Can someone tell me how 12-hr shifts work?

daisee · Sep 9, 2004

we were threatened with 12 hour shifts recently I think due to the imminent nursing shortage. It has been discussed in this forum previously, and in the operating theatre pages. I think it comes down to personal preference and stamina as to its benefits.

ManEnough · Sep 9, 2004

At my hospital we work 6 twelve-hour shifts per pay period (every two weeks). Many people chose to take on extra shifts but 6 is the requirement to maintain full time status. Since we do self-scheduling, some chose to work a few days in a row while others prefer to spread out their shifts. We're also required to do four shifts a month on weekends. Hope that made sense!

nursepearl · Sep 10, 2004

I LOVE 12 hour shifts! You work three days and get four days off. I am not sure how other hospitals work but we schedule at the beginning of the month....depending on many factors you could have the same three days or different days.

It works great for me because I am a single mom and get to spend a lot more time with my son than I would if i were working five days a week.

:)

DavidFR, BSN, MSN, RN · Sep 10, 2004

I worked 12 and a half hour shifts at one hospital in England, and it worked really well.

Day staff did 8:00 - 20:30 and night staff 20:00 - 8:30, so half hour handover each way. In a four week rota (28 days) you worked 13 shifts and had 15 days off (roughly 3 3-day weeks and 1 4-day week per month). Day staff weren't allowed to work more than 3 long days consecutively and night staff no more than 5 nights consecutively.

It was a private hospital that wasn't wildly busy, so it was easy to respect break times (morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, supper). I could see that in a busy public hospital where you work flat out and often miss breaks it could be too exhausting.

RuthieRN · Sep 10, 2004

Hello! 12 hour shifts are not bad, once you get used to them an 8 hour shift is nothing! haha. In my hospital we work either 6am-6pm or the reverse. I work three days in a row and then have four off. Some of my co-workers work six days in a row and then have eight off. When I worked in the ER we had twelve hour shifts in all kinds of hours 7-7, 9-9, 11-11, 1-1, 3-3, and 7-7. I think that they are becoming more popular, especially in rural hospitals.

Ruthie:)

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 10, 2004

I love 12-hour shifts also, mainly because I like the four days off a week.

You will find all kinds of schedules working 12 hours. Some people work five 12's in a row to get a bunch of days off in a row. Some work 3 in a row, four off, etc. I never work more than 2 12-hour shifts in a row, and take two and three days off in a row.

There are quite a bit of options for scheduling. Most facilities work within what your preferences are.

Fly4Life12 · Sep 10, 2004

I worked 3pm-3am like this- (week 1)-mon, tues, thurs, (week 2)-mon, tues, thurs, (week 3)- mon, saturday, sunday (week 4)- mon, tues. the only hard part was working the 4 12's in a row. i had a deal with another worker and switched to work my sat, and sunday, she'd work that monday so i had a day off, then worked tues, weds, thurs, and i loved it. i wish i could go back but since im still in school, the schedule gets in the way. now i work 7p-7a friday, saturday, sunday. puts a bit of a damper on the social life to say the least, but its alright. i enjoyed the 3-3's though. the best of every shift.

hllybenn · Sep 10, 2004

Where I work full time

40hours is 1.0

36 hours is 0.9

Both are full time. If you work 40 (most do 2 8s and 2 12s) you get 5 8hr personal days ( a weeks worth) If you work 3 12s you get 3 12hs personla days ( a weeks worth) Do you see a trend. It appears to be less time.. But the same amount collectively.

I have a girlfriend who just went to 3 12s after a year of 40 and it is a noticeable $ difference for her. We make about $25 x 4 hours a week over a year- that's several thousands of dollars.

But like all the previous posters said- it is great having 4 days off a week. Our schedule people also make an effort to give you a stretch of time.

Gompers, BSN, RN · Sep 10, 2004

I don't mean Baylor. I mean just regular 12-hour shifts where you end up with a 37.5 hr pay week. How many days in a row do you work? How many days off do you get? Do your days on change every week? I must be dense, but I just can't figure this one out. I came from a manufacturing plant where we worked a 7-day swing and my experience with it must be skewing my perception! Thanks for your help!

You actually only get paid for 36 hours, not 37.5. Each 8 or 12 hour shift includes one half hour of unpaid lunch. So even though you may work 7am-7:30pm, you don't get that extra half hour on your paycheck. It is considered full time in most hospitals as far as benefits go. You only have to work 3 12's a week which is great - not many full-time jobs offer four days off per week! As far as how many days in a row you work and that kind of scheduling thing, it really depends on the unit you work on as it varies greatly even within the same hospital sometimes.

CHATSDALE · Sep 10, 2004

typical: WEEK ONE work monday and tuesday.....off wednesday & thursday ...work sat sun mon...

WEEK TWO: off mon tue..work wed..thurs...off fri...sat...sun...

you have a three day weekend off every other weekend ...

everyone has their own preference about which shift to work but many people find that once they are at work an additional 4 hours is not a big deal..and they can plan their off time because they always know when they will be working months in advance...frequently during the holidays there will be some changes to be fair to everyone and let them be w/fly