If you had the choice to work five 8 hour shifts (11p-7a) or three 12s (7p-7a) which would you choice? I'm having a hard time deciding which is better. One the one hand if you do three 12s then thats it, you're done and have four days to yourself...but the down side is that you're trying to play catch up the rest of the week before you have to start all over again.
I can see five nights being good because it's only 8 hours and then you have more time to catch up on sleep and live a normal life, but the down side is that you have to do FIVE 8 hour night shifts. I can see this being better when it comes to holidays and things like that...if you work three 12s it must wipe out any time with your family on holidays vs. 8s.
Also, what's harder on you, fulltime night shift or day/night rotating (two weeks day and two weeks nights)
What has been your experience? If I get the job I just interviewed for I will be doing nights but it comes with the option to do five 8s, three 12s, or two 12s and two 8s (which I wouldn't do).
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
If you had the choice to work five 8 hour shifts (11p-7a) or three 12s (7p-7a) which would you choice?
I currently work two 12-hour shifts per week (7p to 7a), and am paid for 32 hours weekly under my workplace's Baylor Plan.
I once worked five 8-hour shifts per week (10p to 6a) and it was hellish due to not having enough days off and always feeling as if I was sleeping my life away. I'd rather work three 12 hour shifts per week.
12's!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I work 5 8's and it's very disorienting. I don't always get 2 days off in a row and if I do, the 1st day is usually wasted. I have to do 5 nights in a row if I want 2 nights off which can be sooooooooo draining. And one night off is not enough to ever feel "normal." Unless you have friends, family in the same boat, def. go for the 12's. I wish that were an option for me right now!
Specializes in Gyn Onc, OB, L&D, HH/Hospice/Palliative.
I've done both, here's what I think; if you are single with no kids, 12 hrs is the way to go. 12 usually turns into more like 14 with travel , report etc. It's very exhausting to go home try to get some sleep, and do it all again. I found 8hr nocs with kids easier. Left for work when they were alseep, usually home to see them off to school, up and able to meet the bus, fix dinner, do homework, etc and take a nice power nap before going back. If you have fantastic support at home( I didn't) to pick up the slack,12's can work, It didn't for me. Plus I would come home to a house that " is in suspension" without the mother ie; all dinner stuff from the nite before all over the place, clothes, etc.
I never worked full time,( 2 )12's a week and my kids still complained they never saw me!! It's a long eve/noc when your not there for homework, bedtime etc and don't see them til the next day, sometimes not til the afternoon b/c you can't get out on time, then see them only a couple of hrs and leave again. Just my experience.
i did 5 8-hour nights for my first 9 months out of nursing school, and it was terrible. if you're required to do every other weekend (as is the case pretty much everywhere around here) then you end up getting only 1 night off in a row most of the time, the only exception being that every other weekend off. one day off is worth something, but one night... well, i waste it all catching up on sleep. i cut back to 32 hours (4 nights) and it made a huge difference. i really think 40 hours is just too much on nights. i'd take 3 12's over even 4 8's any day, but those jobs get snapped up quickly at my hospital.
No doubt the 3 12's are the best. I have done both and I felt like I never had a chance to de-stress when doing 5 8's. I guess I am lucky that I don't feel like a zombie after a long stretch of 3 in a row...although I rarely do 3 in a row. I usually do two on and then 1 at the end of the week. I dig my schedule. Oh, and I love nightshift. You would have to pay me a differential to work days!!
If you had the choice to work five 8 hour shifts (11p-7a) or three 12s (7p-7a) which would you choice? I'm having a hard time deciding which is better. One the one hand if you do three 12s then thats it, you're done and have four days to yourself...but the down side is that you're trying to play catch up the rest of the week before you have to start all over again.
I can see five nights being good because it's only 8 hours and then you have more time to catch up on sleep and live a normal life, but the down side is that you have to do FIVE 8 hour night shifts. I can see this being better when it comes to holidays and things like that...if you work three 12s it must wipe out any time with your family on holidays vs. 8s.
Also, what's harder on you, fulltime night shift or day/night rotating (two weeks day and two weeks nights)
What has been your experience? If I get the job I just interviewed for I will be doing nights but it comes with the option to do five 8s, three 12s, or two 12s and two 8s (which I wouldn't do).
Thanks in advance.
I did day/night rotating as a tech for a while, and was absolutely miserable. I used to work 2 12s & 2 8s. Switching back and forth was too much. I did like the 2 12s & 2 8s, though.
I'm not working nights anymore, but I have to say, that while 5 8s seems like you'd have more time to be a normal person and do stuff outside of work, it wipes me out, almost as much as three 12s in a row used to. I work M-F 3-11 & I feel like all I do is eat, sleep, work & maybe throw in a few errands during the week because I'm too zonked to do anything else. Then again, I am still adjusting. When Saturday comes, I have to force myself to wake up and do things because all I ever want to do is sleep to recover from the work week.
I'm working 2 - 12s and 2 - 8s right now and I absolutely hate it. It's far more draining than working 3 - 12s. My favorite shift ever was 3 - 12s 11p - 11a, if I could go back to that I would in a heartbeat.
TheCommuter, BSN, RN
102 Articles; 27,612 Posts
I once worked five 8-hour shifts per week (10p to 6a) and it was hellish due to not having enough days off and always feeling as if I was sleeping my life away. I'd rather work three 12 hour shifts per week.