1. You get to wear the world's most comfortable shoes every single day without getting weird looks.
2. This is the most aggravating thing in the world.
3. And you know exactly how much you can fit in that smock pocket.
4. As soon as you hold a syringe in your hand, patients tremble in fear.
5. When you get tinnitus at some point, you're 100% sure it's due to the awful sound of the emergency button.
6. Obviously fitted sheets for hospital beds were made way too small just to annoy you.
7. Being a nurse doesn't only involve drinking coffee and wiping butts. This is what the intensive care unit actually looks like.
8. You can tell by the supply carts who had night shift yesterday (and also who forgot to refill it).
9. While the patients receive their bland dinners, you treat yourself from time to time.
10. Night shift can be a living hell, but you always try to put on a good face.
11. But you also have some minor stimulants, just in case.
12. And they definitely help when you're too tired to even make out your schedule any longer.
13. During night shift, even the briefest rest is enough for you to recharge.
14. And nothing makes you feel better than the blessed words "end of shift."
15. But you are not one to complain. You're a trouper, so until those words float into your tinnitus-stricken ears, you take a deep breath and just keep going.
16. But you do know that the early shift can be painful, too. It's frequently so stressful that you barely have time to sit down...
17. Or to get ahold of a real notepad.
18. So you've learned to improvise.
19. When it's your turn to do the dishes, you shed a solitary tear.
20. But hey, don't worry! You know every corner of the hospital, so you can totally find a nice, quiet corner to cry, if you need it.
21. Only when you work nonstop for 14 days do you realize just how difficult and exhausting weekend service truly is.
22. Which is why your morning coffee is like a little magic potion for you.
23. When someone claims that your apprenticeship is boring, you simply show them this picture.
24. The best breaks are the breaks with your fellow nurses.
25. Because only with them can you laugh about hospital stuff.
26. And even when they aren't there, you still have your cell phone and the break room.
This post was translated from German.