12 hour shifts

[BJRN76]

The staff in our CCU would like to go to 12 hour shifts. Currently we have a mix of 12 hour shifts and 8 hour shifts with the majority being 8 hour shifts. Our nurse manager states that there is no way 12 hour shifts would work and it would make staffing too difficult esp. when a nurse calls in. I am curious how many of your units operate on 12 hour shifts and how you think it works. How do you cover call ins...esp that last 4 hours of a 12 hour shift ? Did it improve staff morale, do you have less call ins,etc? Any input would be appreciated. I still hope to sway our NM opinion on this subject. Thanks

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

We do 12's, always have. Call-off's aren't really an issue because of staffing, but sometimes an RN will call-off and we will have to take 5 patients (normally we take 4 per RN) but our night supervisors are great and will try to find someone to come in, even if they come in later at 2300. I personally like doing 12's...less days spent at the hospital working and as SwimNurseRun stated, there is more continuity with just 2 nurses taking care of a patient over a 24-hour period vs. 3 if they do 8-hour shifts.