What is the most you've worked (days) without having a day off?

Nurses General Nursing

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The title was difficult to word :bugeyes: but if you work 8 or 12 hr shifts, how many days straight have you worked and not had a day off?

ybq2008

177 Posts

Specializes in ER/Acute Care.

15 days, but as a counselor, not a nurse. I actually just recently did this and I was exhausted! I worked a range of 8-12 hour shifts. I wouldn't advise it on a regular basis, but I'm on a break from nursing school and I wanted to get some extra hours and save money for next semester :)

Specializes in Cardiac Care.

Way, way back a long time ago (when IV bottles and chest tube containers were made of glass...), I worked for 14 days straight (8-hour evening shifts) as a nursing assistant while I was in college. Now that I'm old(er) and working 12 hour shifts, I've done 4 in a row. That about killed me; I could probably do more than that if I needed to, but I really wouldn't want to.

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD

2,315 Posts

Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

For over a year I worked 6 twelve hours shifts in a row, followed by 8 days off. I recently did 6 in a row and I don't know how I did those stints over and over before. I did have a very challenging assignment.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, Peds, Pediatraic Home Care, Infusion.

Six with two weeks off between.

I did this for a few months. I did think that if I died during those six in a row that I was going to be very annoyed at myself for having lived like that with no life during the stretch of six in a row--------nights.

I think I was after the two weeks off. It was not worth it. Nights are just so hard. I was trying to make sense of it. Never did.

NeoNurseTX, RN

1,803 Posts

Specializes in NICU Level III.

4 in a row...yeah not much but 12's kick my butt if I do more than 2-3 in a row!

ShayRN

1,046 Posts

Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

8 days in a row, so that I could have some extra time on vacation. So worth it, lol.

Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

I worked 6 days straight, then had 2 days off.

Scrubby

1,313 Posts

Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.

Where I live the maximum number of days you can work straight is 7, with minimum of 2 days off between and this is for a rotating roster. I've done this and it sucks, you feel like your always at work, it affected my home life. Now I only work Mon to Fri thank goodness.

K+MgSO4, BSN

1,753 Posts

Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.

8 12 hour nights. Was in the countryside where there was only one casual day shift RN and on of the full time RNs had to be medivac'ed to Sydney and another had broken her arm so everyone was helping out............the DON was on the floor for 2 shifts........and because I was agency and lived right next door she kept phoning me with stupid questions.....but I got call in pay so not so bad! The community RN did a few shifts and one girl came off maternity leave to cover! That is how small that the staff was (15 WTE RN) and how close the people were.

RN1982

3,362 Posts

Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

six 12 hour shifts in a row. I was a zombie by the end of that stretch.

Specializes in ED.

I first started at the VA last year and wanted to keep my other job for extra income. But I was weekend option at that time. So while I was going though orientation (takes a month) at the VA, I would work Sat and Sun at the other job until I finished off a month of obligation to them, so all in all it was about 3-4 weeks without a day off between the two.

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