a cab. It will always be cheaper to pay for a cab ride than a car accident or hospital bill
Arrange for a travel companion. Find a Nurse on your shift who lives close by who can ride with you and help make sure you are in shape to be driving
Take a nap. If you are too tired to drive, find a place at work to take a quick nap before you hit the road
Consume caffeine 30 minutes or so before you plan to head out
Arrange a ride. Have a friend or family member who works or live nearby? Schedule rides for different shifts, that way you know before going into work that you have a safe and reliable way to get home
Some Quick Stats on Drowsy Driving:
In a study of hospital staff nurses, almost 600 nurses (596 out of 895) reported at least 1 episode of drowsy driving and 30 nurses reported experiencing drowsy driving following every shift worked. For nurses who worked only night shifts, the percentage rose to 79.5%
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that at least 100,000 police reported crashes each year are the direct result of driver fatigue. (NHTSA)
Each year drowsy driving crashes result in at least 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries and $12.5 billion in monetary losses. (NHTSA)
Most drowsy driving crashes happen between midnight and 6:00 a.m., when the body’s need for sleep is greatest
Drivers who drive alone or have no one to help them watch for the signs of fatigue, like Nurses returning home from work, are at higher risk.
Many people do not realize how sleepy they are, but driving requires a set of skills that are significantly reduced when you are sleep deprived. Studies show that drowsiness can cause:
slower reaction time
impaired judgment and vision
decline in attention to important signs, road changes and the actions of other vehicles
decreased alertness, preventing you from seeing an obstacle and avoiding a crash
increased moodiness and aggressive behavior
problems with processing information and short-term memory
microsleeps—brief 2/3 second sleep episodes
Some quick reminders about the importance of Sleep- yes, even for nurses!
Experts recommend 7-9 hours of sleep for adults
When a person doesn’t get enough sleep, a “sleep debt” accumulates that must be repaid—often at unexpected times, such as behind the wheel of a car.
Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. A good night’s sleep should be a regular part of everyone’s daily schedule.
Sleep affects every part of one’s life, including health, safety, mood, learning, appearance, relationships and productivity. It is as vital to our well-being as food and water!
Learn to recognize sleep problems. Problems sleeping or daytime sleepiness can signal a sleep disorder, which usually can be treated, or another medical condition. Talk to your doctor.
Nurses, we need you. Please put the same effort in to keeping yourself safe as you do for your patients.
As we reflect on the horrific events of 9/11, it’s important we address the impact it still has on first responders and their families. In this guest post, Lori Mercer from FireFighterWife.com shares inspirational ideas on dealing with the fear that comes from loving someone with such a dangerous job.
So many women tell me that every time they kiss their husband goodbye on his way out the door they think to themselves “This could be the last time I see him.”
I wonder how many of the fire wives thought that on the morning of September 11, 2001?
But an even better question, is I wonder how many of those lost in the tower even thought that in the past week before 9.11? A rare few if they were lucky were able to give a sufficient final goodbye “just in case”.
Most people have a sense of the fickle fate that could take any of our lives at any moment. Car accidents. Heart Attacks. Natural Disasters. But most people don’t have a constant reminder of the fragility of life living in their house leaving their firefighter paraphernalia lying around. The navy blue shirts. The coffee mugs. The maltese cross decals on the cars. The Last Will and Testament and important details for a Line of Duty Death tucked away in the fire safe.
Every fire wife has thought about her husband dying on duty. She’s rehearsed the phone call or the knock on the door all the way thru the tears, the funeral and life without him. I’ve personally found myself lost in thought when I’m driving, waiting for him to call me back after that last interrupted call “Working fire. Gotta go! Love you.” Click. It’s been 3 hours. Surely they are back by now. Somewhere those thoughts of “I’m sure they are just busy cleaning up. Or maybe his cell phone isn’t on him” turn to thoughts of what if. What if something happened to him? And before you know it tears are streaming down your face as you’re visualizing his eulogy given by his partner while you hug the kids tightly in the front row.
It’s so real. Or I should say, we can make things so real in our minds. And for some women, those thoughts grip them in ferocious fears that paralyze them, unable to act. Unable to go cook dinner, remember the next task or fall asleep. Even if you aren’t paralyzed in fear you may still be carrying with you that worry, gnawing in your gut and taking up precious space in your thoughts.
She’s trapped by those nasty emotions waiting for a stinking return phone call that 9,999 out of 10,000 times is going assure her that mental trap was just a false alarm.
And now we approach another anniversary of September 11th and the reminders get more frequent, more graphic, more lump-forming-in-my-throat-inducing.
Now I’m not just referring to fire wives. I think every American growing up in this generation has a strong emotional reaction to the events of 9.11. How could you not? It’s such a display of pure evil and loss of innocent lives. Perhaps even some firefighters react more strongly as they think of friends, colleagues, brothers and sisters who were killed on that day. And remind themselves it’s a promise they made and it could happen to them as well.
How do you beat this mental battle? Because if you don’t, they might as well keep flying planes into buildings because you are still fearfully impacted and that’s exactly what they wanted to happen. A little strong for you? Don’t underestimate the impact of your thoughts. You change your thoughts you change your life.
A few tips to battle the mental monsters of fear and worry especially surrounding September 11th
#1 You shouldn’t be in denial that firefighting is a dangerous profession. Duh. De Nial is just De River in Egypt. Sorry if that offends you to make light of that but some fire families really need to get their head out of the sand and do some pre-planning. Just in case. Cross that off the list and stop worrying about it.
#2 September 11th is a time to remember. To never forget, right? Think about what parts you aren’t forgetting. We want to honor the lives lost and it evokes a whole lot of emotions, especially for those personally impacted. Too many widows and orphans were made on that day. Far too many. I sincerely from the bottom of my heart mourn right alongside them. But at the same time, it does bother me when there is too much focus on death and not enough focus on the life. The good. The miracles surrounding 9.11. And I am pretty certain that those angels watching up in heaven understand our pain but wouldn’t want us to linger and get stuck there in a bad mental pit. Never forget all the good. Never forget our nation pulling together in support. Never forget those stories of heroes. But go ahead and forget all those images that keep you locked to the TV paralyzed in grief and inaction. We didn’t recover from 9.11 by replaying that scene over and over again. We acted. Which leads me to #3.
#3 Take action. I mean physically do something. Even just standing up and walking across a room or drinking a glass of water can change the chemical make up in our brains and help dispel negative emotions. But for September 11th, I’d actually encourage you to do something bigger. Remember the outpouring of support after 9.11? All the people that went to help. All the charities. All the acts of service. With that tragic event corresponding with us living in a more connected world, the opportunities to find a way to help are endless. If 9.11 has you a little extra emotional, then you need to find a way to occupy your mind with other activities instead. Over at FirefighterWife.com we are participating in the National Day of Service having our first ever 9.11 24 Hours of Service event to do just that. Anyone can participate by signing up at FirefighterWife.com/9-11 It’s our way of honoring those lost while leaving the world a little better at the end of the day.
#4 Find some tools to help you work through these emotions. Whether they are stealing minutes or days from your life, we can all benefit from on-going learning and self-improvement. Journal your thoughts. Read books. Talk to a counselor or a friend. Eliminate bad influences, the Debbie Downers in your life. Find a way to change stressful situations. Join a group for support and friendship.
As the leader of the largest online community of fire wives, I see so many women just spend too much time losing out on life because they are living in the “what if?”. It’s time to live in the “What next?” and do more.
Lori Mercer is the Chief Fire Wife, writer and speaker at FirefighterWife.com. She is the mother of 4 and very blessed to be happily married to her firefighter after many challenging years where she hated the firehouse and all its influence on him. Now she is an advocate for firefighter marriages and encouraging the fire wife community to drop the girl drama and work together for support and friendship.
As the weather starts to change once again, we look towards the fall season. This means it is important to remember to prepare your house and family accordingly for the season change. Preparing for fall can help save money, and protect your family and home. Check out these tips about preparing your home both inside and out, along with family (including pets).
Inside the house
Service your furnace / air conditioner. Be sure to call your local heating and cooling company to service and make sure everything is working properly. Double check furnace for any leaks. This will save headaches and money later when the temperatures drop.
Check to make sure your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide monitors are properly working. It’s important to know the alarms work, and that fresh batteries have been installed. Replace any fire extinguishers that have expired with new ones throughout the home.
If you keep emergency kits, make sure they are full and stocked with small medical items, water, flashlight with fresh batteries, and any supplies needed. There should be enough to last you and the family about a week.
Stock up on winter supplies. If you live in a climate where it snows frequently or ices, stock up on shovels, ice scrapers, sidewalk salts, etc. If your climate features heavy rain or hurricanes, make sure you have plenty of tarps, bottled water, duct tape, etc.
Use caution with space heaters and fireplaces. Place a fireplace screen in front of fire to prevent sparks from flying out. Never leave a burning fire unattended, and make sure the fire is out before going to bed. If your space heater requires ventilation, make sure it vents to the outdoors. Never use a stove or oven to heat home. Always allow three feet of empty area around the space heaters.
Outside the home
Reconsider burning the big pile of leaves. Check with your city’s regulations. It may be illegal to burn leaves. Burning leaves produce dangerous and cancer-causing chemicals according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). If you are going to burn the leaves, wear a protective mask. Make sure that you are far away from the house or any other structures. Double check the weather forecast for the day for windy activity.
Watch for power lines if trimming trees in the yard. Look and survey your yard area for power lines hanging above. Notice the placement of your ladder and trimming tools.
Use caution while using a ladder. If you have to clean leaves out of the gutter, remember to have on appropriate footwear to avoid getting caught in between steps. Watch the steps for water or moisture to avoid slipping and falling. Make sure the ladder is secure and placed before climbing.
Check all of the outdoor lighting fixtures. Make sure they all are working properly and secure. Outdoor lights are also effective deterrents for crime.
When you’re cleaning up your yard, prevent injuries by standing straight and upright while raking leaves. Pull from your arms and legs, lift bags with bent knees using your legs, not your back, for support. If you’re using a leaf blower, wear appropriate clothing, eye protection, and tennis shoes or boots to prevent injury.
Family
Go get a flu shot. There are still possibilities of getting sick after receiving the shot, but it will protect you from severe complications.
Not just for employees returning to work, wash your hands. Use hot water, plenty of soap, and scrub for at least 30 seconds.
Bundle up if it is cold. Wear a jacket and dress accordingly.
Pets. If your furry friend lives outside, feed them more in the cooler times to help them retain body heat.
Keep an emergency kit in your car. If you haven’t already, make up an emergency kit and keep in your trunk. Some are in stores already made-up. To make your own, include a flashlight with fresh batteries, first-aid kit, jumper cables, windshield washer fluid, and basic tools.
Voting is now closed! You may still share the heroes’ pages, but votes will not count. We will be announcing the winner soon! Keep an eye out for our July Finalists later this week!
How to vote for Julian: Simply “share” this page on Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin. You can share once per social network. We’ll keep track, and the finalist with the most shares will win! Use the “Sharing is Caring” buttons at the bottom of this post to make sure they count!
Earlier this year, the right training combined with the right timing helped Julian save a toddler’s life. Julian, a volunteer paramedic and firefighter, happened to be driving past a stranger’s house when he noticed a woman outside screaming into two cell phones. Thinking she may be in trouble, he stopped to help. The woman was on the phone with 911 Dispatch. Her son, a 2-year-old boy named Decker, was nearly unconscious at the foot of the stairwell just inside the door. The woman was outside waiting for the ambulance, confused before realizing she was on the line with the wrong dispatch. The confusion meant that it took several minutes for an ambulance to arrive. In those precious moments, Julian began CPR and kept Decker alive until paramedics arrived. Once he got the ER, the medical team removed a pushpin that was lodged in his throat, choking him. Decker’s mother calls Julian her son’s guardian angel. Julian is currently serving with the United States Armed Forces as a medic doing EMS work in Afghanistan.
Please note – we’ve changed the voting requirements this month. In order to vote, you’ll have to create an account and log in to vote. Once you register, you’ll be taken directly to the voting page.
Don’t want to register? You can still see the voting results – just click here.
Fran C. | Pennsylvania Firefighter & Nurse
On July 4, 2012, Fran entered a smoke-filled home and heard a woman in distress on the 2nd floor. When Fran found her, she was trapped, panicked and out of breathe from breathing in too much smoke. In a split-second decision, Fran took a big breath, removed his tank and put it on the woman. Both got out safely, although Fran was hospitalized for smoke inhalation. Fran later met the woman he saved, and presented her with about $500 of his own overtime pay to help her and her family. Fran became a firefighter after following in the footsteps of his retired Fire Captain father.
When Fran isn’t fighting fires, he works as a part time Nurse at Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Before becoming a full time firefighter, he worked as a Paramedic.
Nancy J. | Wisconsin Educator
Nancy J. has been enthusiastically servings as the Arrowhead High School Choir Director for almost 30 years. Known for her passion and motivation, Nancy works to make each and every student a part of the team. She uses creativity in her teaching to keep her high school students engaged and enthusiastic about the fine arts. Her hard work shows. Every year, choir performances pack the house and lines to buy performance tickets stretch out the door. Nancy goes above and beyond to highlight her students’ achievements: decorating the halls for their performances, taking headshots so they feel like stars, and accompanying them to weekend contests. Due to Nancy’s unceasing hard work, her high school’s choir and theatre programs have a reputation for greatness.
Corporal Stan P | Georgia Police Officer
When Officer Phillips answered a call about an aggressive dog, he arrived at the scene to find a vicious attack in progress. The dog was biting the victim, a 5-year-old little girl named Lilly, on the face and neck. Officer Phillips rushed to her aid and was able to free her from the dog. The girl was immediately airlifted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, including a missing ear. After saving the girl’s life, Officer Phillips continued to go visit her in the hospital, despite the hour drive each way, and even arranged for donations to pay for her reconstructive surgery. After she was released from the hospital, Officer Phillips helped work with churches and charities to raise money for her continued recovery. Stan has worked on a crime suppression units, SWAT, and road patrols (among others) and coworkers note his dedication and noteworthy impact on high crime areas- calling him a ‘go to’ guy in the field.
When shots rang out in the hospital where Robert works, his first thought was the victim’s safety. As others dropped to the floor, Robert ran to aid of the gunshot victim- a physician who worked at the hospital. After rushing to get his patient to a safe location to receive medical attention, Robert took cover and provided comfort to distraught nursing students. Robert’s coworkers say this kind of heroic action is not out of character for a man who cares deeply about his patients. Robert is an integral member of the Haiti Outreach Mission (HOM). HOM works to bring mobile clinics to distant mountain locations where Robert helps triage patients in need. Closer to home, Robert also speaks out on behalf of his patients, many of whom are victims of violence, by speaking at anti-violence rallies.
