Anyone else frustrated with 12 hour shifts?

Crocuta, RN · Nov 26, 2008

I'm in utter love with my 12 hour shifts. It will be a long time before I voluntarily go back to 8's or 12's. For me, it's all about working 3 days a week and having four to do whatever I want with my family. Some months I feel like I haven't really been at the hospital - not that I don't love being there, too.

clemmm78, RN · Nov 26, 2008

I never liked 12 hour shifts and avoided working in units that had them. As you say, it's not 12 hours, it's a lot more with the commute and everything.

I know that many people love 'em. Not me. There should be a choice.

RNperdiem, RN · Nov 26, 2008

I suspect management knew all too well about how much easier it is to staff 2 shifts a day instead of three.

I do remember the days of the 8 hour shifts and how it was difficult to get enough staff for 3-11 shifts. Most new grads were required to do some rotation to that shift, and still there were still days the floor ran short on evenings.

lpnflorida · Nov 26, 2008

I personally love 12 hour shifts. Yes it makes for a long day I get up at 0415 in the morning to get the things done I need before leaving the house. It is a 45 min drive to work, by the time I get home it is 8 pm. Still I love the extra time off from work and would never accept 8 hour shifts again for that reason.

Perhaps you can speak to your DON or whoever makes those types of decisions and see if they would be amiable to two nurses job sharing the same fte. Meaning the 2 nurses would work one half of the 12 hour shift. Granted benefits would be reduced as getting in your 32 hours weekly would not be there. But if you are all in agreement they might be open to the suggestion.

justme1972 · Nov 26, 2008

I think there is another reason why 12-hour shift were implemented in hospitals....it alleviates quite a bit of the "she said, she said" factor.

When 8-hour shifts were common...early shift blamed everything on the night shift, 2nd shift blamed the morning shift..night shift claimed that the 2nd shift didn't get enough done, day shift claims that they were too busy and night shift had "all night"....oh...we have heard it all!

A shift is more likely to do their job...when they have to have a face-to-face report from the people that is going to be taking over...and these are roughly the same folks that handed you the shift to start with.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 26, 2008

I prefer more days off per week, and the only way this can possibly be achieved for me is through compressed work scheduling (three 12 hour shifts per week, or two 16 hour shifts per week). I absolutely love having 4 to 5 days off per week.

I worked five 8-hour shifts per week as a floor nurse, and it got tiring quickly. The process of preparing to go to work on a daily basis requires plenty of motivation, energy, and time. Waking up, showering, dressing, and driving to and from work is a surefire way to consume time if I must do it every single day of the week. I simply don't have it in me to do floor nursing 5 days per week.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 26, 2008

I think there is another reason why 12-hour shift were implemented in hospitals....it alleviates quite a bit of the "she said, she said" factor.

In addition, there are some facilities in my area that still staff with 8-hour shifts.

However, nobody really wants to work that dreaded evening shift (2 to 10pm or 3 to 11pm). Day shift is coveted and desired by many, and night shifts are also preferred by some people. However, people have the tendency to accept evening shifts only until something "better" comes along, and then they jump off the bandwagon into a unit with "better" hours. Evening shift takes up part of the day, the entire evening, and a few hours of one's night, so this shift tends to have the highest percentage of employee turnover in my area. 12-hour shifts eliminate the problem of having to find staff to cover that blasted 8-hour evening shift.

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Nov 26, 2008

In addition, there are some facilities in my area that still staff with 8-hour shifts.
However, nobody really wants to work that dreaded evening shift (2 to 10pm or 3 to 11pm). Day shift is coveted and desired by many, and night shifts are also preferred by some people. However, people have the tendency to accept evening shifts only until something "better" comes along, and then they jump off the bandwagon into a unit with "better" hours. Evening shift takes up part of the day, the entire evening, and a few hours of one's night, so this shift tends to have the highest percentage of employee turnover in my area. 12-hour shifts eliminate the problem of having to find staff to cover that blasted 8-hour evening shift.

Wow, when I used to do 8's I LOVED them. I even looked into working on a unit where nurse's do either 5 8's or 2 8's/2 12's, and they were fine with me filling an evening shift gap.

Magsulfate, BSN, RN · Nov 26, 2008

Lots of good responses here. I think the BIGGEST reason why most hospitals are going to the 12 hours shifts, is because of the staffing issue.

It is hard to find that nurse who will want to work 3-11p. There are still hospitals out there that will do the 8 hr shifts. Personally, I like the 12 hour shifts better because you get your working hours over with in 3 days, and after that if you want to work, you're into OT woohooo!

queenjean · Nov 26, 2008

In our facility, the average stay on my floor is slightly less than 3 days. 12 hour shifts mean that the pt has fewer nurses, meaning increasing continuity of care.

The bulk of our met/codes and falls occur in four hour bundles around shift change (honestly, we don't have that many, our sample is small but this is the trend so far). Adding an additional shift change in there might increase these events.

Staffing--it's a more efficient use of staff hours. Less report=money savings.

I personally like the 12 hour shift. I declined a job at the VA for precisely that reason--there was no way I was going to work 5 days a week! I really wanted to work at the VA-benefits were great, it seemed like a good facility, felt like I was really helping--but I did not want to commute and work 5 days a week. So I chose a 12 hour shift closer to home, slightly better pay, worse benefits.

I read a paper that stated that while there were some measurable differences, overall there were no statistical differences in outcomes and errors between 8 and 12 hour shifts. I was surprised at that, even with my support of the 12 hour shifts. I guess I'd just always believed what I've heard, that 12 hour shifts were worse, statistically.

Our hospital SNF uses 8 and 12 hour shifts, but it is a scheduling nightmare. I think they are planning on returning to 8 hour shifts, and those who want 12s get to transfer to somewhere else in the facility.

I love the 12 hour shifts. I think having the 4 days off is better for my family than working 5 days with shorter shifts. I do see a time in the distant future where I won't want to work 12 hour shifts anymore, but I wonder--if I'm not up to the 12 hour shifts, I don't know that I'd be physically up to working the floor at all. I'm slowly finishing my BSN and then I'll probably start my masters, with the idea of teaching or working in some more organizational standpoinw--public health, school system, etc--once I can't work the floor anymore. I work with a nurse in her 60s, and she runs circles around us. I'm hoping I'm like her in 25 years.

NurseKatie08, MSN · Nov 26, 2008

I guess I'm the only one that doesn't mind evening shift...I work M-F 3p-11p & love it, except I will say that the 5 days are draining. When I was a tech, I used to work D/N rotating, 2 8s & 2 12s, or 3 12s depending on the week, and I absolutely HATED the lack of consistency. If I could work the 3 days a week, I think I would like it, but I like having my mornings to myself to do whatever I need & then go into work at 3.

Just showing a little love for 2nd shift...