5 days with days/evening switch is nuts!

[Kitty Hawk, ADN, RN]

I'm seriously getting fed up with my schedule. They can't put me on 12's yet b/c of staffing. "maybe" April.

You want to know why some new nurses leave in droves especially if they've had a career doing something else? Because the scheduling is nuts!

I've just worked 5 straight days. Started with 1 daylight then 4 evenings. I'm off tomorrow, but then scheduled 3 more days before my weekend off, oh and just for kicks My 1st day back is daylight, but then of course I work the evening shift friday before my weekend My schedule continues like that until the end of the month. Everytime I'm off I work the evening before and when I go back I'm on daylight for a couple days before switching back.

I think it's insane to work like this having more or less 1 day off between long stretches. And they wonder why some don't like floor nursing.

Sad thing, I acutally enjoy the work. I love the patient population, I just don't get enough time with them with the ratio. Don't even get me started on aide staffing.

I'm counting my time until I can get out of floor nursing.

Sorry, no questions just another useless vent from another burned out nurse.

[Mulan]

That sounds familiar!

As well as being scheduled on the off shift (evenings or nights) right before going on vacation!

[Kitty Hawk, ADN, RN]

That sounds familiar!

As well as being scheduled on the off shift (evenings or nights) right before going on vacation!

Oh exactly! I have a long weekend at the end of the month to celebrate our anniversary which was actually this past weekend that I worked. Anyway, I work that Thursday before and yep, I'm scheduled for the evening shift and we want to leave early Friday, but I'm just sucking it up and dealing rather than ask someone to switch.

I just find it funny they do this, but then are surprised when I won't stay over on my shifts or come in on my weekends off! Are you kidding me? I worked Christmas eve/day as well as the days before and after. No big deal, we celebrate Christmas on New Year's eve. They had the audacity to ask me if I'd come in on that weekend too! Gotta say, I was nearly speechless. I'm learning to get over the guilt of saying no real fast in this atmosphere.

I feel for the 12 hour people too, it never fails that their weekends off they get scheduled for the Friday before 7p-7a! It's like a joke or something.

[Vanillanut, DNP, RN, APRN]

I understand. Where I live, a full time position for a hospital nurse (in ANY type of specialty) is 2 days followed by 2 nights (12 hr shifts each), with 5 days off (well, you arrive home the AM and sleep for 1 day of that). Then there's shift swaps or overtime, which often- as horrible as it is to do, is necessary financially. This can result in 24 hrs to swing between days and nights (0730-1930/vice versa).

[carolmaccas66, BSN, RN]

I completely understand.

I did 7 rotating shifts once - never, ever again. I refuse now. I felt like I was drunk at the end of it and got ill to boot.

I have never understood why we can't do 5 afternoons, 3 off, maybe 5 dayshifts, 2 off, nights or something like that. The NMs I asked said working the same shift is too exhausting, but trying to re-set our body clocks all the time is worse.

I have said for years that nursing rosters are antiquated -some haven't changed for 200 years apparently!

Crazy I say.

Carol

[Vanillanut, DNP, RN, APRN]

I completely understand.

I did 7 rotating shifts once - never, ever again. I refuse now. I felt like I was drunk at the end of it and got ill to boot.

I have never understood why we can't do 5 afternoons, 3 off, maybe 5 dayshifts, 2 off, nights or something like that. The NMs I asked said working the same shift is too exhausting, but trying to re-set our body clocks all the time is worse.

I have said for years that nursing rosters are antiquated -some haven't changed for 200 years apparently!

Crazy I say.

Carol

I know! For a profession that is dominated by evidence-based best practice, there's a mountain of evidence that links med errors, etc with sleep deprivation or chronic fatigue/stress. I guess it all goes out the window for convenience sake.

[sasha2lady]

I could never survive day shifts! Not because ofbthe work but because of the noise and chaos and time. I used to work 3-11. I every other wkend off and 1 day off thru the wk. It was awful! Now I do nights 3x wk 12 hr shifts. It's much better. I'll never do evenings again unless I just have no other choice. I usually won't go in on my off time due to how bad our bosses are. That's a whole other story though. I only switch nites w nurses who will return the favor if I needed it.

[ButterflyNurse30]

My schedule has a lot of flip-flopping too! I work 8 hour shifts but a lot of the time I have to work 7to3 then 3to11 the next day and back to 7 to 3 the day after that! It's so hard to do! On the days I work 3 to 11, I don't come home right after and hop in the bed..I just can't...I'm wide awake, so I'm up til 2 or 3 only to get up at 5 to be back at work.

[Mandychelle79, ASN, RN]

I would much rather swing Days/Eves then nights/Days like I have had to swing this month.

[TNLisa]

I've never understood this. If airline flight attendants (not to mention the pilots) are "illegal" to fly if they don't have a certain number of hours off before the next flight, how can nurses be asked to perform their potentially dangerous job with less?

Maybe we could get some off-duty, well-rested flight attendants to give drugs and hang blood?

[RNperdiem, RN]

There is joy to be found in self-scheduling.

Not that it works for all units or is perfect, but unpredictability is one of the reasons I left my first job.

[wound warrier]

Schedules, shift roatations, and staffing - nothing has changed in the 31 years that I have been a nurse. Why expect it to change now??