12 hour shifts vs. 8 hour shifts

[violet_violet]

Nurses, please give me some inputs please. I am wondering for those who do 12 hours shift, do you feel like you have enough time with your children? Some say, no because they feel like they are always working such as working every other weekend and have to work on holidays and feel that they do not get to spend much time with their kids. Is that so? What about days when you're off, is that enough time?

For 8 hour shifts, do you feel like you are always working? Do you feel this gives you enough time off to have time with your kids?

[jk82]

I've done 12's, 8's, even 6 hour days etc, . Yes 12 hour nights are horrible, but I think 12 hour days are the best especially if you have to work full time.

[kmicurn]

I started out working 8 hour shifts. It didn't bother me at all working 1500-2300. I actually liked it! I got to sleep in, stay up late..it was my thing. I've worked 12s in the ICU setting for 7 years and I'm exhausted. My days off are worthless. All I want to do is sleep and I'm so exhausted from going to work for 14 hours and getting maybe 5 hours of sleep on the days I work. I thought switching from nights to days would help. It didn't. I also work for the State, which leaves us in the seniority bubble, and my working every other day schedule sucks. That, or I work a ton one week and barely work the next. Being in school full time for my BSN: this doesn't work well.

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

One of the reasons I left bedside care was the switch to 12 hour shifts. I did great on 8s but 12s were just too much for me.