Nurses and 12-Hour Shifts - How to Make the Best of Them

Twelve hour shifts have been gaining popularity with nurses and hospitals for some time now. The 12-hour nursing shift began in the 1970's when it was implemented to retain staff during the national nursing shortage. Twelve- hour shifts allow nurses more time at home, however there are some who are not in favor of working these long hours. If you are a 12-hour shift worker, read about how you can make the most of your long shifts. Take the poll at the end of the article to let us know how you feel about 12-hour shifts. Nurses Announcements Archive Article

You are reading page 6 of Nurses and 12-Hour Shifts - How to Make the Best of Them

  1. Which do your prefer?

    • 803
      12 hour shifts
    • 341
      8 hour shifts

111 members have participated

MunoRN, RN

8,058 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care.
and how do we know that? It was certainly not the case in my personal experience.

We know averages for sleep on days off, we know averages sleep while working both 8 and 12 hour shifts. Sleep may accumulate more quickly with a 12 hour shift schedule (depending on the study you look at), but due the additional shifts required of an 8 hour schedule the peak sleep debt is still higher and there are less off days available to reduce sleep debt. Keep in mind that when working a full time 8 hour schedule with every-other-weekend coverage, a long stretch will be required every other week which will have to be at least 7 days straight in order to have 2 consecutive sets of days off every 2 weeks. Even if we take the most extreme estimates for sleep duration differences between the two shift lengths, there is still significantly more cumulative sleep debt on consecutive day 7 of an 8 hour shift schedule compared to day 3 of a 12 hour shift schedule.

And that's just measuring sleep quantitatively. If we consider quality of sleep for night shift workers (day sleep vs night sleep), then there's also an advantage due to more opportunity for better quality night sleep.

tntrn, ASN, RN

1,340 Posts

Specializes in L & D; Postpartum.
We know averages for sleep on days off, we know averages sleep while working both 8 and 12 hour shifts. Sleep may accumulate more quickly with a 12 hour shift schedule (depending on the study you look at), but due the additional shifts required of an 8 hour schedule the peak sleep debt is still higher and there are less off days available to reduce sleep debt. Keep in mind that when working a full time 8 hour schedule with every-other-weekend coverage, a long stretch will be required every other week which will have to be at least 7 days straight in order to have 2 consecutive sets of days off every 2 weeks. Even if we take the most extreme estimates for sleep duration differences between the two shift lengths, there is still significantly more cumulative sleep debt on consecutive day 7 of an 8 hour shift schedule compared to day 3 of a 12 hour shift schedule.

And that's just measuring sleep quantitatively. If we consider quality of sleep for night shift workers (day sleep vs night sleep), then there's also an advantage due to more opportunity for better quality night sleep.

I think that is bogus and it would only happen in a perfect world. When I worked fulltime 8's I worked 6 on, I worked 6 on 3 off 4 on,1 off....evenings....for years. I was a single parents of two small children can guarantee you that I had better rest over all during those years then when I worked nights years later, with a older teen and a husband in the home. When I worked nightshift 8's it was ful, I could never sleep 6 hours once I got home. I tried to nap before going in again, but that was difficult.

I see no way working 12's would improve the rest I was able to get when I worked evening 8's.

Ruby Vee, BSN

17 Articles; 14,030 Posts

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I think that is bogus and it would only happen in a perfect world. When I worked fulltime 8's I worked 6 on, I worked 6 on 3 off 4 on,1 off....evenings....for years. I was a single parents of two small children can guarantee you that I had better rest over all during those years then when I worked nights years later, with a older teen and a husband in the home. When I worked nightshift 8's it was ful, I could never sleep 6 hours once I got home. I tried to nap before going in again, but that was difficult.

I see no way working 12's would improve the rest I was able to get when I worked evening 8's.

Only a third of 8 hour shift workers would be on evening shift -- the other 2/3 (or more) would be on days or nights.

I have no studies and no statistics to point at, but I can testify that I have less sleep debt working 12s than when I worked 8s. I never could catch up when I worked 8s. Rotating only made it worse, and the only jobs available at that time and place were rotating.

I would never voluntarily give up my 12s!

MunoRN, RN

8,058 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care.
I think that is bogus and it would only happen in a perfect world. When I worked fulltime 8's I worked 6 on, I worked 6 on 3 off 4 on,1 off....evenings....for years. I was a single parents of two small children can guarantee you that I had better rest over all during those years then when I worked nights years later, with a older teen and a husband in the home. When I worked nightshift 8's it was ful, I could never sleep 6 hours once I got home. I tried to nap before going in again, but that was difficult.

I see no way working 12's would improve the rest I was able to get when I worked evening 8's.

Evening shift is far more conducive to good rest than night shift is, are you saying you got better rest while working evening shift because they were 8 hours shifts?

tntrn, ASN, RN

1,340 Posts

Specializes in L & D; Postpartum.

Hmmm post got lost. Yes, I got far better rest working full time evening shift 8's that 12's would be possible if they were 12's. How could it now? After even an extended 8 hours (say 10 by the time you are add in commute time) there are still 14 hours left in the 24 hours day.

After an extended 12 (commute time, not getting out on time) there are 10 hours left. That is not enough for 8 hours of proper rest, plus any chores or family time. It just doesn't compute for me.

If others love it that is great. But when they say they have more to do their work at work (another thing I can't understand because there is the same amount of work to do: !2 hours worth in 12 hours, 8 hours of work to do in 8 hours), it is just pencil whipping your mind.....much like how daylight savings time gives you extra daylight. That is bunk.

I wish we got 12 hour shifts... 5-8 hr night shifts is killing me! We took a poll for 3 12's or 2 8's and 2 12's and of course all the mid shift and night shift people were for it - can't get it through because the princesses that work 7-3:30 won't give it up...unfortunately majority doesn't rule, just day shift

wannabecnl

341 Posts

Specializes in PACU, presurgical testing.

I work mostly 8's, with occasional 10.5's. I loved your list, but I also have to put in my 2 cents about shoes. I would recommend a "real" shoe store. They still exist: those places that look like they're from the 50s with the older gentlemen (usually) who will not let you try anything on without first measuring your feet. I was able to try out 2 pairs of shoes at home and return them during my quest for the perfect nursing shoe, before I found the ones I have now. I will go back to that store when these wear out! A knowledgeable shoe salesman is a treasure for our line of work.

I work 3 12s a week fulltime on the nightshift.It has been SOOO busy recently at our hospital and we are short staffed. Im exhausted and if I had to come into work 5 days a week instead of the 3 I think I might go insane.But I do like the 12 hour shifts.I am able to get errands done throughout the week that way.

Kaltia

44 Posts

The problem for me is not shift length but the fact that you rarely if ever get out on time. So an 8 hour shift often becomes closer to a 10 hour shift and 12s aren't much better. With decent patient ratio, I wouldn't mind 12s so much but 8s are bad enough right now

basically there's no way I can consistently budget sleep time regardless of what I work. It gets very frustrating

ausrnurse

128 Posts

Specializes in ICU.

I think 8's vs 12's are very personal. I've done both and honestly prefer 8's. You might get extra days off on 12's but I spent it sleeping because I was too exhausted to do anything else. 12hr nights are absolutely horrible. The rotating roster of days and nights on 12hr shifts (which ends up being a week of day shift and a week of night shift) is killer. On 8 hour shifts I only have to nights 1 week a month and it's easier to get a more "normal" sleep schedule (eg., sleep in the morning, awake in the afternoon and back to bed after dinner until work).

bennett235

32 Posts

I have worked primarily 8 hour days with a call rotation (16 hours of call after working an 8 hour day) which can, but doesn't always, lead to a dangerous amount of time for one shift. I feel 10's would be my ideal shift, but that is not an option in my work place. I know when I worked nights in years past, my body did not like it and I would inevitably end up sick. I am very thankful for those who prefer night shift, for whatever reason!