Do you prefer 12 hour or 8 hour shifts?

tntrn, ASN, RN · Apr 7, 2007

The same could be said about an 8 hour nurse who got 2 hours of sleep the night before because they were out late partying (it DOES happen).

I see your point, and it does happen, but it's kind of like comparing apples to oranges. A 12 hour shift person rarely gets off on time. In our department, the 7a-7p people leave about 8 pm. Let's see: up at 5 am leave hospital 8 pm = 15 hours; tack on average travel time 30-60 minutes = 15-16 hours; chores, eating, kids, spouse or partner (I guess these people don't have any of this because they only have 8 hours left in their day and I think they must have to go directly to bed once they hit the door AND be able to fall immediately into a deep and restful sleep. And they do this 3 or 4 days in a row. The party nurse probably won't party every night before an 8 hour shift.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Apr 7, 2007

The party nurse probably won't party every night before an 8 hour shift.

The reason why i brought up the party nurse aspect is that i've seen SEVERAL nurses (of various ages) in the past years show up to work at 0645 for their 7 am shift, after getting home at 2:30 am, and hitting the sheets at 4 am only to get up in a couple hours.

No, it's not comparing apples to oranges when we're talking about a matter of alertness and lack of rest. It doesn't matter how the person got to the point of out-of-it, and we cannot assume that the person doing the 8 hour shift is better rested than the 12 or 16 hour shift person.

I can honestly say that after doing my two days of 16 hour shifts that i am fully alert and very capable of taking care of pts. because i take care of myself first. I get my 7 hours' sleep (more, i feel lazy, less i feel sleep deprived), i limit my caffeine to one cup of that super-tasty Irish Cream coffee that smells so good from work, drink water the rest of the time, skip the greasy foods, etc. And when i get my breaks at work, i slip off my shoes, put my feet up, and read one of my non-nursing magazines (books aren't realistic at work).

luckylucyrn · Apr 7, 2007

I work nights and do 12 hour shifts, AND get 8 hours of sleep almost every day. But, I work less than a mile from my house, so there's no travel time. Although I tend to get out late, go to sleep around 9 am and wake up at 5pm. I leave my house at 6:35 and clock in by 6:45 :)

RNSacht · Apr 7, 2007

Just thought I would add my two cents worth before people get heated:argue: like many of these posts do...:smiley_ab :lol_hitti ... I was such an ADVOCATE for 12 hours shifts. "I luv 12 hours shifts" :yelclap: :yelclap: :redpinkhe :1luvu: "Wouldnt work anything else" :loveya: Now, I could not WAIT to GEt off 12 hour shifts!!!!!!!!!!:angryfire As far as the vaca time, usually at least at our facility it is by hours, so two days is for a 12 hours shifter 24 hours of vaca time where as two days of an 8 hour shifter is only 16 hours, (See my point?? :idea: ) But speaking from experience, the going home (around 8-830 pm) going to bed , getting up at 5am is not pleasant. And if you have a heavy load or difficult patients the thought of taking care of them two or even three days of 12 hours shifts in a row can be very taxing on you!!!!!!

So to make a long story short I am now on 3-11 four days a week (32 hours a week) and I make the same as when I worked 3 twelve hours days (7a-7p) So technically Im working 4 hours less and making the same w/ the shift differential. I felt with my family the every other weekend was like I was going away for two days straight!!!!!!!!! Now at least I have some of my weekend back, I do not leave until 2pm. I am much, much, less tired after the 8 hour shifts now. I guess I have learned once again the hard lesson of never, say never! :nono: :nono: :nono:

Ophelia78 · Apr 14, 2007

I like having 4 days off a week and just getting my week over in three days- but my feet and legs sure hate the 12s.....

Guest193822 · Apr 16, 2007

I'm going to be honest, working 12hrs on the ICU is the best. I just can't see myself in the ICU for 5 days a wk 8hr shift. No Way. I need air breathe, I time to be me. I do the hrs in 12 days. I've been crazy enough to do 4 shift of12's in row to get 4 days off. It can get emotionally drainings doing ICU everyday. No I won't do 8hrs on ICU.

I'm really so no longer on a nurse at this time.

np_wannabe · Apr 16, 2007

So to make a long story short I am now on 3-11 four days a week (32 hours a week) and I make the same as when I worked 3 twelve hours days (7a-7p) So technically Im working 4 hours less and making the same w/ the shift differential. I felt with my family the every other weekend was like I was going away for two days straight!!!!!!!!! Now at least I have some of my weekend back, I do not leave until 2pm. I am much, much, less tired after the 8 hour shifts now. I guess I have learned once again the hard lesson of never, say never! :nono:

Hi RNSacht!

I have considered the 3 to 11 shift, because you have so much of your day, and don't get home in the middle of the night (I go to sleep late)...but wondered what other people thought of this...if you have children, do you feel like you miss out on after-school time, dinner time, and that sort of thing?

Just wondering.

Thanks.

nursematilda2007 · Apr 16, 2007

The 12's I find are better...You know your patients better... and you have more time to do everything in your day. Yes all you do is work eat and sleep but when ur off you are off the whole day.

ptadvocate81 · Jul 20, 2007

TWELVES by far. It's one of the perks of being a nurse. You can schedule yourself 6 days and then be off for 8! It's soooooo much better than eight hour shifts. It's great to be able to take a vacation without asking for the time off. I also agree that I get to spend more time with my pts in 12 hours than I would be able to in 8.

MellowYellow · Jul 20, 2007

12s for sure. Don't think I could get everything done in 8 hours. Definitely don't want to work 5 days a week.

tntrn, ASN, RN · Jul 20, 2007

TWELVES by far. It's one of the perks of being a nurse. You can schedule yourself 6 days and then be off for 8! It's soooooo much better than eight hour shifts. .

I'm sure you are a good nurse, but with more and more studies showing that mental acuity begins to decline after 8 or 9 hours at a task, I would not want you to be caring for me or my family members, especially on those last 3 shifts. At best, you have had 30 hours of sleep in that 6 days (6 hours between shifts). I'm surprised you can even drive yourself home safely after all that. Glad that you have, but I don't find it a good or safe practice.

I think laws some be enacted that would put some sensible limits on this kind of scheduling; like airline pilots have. They can fly 1000 in a year. Nurses could certainly work more hours than that, but sheesh, let's put some brakes on how many and how many in a row. This would also make administration for some better staffing practices.

tntrn, ASN, RN · Jul 20, 2007

12s for sure. Don't think I could get everything done in 8 hoursQUOTE]
I really do not understand this kind of thinking. When you do an 8 hours shift, you have 8 hours of work to do. When you do a 12 hour shift, you have 12 hours of work to do. So in 12 hours you should be doing 12 hours of work, not taking 12 hours to do 8 hours of work. (Although some of our 12 hour people want the 8 hour people to take over their patients because they say we're fresh and "we've been here 8 hours already" to which we respond, "and whose fault it that?")
I guess to each his own, but you are still responsible for 12 hours of work, not 8. I think that may be one of the selling points administrations use to convince people to work 12's.