What's so stressful about working 3, 12hr shifts?

Lari45 · Jul 29, 2009

Depends on where you work, I think... ratios effect the exhaustion too. I just feel like working five eight hour days on a busy floor with a 6:1 ratio would be too much. I find that four days off are great, but we have time off because we need what I call "emotional recovery time". ICU nursing can be really great and really emotionally/physically challenging.

When i was on a floor, the job was so physically tough. You never stopped running it seemed. Answering phones, calling docs, helping patients move, turn, eat, take medications. And of course medications could be ordered at 9a, 1p, and 5p on one patient, but 9a, 12p, 3p, 5p, and 7p on another...

you just spend your day moving and thinking and "handling it"... this isn't true of all areas of nursing, I don't think, but hospital nursing... sometimes, you have to be a marathon runner.

Mike A. Fungin RN · Jul 29, 2009

So, if you were stronger do you think it would be that exhausting? I'm a 6ft basketball player; I can picture myself moving patients, w/ help, and not becoming that exhausted. Besides, all patients don't have to be moved, right? I don't know...I could be mistaken. Just wondering...
And, of course, I'll never really know until once I start but this is just what I'm thinking.

I'm a 6'3" tall 200 pound former firefighter, and my three 12's nursing schedule has left me exhausted on more than one occasion. Nursing takes a lot more out of me than firefighting ever did (with the exception of fighting large wildfires).

GilaRN put it pretty well. You're on your feet, for 12 hours, multitasking to the max. You're coordinating care and communications between the patient, their family, multiple physicians, and other health professionals. You're constantly assessing your patient and using your critical thinking skills to react appropriately.

Shoot, even working 24 hour shifts as a firefighter in South Central LA I got to sitt on my butt in the station at least part of the time. The only time I get to sit down in the ICU is to chart, and that's if there's a desk station open.

Oh yeah, don't forget my single half-hour long break in 12 hours to eat.

nursemichelle80, BSN, RN · Jul 29, 2009

I just started working nights about a month and a half ago. That in itself is exhausting if you're not used to it. I've been a nurse for 3 years and never had to work nights...even as a new grad. I got lucky

I like working three 12's...I love having 4 days off. It is exhausting..even on nights (ignorant people assume night shift just sits on their butts all night). I still do everything day shift does...i just do it at night. I get yelled at a lot more by doctors because I sometimes have to wake them up in the middle of the night. Oh well...such is life...they chose their career just as I chose mine :nurse:

Any job can be exhausting...I just try to mentally prepare and keep a positive attitude!

Oh...I just worked four 12 hour shifts ( I picked up a shift for someone else). Now...that was exhausting...especially because I got a crappy run on the extra shift. I was livid. Got screwed for doing someone a favor. lol! I had to quickly check my attitude and remember that I needed to be professional.

ArtisticAthlete · Jul 29, 2009

QUESTION:

After reading through all of these responses, I've come to the conclusion that all of you guys are talking about "Floor Nursing", right? Are other areas of nursing as stressful? I remember a couple of my nursing friends saying, "I hate floor nursing! I'll never do it again." Now, I can understand why they said that. But, if you're working in a hospital, isn't floor nursing the only thing that's available? If not, where else can you work, in a hospital, that's not considered floor nursing?

Is it hard to get a job, as a nurse, in a private practice? That would be more up my alley but I'm assuming a lot of people would want to work in a PP so competition may be stiff - along w/ limited availability?

ArtisticAthlete · Jul 29, 2009

Hey Artistic Athlete,
I'm as sarcastic as can be, have a warped sense of humour, didn't have any hallelujah moment about becoming a nurse and yet I'm a great nurse. You don't need to be touchy feely, lovey dovey, or feel nursing is a sacred calling to be a great nurse. For some people that is what it is but for others it is a job that they may or may not love but are good at - don't be turned off by people who are judging your ability to be a good nurse based on you having some sarcasm in your postings. I don't really think there are specific right or wrong reasons for going into nursing. It is a job and like any job there are a multitude of reasons why it might or might not be a good fit. You could go into it completely for the job security (or money..haha) and still be a great nurse. If you think it might be for you go for it - You'll find your niche, nursing has a huge variety of avenues you can explore...

I agree. Different strokes for different folks. One would think a nurse should be super compassionate and loving but the reality is, most nurses I've met (or know...including friends) have an "attitude" so I'm sure I'd fit right in...if this is the career I choose. :chuckle

Now, I know there are nurses who don't have an attitude (so don't tell me I'm generalizing)...I'm just saying I've never come across any. Well...one. She's the sweetest person I've ever met but everyone else seems to have a 'tude. But, to each their own. As long as you get the job done it doesn't matter.

vivacious1healer · Jul 29, 2009

I know I do like working 12 hour shift, 3 days a week. I have done the clinic work for 2 years working 8-5pm five days a week and HATED it!

My issue is the specialty floor that I currently working (and trying to get transferred off of!). Its a neurology/neurosurgery/neuro step-down and seizure unit....all in one!

The level of acuity of these patients, in addition of having to assist with taking them to procedures, medication pass, total care/totally dependent, and then dealing with the family members that are obviously not coping well can be very overwhelming. When 5 out your 6 patients are complete/total care, perhaps trached, peg tubed; and then only 3 out of them are restrained; and 2 of them are on contact isolation.......yeah it gets a bit much.

Now, I have worked other floors/specialities and have not endured the level of acuity I do on this particular floor....this is why im going to transfer. Why kill myself when I can make the same amount of $$$ elsewhere?

cherrybreeze, ADN, RN · Jul 29, 2009

QUESTION:
After reading through all of these responses, I've come to the conclusion that all of you guys are talking about "Floor Nursing", right? Are other areas of nursing as stressful? I remember a couple of my nursing friends saying, "I hate floor nursing! I'll never do it again." Now, I can understand why they said that. But, if you're working in a hospital, isn't floor nursing the only thing that's available? If not, where else can you work, in a hospital, that's not considered floor nursing?
Is it hard to get a job, as a nurse, in a private practice? That would be more up my alley but I'm assuming a lot of people would want to work in a PP so competition may be stiff - along w/ limited availability?

From what I've heard about nurses that work in MD offices, that's stressful too.....patients coming in demanding to be seen, calling for med refills the day they're gone when they were supposed to have an appt but never made one, but now they need more drugs.....and many, many more things.

I do think it's harder to get in to an office, but if you do, you also have to be willing to take a pay cut. I worked with a gal that applied for one, but turned it down when she found out she'd literally be making 20k less per year. Her whole mortgage payment less per month, after taxes. It wasn't feasible for her.

ONCRN84 · Jul 29, 2009

I HATED clinic nursing. Constant phone calls (most of which weren't necessary), trying to keep the MD on time, getting yelled at by the MD when he was off time, phone triaging, getting paid less for all the random abuse you undergo.

I'm trying to get back into floor nursing, even if it means the dreaded 12 hour night shifts. I'll take that over clinic nursing any day!

I love my cat! · Jul 29, 2009

This is what I hated about 12 hour shifts:

-Lack of breaks. Meaning we rarely got all of our breaks, we were always shorted break time and/or continually interrupted during the breaks we actually received.

-Never being able to leave on time. Shifts were always longer than 12 hours.

-Continually being bugged by fellow employees to pick up shifts because I "only work 3 days a week". I got sick of the badgering.

I didn't last long here (by choice). Perhaps if this particular hospital had been a Unionized facility, it would have made things better for the Nurses.

Oh, and those long shifts w/o breaks ruined my feet and legs.

We had a very high turn-over rate as well.

allnurses Guide · Jul 29, 2009

Closed for time out and staff review

rn/writer, RN · Jul 30, 2009

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