It's about time: Third-shift nurses offer unique perspective on work/life balance

Linda Calerco is not a fan of early-morning TV. "It's just a lot of bad talk shows, a lot of interviews with people from these obscure shows I've never heard of," she says. But Calerco, an emergency room nurse who works from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., admits she's probably not the target audience.

"Is there a show for exhausted nurses who are all keyed up and want to relax a bit before getting some sleep? Probably not," she says. Unwilling to commit to watching movies or TV shows after work -- "If I fall asleep, I miss the whole thing. If I stay awake, I can't fall asleep." -- Calerco says her lack of entertainment options are a small price to pay for her dream hours.

"I love third shift. The reason I started was because that was all that was available at Resurrection Hospital (in Chicago) when I first started working," she says. "But then after I had two children, third shift seemed to be the most logical time for me to be able to work and still spend time with my kids."

Because of her hours, she was able to pick up her kids from school, get dinner started and maintain the house while her husband picked up other responsibilities. "It's nice having a spouse who gets it, someone who can fill those holes you have in your day because of your schedule," Calerco says.

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