There’s a question we nurses get asked over and over again: “How do you deal with shift work?” Working differently every week, sometimes early in the morning, then at night or from late afternoon, including on weekends and public holidays – many people assume that such working hours are a great burden for us, that it gets on our nerves. But that is a prejudice and in reality only applies to a few. Otherwise, those affected would sooner or later look for another job. In any case, I can say with absolute certainty: No, it doesn’t annoy me. Not at all – on the contrary. I really appreciate my shift work.
In Ebersberg we can enter wishes for the duty roster in advance – a desired duty roster, in other words. In addition, we can make fixed arrangements with our boss for services that we have free of charge every week. In my case, for example, it is Tuesday afternoon when I look after my Red Cross youth group. So on this day I can only take on early or night shifts.
That allows a lot of flexibility, much more than in most other professions. If I have to go to the authorities, for example, I do it one morning before my late shift. Or if I have to make an appointment with the doctor, I put it on a day when I’m on late or night shift or completely free. Other people have to take half a day off for such errands!
When everyone is out of the house at home in the morning, at work or at school, then I can take care of household chores, go to Zumba or meet up for coffee when I have to work late or night shifts. I also know many mothers who don’t work full-time in their jobs with regular working hours because they can’t manage the household after work, because then the children want to be entertained. These are problems I don’t know about. During the week I even have time for myself from time to time and I enjoy that.
Intensive care specialist Pola Gülberg from the Ebersberger district clinic.
(Photo: Peter Hinz-Rosin)
Nevertheless, working in shift models only works for mothers like me if there is good organization and there is support from the personal environment. If my partner wasn’t with my son before school or in the evenings, my work wouldn’t work. Before, when I lived alone with my son, it was my parents who then took care of him. If there are important appointments in my area, then I need to know that in order to be able to enter my desired duties or swap shifts accordingly. Without this help I could not do my job. That’s why I’m very grateful that I have such great people around me.
For me, the only disadvantage of my working hours is how some people deal with it – many people in care have a similar experience. Friends neglect contact with us, we will forget more quickly. “I didn’t dare call you because I didn’t know how you work.” That’s what the justifications are. But that’s nonsense: when we’re sleeping or working, the mobile phone is off or silent, so nobody disturbs us. So: Call us and write to us!
Pola Gülberg is an intensive care nurse. In this column, the 37-year-old talks about her work at the district clinic in Ebersberg every week. The collected texts can be found below sueddeutsche.de/thema/Auf_Station.