Days off guidelines

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This is following on from a thread in the General Nursing Discussion forum on how many days off should one have following 3 nights off. Does anyone know of any guidelines concerning how many days one should have off following night duties?

I'm having a discussion with our human resources about this issue.

Cheers

Sean

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we self schedule here, and i just did 3 nights on one night off and another 3 nights on. and have now got 5 nights off with one on tonight in-between.

it actually is easier to do a lot of nights together here, as your body gets into the sleep in the day and stay awake in the night mode and you get the same group of patients each night, that is if they dont get discharged.

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.
This is following on from a thread in the General Nursing Discussion forum on how many days off should one have following 3 nights off. Does anyone know of any guidelines concerning how many days one should have off following night duties?

I'm having a discussion with our human resources about this issue.

Cheers

Sean

As far as I am aware the only guidence we have is from the european working time directive. You should have at least 8 hours rest between shifts and a maximum of 48 hours each week.

With this I dont think there is any firm guidelines about numbers of days off following night duties, it would be down to the individual trust to impliment any additional guidence.

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

yes I aggree with the above dont think there is any strict guidelines

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Specializes in Spinal Cord injuries, Emergency+EMS.

depends what the next shift is

i would suggest that you need at least the 'night off' following the shift (as you've worked somewhere between 6 and 9 hours that day depending on how your shifts are organised) and then a day off if your next shift is a day shift ...

WTD might have something to say - but then it would depend if it;s just the gap betwene 2 shifts or if it is a weekly rest period

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Specializes in midwifery, gen surgical, community.

In my last job we where rostered Sunday - Saturday. I can't count the number of times I was rostered to work a Saturday night shift followed by an Early on the Sunday!! Impossible to do as night shift finished at 7.30am and early started 7am!!!

What usually happened is that we would take the Sunday off as a day off and do an early on Monday. You still felt tired, but you had to do it.

Does anyone remember sleep days? In the good old days, we used to get a sleep day after nights so you did not lose a day off in the week after nights.

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Specializes in renal,peritoneal dialysis, medicine.

sleep days hmmm they sound good

got to work last night and found i had been scheduled on for 2 extra shifts during my annual leave without my permission, so me and my friend mr tip-ex were busy last night rectifying the duty

the girl who does the night duty is on a late, and i will see her as i am on the night later on so i expect i will be grilled about it and im really not in the mood at the moment, especially with this girl she drives me nuts anyway.....

it will be hard to work those shifts as im not here, not that anyone at work bothered to ask if i was away..

blimy, bad mood or what lol

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Specializes in midwifery, gen surgical, community.

English nurse - doesn't it make you mad when they do things like that. I would not even discuss it with her - I would just say I am on holiday that week. It is illegal for you to put me down for shifts you have not asked me to do - end of story.

On a totally different topic, has everyone received the questionnaire from the RCN about a ballot. It is to do with the very generous pay increase we have received this year (going to spend all of my pay rise on a Mars bar).:angryfire:angryfire

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
English nurse - doesn't it make you mad when they do things like that. I would not even discuss it with her - I would just say I am on holiday that week. It is illegal for you to put me down for shifts you have not asked me to do - end of story.

On a totally different topic, has everyone received the questionnaire from the RCN about a ballot. It is to do with the very generous pay increase we have received this year (going to spend all of my pay rise on a Mars bar).:angryfire:angryfire

mars bar MARS BAR I can only manage packet walkers :roll

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Specializes in midwifery, gen surgical, community.

Silver draggon - I can only afford a fun size Mars Bar!!!

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Silver draggon - I can only afford a fun size Mars Bar!!!

I can only say...... That's too big :D

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Specializes in midwifery, ophthalmics, general practice.

as a student nurse in the bad old days.. we would finish a night at 730 and be on a late shift starting at 130 the same day...... because the week was monday to monday... and as long as you had the required number of days or night off, they could do that to us!!

and cheshire cat and Anna.. buying food with your pay rise (chocolate is food!)........ I didnt get a pay rise!!

Karen

someone remind me what a pay rise is.. please!:lol2:

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