work... work... work...

so i am working straight nights, which would be great, except for the fact that it's not. i love the people i work with on nights (lets face it, it takes special people to be able to pull off 12 hour shifts overnight) and the job is really good. even on busy nights... i just hate the night shift! i've lost 10 pounds and holding. -i know what you're thinking: she doesn't have 10 pounds to lose!- but miraculously, i've shed all my muscle mass! grrrrr... i took the night shift because there was a charge nurse position open that i wanted because it's the next step in my career. which brings me to my next point.
what is a 'charge nurse' you might ask. as a charge nurse i take only 2 really easy patients (as opposed to 5-6 hard ones) and i am basically everyone's go to person. if a nurse is behind with meds, blood, iv's, anything, i help them out. if there is an argument between cna's and rn's i have to sort it out (good thing i haven't had to employ my subtle but effective: "well, you're being a jack-ass and she's right, so deal with it or quit") but mostly i deal with the great influx of patients that happens at night. day shift discharges 7-12 patients/day and admits only 4-6. night shift fills that void and we admit 5-10 patients/night with fewer nurses which makes giving patients to nurses who are already behind loads of fun... i also have to be able to answer or find answers for everyone's questions about meds, procedures, "what would you do's" and so on. i don't charge every night i work. only 4-6 times a month. but it included a pay raise, and it looks good on my resume should i ever quit or move. also, it makes you sounds really cool when you say, "yeah, my sister/daughter/friend is a CHARGE nurse." it's good for your reputation. people might even kiss your feet!
i also recently accepted the safety council chair person position which would include a 5% pay raise if i had my bachelor's degree (i know dad, i can hear your thoughts from here). but this basically means i'm still in charge of the disaster preparedness (should a disaster ever hit the ever-so-righteous salt lake city) and i'm also in charge of organizing work parties. whoever thought of putting me in this position was WAY off! it also means i go to more meetings and do some jcaho-paperwork stuff, but i get a committee! a whole committee under me that i get to choose!
we have 2 charge nurses leaving from day shift. i've already spoken to my manager and shoved my foot in that door. if they are to be replaced, he knows he better put me there first otherwise i can be very annoying. he's awesome. he's going to try to work with me to get me off of night shift, but a lot depends on staffing needs, which i understand. i told him i'd do what he needs me to do, but i REALLY want to go back to days!!