The Night Soldier: Adapting a Warrior's Mindset in High-Stakes Medical Scenarios

What doctors can learn from soldiers and mothers about resilience, purpose, and saving lives on the night shift.

Introduction: Standing Between Life and Death

For any doctor, especially those in critical care, night shifts often feel like a battlefield. You’re not just keeping things running—you’re standing between life and death. In the ICU, this becomes even more pronounced. It’s one of the most physically and mentally demanding environments, where every decision you make could change someone’s fate.

But there’s something about night shifts that transforms you. It’s in those long, lonely hours, as patients sleep and machines beep, that you realize you’re not just fighting for your patients—you’re fighting for your own growth, your own resilience.

Today, I want to share with you some personal stories from my own night shifts and reflect on what we, as doctors, can learn from the mindsets of soldiers and mothers. These two roles, though very different, have taught me so much about how to thrive in high-stakes situations.

When the Night Takes Over: The Chaos of a Lower GI Bleed

One night during my residency, I experienced firsthand what it means to be overwhelmed by chaos. It wasn’t about the number of patients, but the sheer emotional and physical exhaustion that came with dealing with so many critical cases at once.

That night, a patient with a lower GI bleed was admitted, but there were no ICU beds available. I was running between wards, checking blood pressures, hanging fluids, and trying to stabilize patients as best as I could. The patient’s BP was 90/60—not great, but stable for the moment. Exhaustion took over, and I lay down for a short nap.

When I woke up, it was 7 AM, and the chaos had already erupted. I heard a loud cry from the patient’s cubicle—the same patient whose blood pressure I had checked earlier. He had passed away while I slept. That moment shattered me. It wasn’t just physical fatigue—it was a deep emotional pain, the kind that makes you question everything.

I had to muster the strength to apologize to his son, knowing there was nothing I could say that would make it better. That night marked a turning point for me in understanding how we balance exhaustion, decision-making, and emotional fortitude.

Triaging Patients and Ourselves: Prioritizing What Matters Most

From that night forward, I realized I needed better systems to manage the chaos. In the ICU, we use triaging to sort patients by the severity of their condition. The most critical get immediate attention, while those who are stable receive secondary care. But triaging is more than just a clinical tool—it’s also an emotional and mental process.

Labeling a patient as "stable" or "moribund" is never easy. You question whether you've made the right decision, and the emotional weight of that decision can be overwhelming. But as I gained experience, I began to see that it wasn’t just about the immediate numbers on the monitor—it was about trends. A drop from 150/90 to 110/60 in a short period means something is wrong, even if the current number doesn’t scream "emergency."

In a similar way, I realized I needed to triage myself. When life gets overwhelming, when work pulls me in too many directions, I have to prioritize my own well-being. What areas of my life need attention? What can I let go of? This kind of self-triaging has been crucial in helping me stay grounded during the most chaotic moments.

The Soldier's Mindset: Discipline, Resilience, and Purpose

I’ve always admired soldiers—their ability to push beyond their physical limits, their mental toughness, and their resilience in the face of danger. Soldiers don’t have the luxury of second-guessing themselves. They rely on their training, their instincts, and the knowledge that they’re fighting for something greater than themselves.

In many ways, the ICU feels like a battlefield. As doctors, we are the last line of defense for our patients, especially during the night. When you’re the only thing standing between a patient and death, you can’t afford to be paralyzed by fear or doubt. You have to trust your training, make quick decisions, and give everything you have.

What keeps soldiers going is their purpose—their mission to protect and serve. As doctors, we can find that same purpose in our own mission to save lives. The mindset of a soldier has helped me face those long, chaotic nights in the ICU, where it feels like everything is falling apart. It’s about pushing forward, even when you feel like giving up, because you know that what you’re doing matters.

Have you ever considered yourself a soldier on the night shift? What’s the greater purpose driving your work? How can you cultivate the same resilience and discipline that soldiers rely on?

The Mother’s Mindset: Endurance, Compassion, and Unwavering Purpose

On the other hand, I also draw immense inspiration from mothers. There’s something profound about the way mothers endure the immense pain of childbirth, only to emerge on the other side filled with love and gratitude for their newborn. The physical and emotional toll they experience is beyond words, yet I’ve never met a mother who regrets the process.

Why? Because for mothers, the purpose of bringing new life into the world far outweighs the pain. The end goal of giving birth—creating life—becomes a driving force that pushes them through even the toughest moments.

As doctors, especially on night shifts, we often feel the emotional weight of our work. When the nights are long, when the outcomes are uncertain, it’s easy to lose sight of why we do what we do. But just like mothers, we can remind ourselves of our greater purpose—to heal, to give our patients and their families hope, and to bring them through the most difficult moments of their lives.

What can you learn from the endurance and compassion of mothers? How can you apply that same mindset to your work, even when the emotional toll feels too heavy to bear?

The Challenges of Night Shifts: Managing Exhaustion and Maintaining Mental Clarity

One of the greatest challenges of night shifts is the disruption to our natural circadian rhythms. The body is designed to be awake during the day and asleep at night, but as doctors, we often have to work against that. Over time, the lack of sleep, hormonal changes, and physical exhaustion can take a toll on our bodies and minds.

For female doctors, this challenge is even more pronounced. The hormonal fluctuations that come with being a woman can make it even harder to cope with the physical demands of night shifts. Yet, many women push through these challenges with the same mental toughness and resilience that we admire in soldiers.

But how do we cope? How do we maintain our mental clarity and focus when our bodies are telling us to sleep? The answer lies in the same mindset that soldiers and mothers cultivate—a mindset of purpose, resilience, and the willingness to push beyond our limits when it matters most.

How do you cope with the physical and mental challenges of night shifts? Have you considered the impact that disrupted circadian rhythms and hormonal changes have on your well-being?

Conclusion: A Warrior’s Mindset for Doctors

As doctors, we face immense challenges—especially during night shifts. But by adopting the mindset of soldiers and mothers, we can push through even the toughest moments. We can triage not only our patients but also ourselves, prioritizing what matters most and letting go of what we can’t control.

Next time you find yourself on a chaotic night shift, remember that you are a night soldier, standing between your patients and death. And like a soldier or a mother, you have the resilience, the purpose, and the mental strength to get through it.

What lessons can you take from soldiers and mothers? How can you apply their resilience, discipline, and purpose to your own work? Do comment below on your insights and how you can take steps to improve upon.

Stay balanced , Stay resilient and in the zone

Dr.Krishna Bharath , MD