Do you prefer 8 or 12 hours shifts?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi all. I have been a staff nurse at a small hospital for 2 years. I was hired as Rotating Nights/days on 12 hours shifts on the neuro unit. I am still rotating back and forth in the same week. Sometimes I work a dayshift then turn around and work nightshift the next night. My husband also does rotating shifts which was fine when I first started nursing but since then we have had a baby who is now 1. We don't have a lot of people that can watch her at night since we only have daycare during the day (M-F). My mom usually watches her if we need her all night but she has health issues and isn't able to watch her much anymore. Sooo...there is a job opening in a Doctors Office for a Surgical Scheduling Coordinator which is M-F 8-4:30. I am so tired of the stress week to week trying to figure out our schedules, when she is going to daycare, who can watch her what night, etc etc but I am worried about going from 12 hours shifts having 4 days off to working 5 days a week. Any suggestions/advice? I think at this point I have no choice because of our family situation and family comes first but I'm just having some hesitation.

Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

OP: that's a tough decision...I also wish I could give you the $64,000 answer but it does boil down to you having to do what is best with you and your family.

I prefer to work 8s. For full-time, 4 8s is enough for me--I'll take the 32 hours and the smaller paycheck than being forced to work 40. Also, working 32 allows me to easily pick up that 5th shift if I felt like it.

I used to work 12s. They're all right but they really eat up the day: after I've worked 12 hours, travelled to and from work, and made dinner. I'd find myself with little time to get anything else done before I had to go to bed.

I've done 16s a couple of times. Once was to get Christmas day off--I swapped shifts with someone who needed that particular day off more than she needed Christmas. The other occurred when they were having problems finding a nurse for the next shift and I told them that while I didn't prefer to stay if it came down to it I would...of course, staffing read that statement as "she's volunteered to stay, cancel the search." :) While I can do them if I have to, 16s are hard on me.

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Specializes in ER.

I spent five years in a 9-5 5 day a week job. At the time, I had one child and I thought it was difficult to manage. You can never get to doctor's appointments, business type errands (DMV, real estate closings, your own doctor's appointments) without massive schedule juggling. You burn all of your PTO on routine garbage and all you do on your time off is run errands and clean house.

I will NEVER go back to that life, even as a nurse. I work 12s and I like it. I think I might prefer 16s even but I also still go to the gym and clean up my house on 12 hour shifts so I guess it depends on you.

You are right about the stress of child care but I am not sure that will go away if you have a regular 9-5 job.

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I love my 12's. I work nights so I can flip and be normal on days off. I like them all in a row to get it over with. I do have to say that I usually have a sleep hangover at the the end of my run. I still prefer it though.

I used to work nights 5 days a wk. bartending (get home around 2-3 a.m.) and it was horrible. I hated it. This is totally doable. Sometimes the schedule can suck though when I work three together get one day off and have to do it again because of the new schedule. That will make me ill as a hornet and I started looking for people to trade shifts with.

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Wish my 8 hrs. was really only 8, but I agree 12 just leads to burn out. When it goes ok, 12's are fine...but when it goes to heck....they never end. Even though I usually put in more like 8.5 or 9 I still feel like I can do a few things on the days I work....and my attitude is better.

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My brain would prefer twelves, but my body likes eights. Body's winning.

I liked nights, my body liked days - body won. I liked 12s, my body liked 8s - body won. Sooner or later, the body always gets its way!

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Specializes in n/a.

I work night shift, 3 12's a week now. When I first got the job I thought I would love it. Four days off? Yes, please! However.... after only 2 weeks on the job, I'm wishing I had a "normal" schedule. The days that I work, I never see my family. Since I only have 12 hours between clocking out and clocking in, my off time is spent commuting, sleeping, and getting ready for work. I always manage to eat dinner with my family before leaving, but even that is usually pretty rushed. Also the first day off is spent recovering and crashing into a deep sleep. If I do manage to sit up all day to get on a normal schedule, I'm a total ***** because I'm so sleep deprived. I have 3 kids. My oldest daughter is in school. It would be wonderful to be able to put the other two in regular daycare, and pick them up in time to get home and do supper together and have the evening together. I'm planning on staying at my job for at least a year, then looking around for a schedule that works better for me, or at least getting on dayshift so that on my off days I can already be on the normal up during the day/sleep during the night routine.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/DOU/Ortho/Onc/Rehab/ER/.

I don't start my new CNA job for another week, but its at a hospital and its 12 hour shifts in med Surg. I have worked 6s, 8s, and 10s. All I can say is so far I liked the 10s. I'm assuming 12s will be better. I just want more days off. The little hours you put in equals more days you have to work. I rather "suffer" for 2-3 days then to work 5-6 days a week.

8-5 isn't all that's chalked up to be.

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