In general, i agree with ADs words on a 12 hour shift. The pain lies in not finishing on time. Not so bad in busy areas where your base and hospital are not far from one another but there are parts in even little ole UK that mean, potentially, working a 15 hour day. Our neighbouring station , a few weeks ago, finished after 16 hours. 16 hour shifts are something of a thing of the past in many areas. Double shifts are unheard of these days... almost. But it does make for better christmas shopping ;0) As for eating, in the health service i'd suggest this is one of the unhealthiest jobs one can do and the propensity to develop diabetes is pretty high. Along with the excellent fruit suggestions made by the other posters i find you can't really go wrong with a hard boiled egg. Portable food with it's own eco-friendly packaging :0)