A nurse on the night shift

Pham Thu Ha has worked as a nurse in a Hanoi hospital for nine years, the last five on the night shift. We met her on a rare free afternoon and asked what a night at work looks like. "The first hours are the busiest," she says. "Medicines, checks, new patients from the emergency room. After two in the morning it goes quiet, and that's when it gets difficult."

Difficult in what way? "Your body knows it should be asleep. I sit down for one minute and my eyes start to close. I drink tea, walk along the corridor and talk to patients who can't sleep either. Some nights a patient's hand on my arm keeps me awake better than any coffee."

What does the job do to her life outside work? "I miss things," she admits. "Birthdays, Sunday lunches, the school concert. My daughter is eight, and she thinks of me as a person who is always asleep. I've learned to set an alarm for her school pick-up, and I sleep in two parts: four hours in the morning and a nap before work."

Does she worry about her health? "Studies have linked long-term night work to heart problems and sleep disorders, and I take that seriously. I try to eat a proper meal before my shift, not instant noodles at four in the morning, and I get outside in daylight whenever I can. Our hospital also lets us swap shifts if someone is struggling, which helps a lot."

So why keep doing it? She laughs. "The pay is slightly higher, but that's not the reason. At night, you're the one in charge. Patients are frightened, and a calm voice makes a real difference. Last winter an old man told me I was the first person who had listened to him all week. I went home happy that morning, and I slept very well."

What would she tell a young nurse who is starting nights? "Protect your sleep as if it's part of the job, because it is. Get black curtains, put your phone on silent and find one friend who understands. And be kind to yourself in the first month. Everyone feels terrible at the start, and it does get easier."