Tomorrow is Shift Work Recognition Day in Humboldt and Maureen Lees, a registered nurse (RN) with the Humboldt District Health Complex, can be the first to attest that shift work is not an easy feat.
And thus, all the more reason to honour those who don't hold down regular 9-5 jobs; the nurses, doctors, convenience store and gas station owners, 24/7 drive-thru attendants, ticket counter agents, truck-drivers and so many more, just to name a few, who base their career around shifts.
Lees has been a nurse at the hospital in Humboldt for 32 years, a career she was inspired to get into by her mother, who was a nurses' aid at the hospital.
The long, odd hours typical of a nursing career didn't deter Lees from deciding to enter into it.
"It just seemed normal to me," she said, thinking back to her childhood when her mom would come home in the wee morning hours from an overnight shift. "I never once thought that maybe this wasn't the career for me. You just get used to it."
In a typical week, Lees will usually work three 12-hour shifts, some overnight.
Sometimes, she might have to work more than that.
"Four twelve-hour ones are really hard. I just come home afterwards and crash," she said.
Lees is emphatic that a good amount of sleep is the key to managing any form of shift work.
"After my last shift, I come home, crawl into bed and just sleep until my body won't let me anymore," she said. "I don't set an alarm, I just sleep until I wake up and feel rested."
Lees said that even putting on a fan to drown out background noise, like the chatter of a household, lawnmowers or cars buzzing by outside, also helps. Disconnecting the phone and blocking out any light is crucial too, Lees said, to getting a good, deep sleep.
"I'm also fortunate right now because my kids are grown up, so I have that luxury of being able to sleep as soon as I come home," she said.
Nearly 30 per cent of Canada's work force is shift work and assuredly, many of those workers have young families; some are even single parents.
"You definitely need child care," Lees said. "A babysitter, a grandparent, a friendsomeone who can help out if your spouse cannot, or if you don't have one."
Lees is the mother of two girls, both now in their twenties, but recalled managing her schedule around them when they were young. Lees' husband held a regular day job, so usually a babysitter would help out.
"I was also lucky because I have family around here, so they were able to watch the girls too sometimes. I have some co-workers who don't have that option," she said.
Many times, when both parents hold shift jobs, it requires a lot of sitting down and negotiating schedules each week; sometimes, one parent might have to give up shift work.
For Lees' career as an RN at the hospital, the number of shifts she has in a week varies but it usually stays around three to four, with two to three days off in between; every six weeks, she gets a week off.
"Three weeks are intense with the number of shifts I have and then the next three weeks, I typically have a lesser number of shifts," she explained.
People need to be good to their body, Lees said, in order to maintain a career of longevity in shift work.
Eating well-balanced meals, trying to exercise on days off, limiting the junk food and of course, getting plenty of rest, has helped Lees tremendously in maintaining her nursing career of over 30 years.
She wants people who struggle with fatigue and alertness at their shift jobs to know they're not alone, because it's a very common side effect, something Lees herself has suffered through from time to time.
"Before my first shift of the week, I get plenty of sleep," she said, when asked how she combats the onset of fatigue at work. "Even if I'm working a night shift that starts at 7 in the evening, that whole day I'll rest at home. I won't be out doing things because I need every bit of energy I can get."
For the younger generation who may be inclined to put off a good sleep in favour of seeing their friends or going to parties when they get off their shift at work, Lees cautions them.
"I know it sounds cliché but sleep is so, so important," she said. "If you don't get enough of it, you'll pay for it down the road. It'll really wear out your body," she said.
Despite Lees maintaining a career where plenty of zzz's is fundamental to its success, she wouldn't trade her nursing career in for a day job - well, again.
There was a time earlier on in her life when she worked as an RN at a day-time job but soon became bored with it: the call of helping patients, even at the witching hours, was more her style.
"It's been hugely rewarding and fulfilling," she said. "The best part of my job is the ability to help people, at any hour of the day. There's something comforting in that."
