Benefits of consecutive work schedule?

[painmeds]

Thanks in advance for reading…

Any benefits for working consecutive days/nights?

I am working every other or 2-3 day splits. The other day, I did a 3 day stretch... What I notice is if you get your patients back you cared for the previous day, you can spot a change/any changes.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

I have worked Sat-Sun-Mon for the last couple years.

Pro: Continuity of care (same patients all three days), 4 days off in a row, plan my days off months in advance.

Con: Working 3 in a row is rough, if your assignment sucks on Sat.- you got 2 more days of the same assignment.

[Davey Do]

I work Fri-Sat-Sun 12 hour MNs.

Pro: When I work, my head is totally there and I can choreograph my Friday night to Black Sabbath's "Electric Funeral" and my Monday morning to Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake". When I'm off, I'm truly off.

Con: My mind starts to shut down during shift report Monday morning and I have difficulting conjugating verbs.

[Emergent, RN]

Biggest benefit is consecutive days off!

[Davey Do]

19 minutes ago, Emergent said:

Biggest benefit is consecutive days off!

[RNperdiem, RN]

Some people like the consecutive days, especially night shift staff. If you have the stamina and can handle it then take advantage of any self-scheduling that will let you work your shifts together.

Me, I never had that kind of energy. My preceptor had an out of town boyfriend and liked to schedule her shifts back to back and have a long stretch to visit her boyfriend. My schedule had to match her. By the fourth 12 hour shift in a row I was tired before the day even started. The first day off meant surveying a house that had not been cleaned or maintained in any way while I was working.

[brownbook]

It really makes a difference if your're working 12 hours shifts or working 40 hours a week.

I always worked 11 pm to 7 am 32 hours a week. My schedule varied, sometimes it was 4 nights in a row then a few days off, sometimes it was two on two off, etc. I'm pretty adaptable and none of it ever bothered me. My kids were school age and my husband was able to help out.

I knew co-workers who worked 7 pm to 7 am, Fri, Sat, Sun, just so they could be off all week and home with their kids. They did it for years and seemed to be fine.

[LovingLife123]

Sometimes I like doing consecutive days, and other times I don’t. I will purposefully schedule myself consecutively for two weeks, then every other day for two weeks. I generally do not like the same patient’s consecutive days in a row.

I do like to take three and four day weekends here and there so that’s when I do my consecutive days.

Its a trade off.

I do find that my youngest dues better when I’m every other day. He’s calmer and better rested when he’s not in daycare multiple days in a row.

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

Everyone is different in this respect. Me, I've tried the consecutive three nights in a row so many times, trying to learn to love it, but it just doesn't work for me. My recovery time is longer if I work that many in a row, and I find myself much less patient and more tired and cranky.

The advantage is definitely the possibility of having more days off on a row, and I did like getting to know my patients well over the three nights. Unless they were awful.

[Sumdaymurse]

23 hours ago, Davey Do said:

I truly love this about my schedule <3