Am I the only one who hates 12 hour shifts?

Based on some things I've read on this website, I know that I'm not, but I just cannot STAND how 12 hour work days consume my life! There is no time to do anything besides work on those days and prepare for the next work day. I would be so much happier if I could switch to 8s or 10s or even some combo of 8 and 12s... I need to be able to exercise and take care of myself in order to be happy at work!

Mostly I just needed to rant because I know I can't address this yet as a new grad, but has anyone else felt this way and taken action to get a better schedule? Better hours would make work a billion times better!

I love working 12s at night and have been doing it for two years, but I have always been a night owl. I feel very queasy if I get up before the sun rises. Although working 12s at night, especially 3 in a row, leaves me feeling jet-lagged, I love having 4 days off. I feel like I really get a break from work. When I worked 8-5 M-F at a desk job, I dreaded Sunday evenings and Monday mornings.

I'm sure all nurses would love their nursing careers again if the RN:patient ratio was 1:2. That would just be heavenly and nobody would have a problem with working 12s. Watch out world, cuz imma make it happen!

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Rudy - and when my hospital started a pilot, we were given a choice to work 8 or 12. None of those who stayed on 8 begged to go to 12, and in fact when we were forced to because it was more cost effective and made staffing similar, most of us cried. You love them great; not everyone feels the same way. I have to say, that after almost thee decades, 12 hr shifts were a contributing factor to my retirement; I was no longer able to physically work for that many hrs and a commute. I sense that kjtravelin is frustrated and tired and not getting much support, but a lot of disdain, from our oh so compassionate nursing community (snark).

I'm terribly sorry you are physically unable to do 12s. With stage 4 osteoarthritis in both knees, cancer and a bad back 12 hours is tough for me, too. I'd still rather do 12s than 8s.

It's great that we have a place that kitravelin is able to come to vent, isn't it. I know of no clause in the TOS that requires us to AGREE.

I have worked both, and I have to say that I also HATED 12s. 12 hr nocs especially sucked, I never felt rested. I once even fell asleep standing up taking a temp (leaning on an isolette)! 12 hr days at holiday time always made me cried, because I missed everything with my family. As I got older, 12 hrs in a NICU were impossible, I just couldn't do it physically. So you are not alone. Unfortunately, 12s seem to be cost effective for hospitals, so don't think they will be going away. It is my personal opinion that people working 12s (even those who love 12s) get much more cranky and make more mistakes towards the end of the day.

This one makes me laugh, working as a nurse lets you make your own choices about what works best for each of us. Don't like what you are doing, find something else, don't like that, and then find something else, all under the same nursing licenses.

Hmmmm 12 hours of feed and growers sounds really rough, compared to moving patients in the big boy beds, there are always going to be good days and bad days, it depends who you are working with.

As far as moody and cranky people they tend to be that way no matter how many hours they work or what shift they are working, they start the day and end it the same way.

Mistakes, that's another story, I know a few who it kills to have made one, then others who it doesn't bother them, no matter how many they make. I know this one nurse, who its a running joke, if you didn't see them, they are resting there eye's in some chair, didn't matter what time it is.

Working 12's works for me, I was lucky to be able to go on most of my kid's field trips, same thing with track meets, basketball, football games and FAA.

Holidays, when my kids were young I found a way to be there, now that my kids are out of the house I work the Holidays so others with young kids can be at home.

I have worked both 12 hour days and nights, days with all the drama, administration, bosses and MD's around, nights are totally different, we were there to get the patient through the night so they could get all there day stuff done.

My wife started out as a CNA, working full time, went to school and transitioned into a LVN, ADN, BSN, and NNP. I went to school as a nontraditional (old) student full time and worked 12 hour nights, our kids are doing the same thing, when they say they can't do it or it's not fair, the standard response is, so you are saying we did it and you can't or don't want to.

Having a family in the medical field makes for interesting dinner conversation

Specializes in Maternity & Well Baby Nursery.

I work evening shift, 3p-11p and it is really difficult to do 12 hours. The times that I have done 12s, 11a-11p, I am so exhausted that I feel like I've skipped a day somewhere. But I do know that there are others that do enjoy 12s. More power to you. I will keep my 8s for as long as I can.

Aradien

Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

I hate, hate, hate working 12's. OP, you aren't alone. I work day shift on a busy acute care unit and most of us (RNs and techs alike) count down the time when it's time to go when it gets to 4/5p. I left work early last week due to an appointment so I did an 8 hour shift (7-3p) and it felt great handing off at that time. No traffic at all and smiled all the way to my car!

How many of you dayshift 12ers that want 8s so badly are willing to give those dayshifts up for a 3p-11p, or a 11p-7a?

Specializes in Critical Care.

I can't help but notice that the vast majority of people who hate 12's are day shifters. Not to be impolite, but I don't think it really matters that much if day shifters don't like 12's. For most night shifters, 12 hours shifts are what makes night shift survivable, literally. Compared to the benefits for night shift workers in favor of a 12 hour shift schedule, the complaints of day shifters seem pretty trivial.

Night shift workers are sacrificing their lives, and I'm not exaggerating, night shift workers life-spans are shorter, they're more likely to have a stroke, MI, diabetes, and cancer (both the WHO and ACS recognize night shift work as proven carcinogens). We also know that the main cause of this is decreased melatonin production which is directly related to the number of nights worked, not the length of the shift. So almost doubling the number of nights worked by switching to 8 hour shifts would almost double their risk of all of these conditions based on what we know about their cause. Yet the health effects don't even take into account the more immediate practical issues with 8 hour nights. Even for those who may not need full time work to pay the bills, employers are increasingly requiring full time or near full time FTE's. A 1.0 FTE working 8 hour nights means working a minimum of 7 consecutive nights (due to the need to staff every other weekend), and even then you have only 2 nights to recover from 7 straight nights, which multiple studies from multiple occupations show simply can't be done in that amount of time, resulting in progressively cumulative fatigue, in other words you start every stretch on just about as exhausted as when you ended the last one and just build on the previous fatigue in a continuous, never ending cycle.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

In 1983, I started working 12 hour shifts as part of a pilot project to determine whether nurses would be happier with 12 hour shifts or with sticking to 8s. Before the project was even finished, nurses were begging to be allowed to work 12 hour shifts. I've been very happy with my 12 hour shifts for the past three decades!

I questions, though, if you hate nursing so much you have to scream it, would you be happy on ANY shift?

HA! THIS.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

This is a huge, inaccurate generalization.

I have yet to work in a hospital which was ALL 12-hour nursing shifts.

Your point - your personal dissatisfaction - can be heard without the hyperbole and inaccurate generalization.

This!! :yes:

No .. You are not the only person! I didn't enjoy working 12 hr shifts. Back in 2001,02. I was always mean and cranky. My schedule was 2 on, 2 off , every other weekend then it went to 6 on and 7 days off. I worked 7p to 7a. I was so relieved when I found a M-F holidays and weekends off job. I've worked every shift imaginable. I like day shift jobs and I like to be at home in my bed at night and preferably an 8 hr shift job. 12 hr shifts are the norm for nursing jobs and I knew this before entering the field. You just have to choose what fits your lifestyle!!

Specializes in Psych, LTC/SNF, Rehab, Corrections.
I love, love, love 12-hour shifts. Try to pry them from my cold fingers!

As a bedside nurse, I simply do not want to see needy patients or their demanding family members five days per week. I do not want to see the faces of my managers or coworkers five days per week. I simply do not want to be at the workplace five days per week.

I'd rather work a compressed schedule of three 12-hour shifts to have four days off per week. I also liked working two 16-hour weekend double shifts to get five days off in a row every week.

But five 8-hour shifts per week at the bedside? That would be hell on earth for me. I wouldn't want to do it unless I was on the verge of homelessness.

I work 12-hour night shifts and take care of myself. In fact, I exercise five to seven days per week. After my shifts end in the morning, I head straight to the 24-hour gym for a workout.

this and...this!

I'd b a basketcase if I had to go in the standard 5 days a week. this is nor a job that i could handle doing 5 days a week. imo, working odd shifts is the best thing about nursing. I work double w/ends. I know thsts its just two days but everyone's (cnas and lvns) wiped out by sunday....

our rn even cut her time. used to work 6a to 7p. now she cuts out at 3p

+ Join the Discussion