Hospital switching to strictly 12 hour shifts?

Nurses General Nursing

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Has anyone ever worked somewhere that they were 8 hours, and they switched everyone to 12 hours only? If so what was the process? How did they go about day/night positions? How much notice were you given before it happened?

I just found out today that my hospital is eliminating the 8 hour positions. They are going to 7-7. I currently work 3-11pm. I'm not even sure I can do the 12 hours due to day care. Also, I don't know if I will get a day position, and if I did it would most likely require rotation, which I also can not do. The union still has to vote and from what I have heard they expect this to happen probably some time in October. We just avoided a strike, and voted in a new contract a couple weeks ago, and now they are doing this. I am not too happy right now.

ETA: I have worked 12 hour shifts for 6 years before this job. I'm just wondering about the transition process.

Specializes in Pediatrics.

I am going to be transfering to a SNF who just went from 8hrs to 12hrs. My current facility is 8 hrs, but we are always so busy my shifts are almost always 10-12.

I don't know how they went about making the switch, but I know that one of their night shift nurses made the swtich to days and decided that it was too much for her.

The schedule that I am getting is days 2 12s on then 3 days off then 2 12s set roating

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Neuro, ICU, travel RN, Psych.
At my hospital med/surg has been 6-6:30 for many years, we were just informed that next month, the shift times will change to 7-7:30. One hr difference may not seem like much of a change, but in my situation it is. My son begins kinder next month and I am the only one that can drop him off and pick him up from school. Getting off at the new time of 0730, would not allow enough time for me to get home, get my son ready for school, and get him to school on time. 1 months notice, is not enough time. Due to this last minute time change, I will be transferring from med/surg to ER, due to they have different shift times, such as 1500-0300, they even have an 8 hr shifts. It kills me that they just make changes like this, and changing from 8 hrs to 12 hrs and them not consider the hardships that those changes may cause. I understand, at times a change is warranted, but would be nice if they would provide options or try to accommodate. Anyways, I hope it works out for you

Good luck with your new position! Was ER something you had been wanting to do anyways? I think it is going to cause a hardship for a lot of people. There are staff who have worked their 8 hours for 20+ years.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Neuro, ICU, travel RN, Psych.
I feel your pain, I funking hate the spelling police on internet forums.

It can be annoying when someone makes a post that is full of spelling errors. Especially those who use text speak. But when it is 1 error, and it so obviously a mistake. Wow.. I mistyped 1 letter.... Better lock me up in spelling jail.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Neuro, ICU, travel RN, Psych.
How old is your daughter? I can relate to your childcare issue. It is frustrating to be on rotating shifts and have to coordinate different childcare needs each week.

She is 2 1/2. When I did 12 hour shifts, it was hard because I would work all day, then she wanted to play when I get home from work. I of course was exhausted.

Never mind that to go from going into to work at 3pm, then having to switch to either waking up at 5:30 or 6 am, or working over nights, that is a huge lifestyle change.

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Specializes in icu/er.

a hospital i work at part time just went to all 12hr shifts about 2mos ago. everybody from nsg to lab is now 12hr rotations, some do 7 on/ 7 off, some do a 4 and 3 split type routine. it really upset alot of folks when they first went to it and some nurses evan left the facility. like some posters stated the 12hr shift can be rough on folks of have to use child daycares cause here in my are not many of them stay open past 7pm, so say you get out of the hopistal around 1915 and take 10-15min to drive to daycare you are gonna be hammered with late childcare fees! by going to mandatory 12hr shifts they have taken away one of the "old time" allures to nsg, and that is to have the chance to have many different shifts available to you to work.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I worked at a hospital during its transition from 8's to 12's. They did it gradually to give people time to adjust -- and didn't go exactly 100% to the 12's while I was there. Only a few units changed at first in order to give people the ability to transfer to another unit if necessary. A few units went 12's on the weekends and 8's during the week.

So people had choices -- at least for a while. Everyone was told that "12's are the way of the future" and that they should prepare for the possibility that they might not have a choice someday. But no definite date was given for a 100% conversion. (It was a non-union hospital.) I left while things were still half and half. That was many years ago and I don't know what happened after I left.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Neuro, ICU, travel RN, Psych.
a hospital i work at part time just went to all 12hr shifts about 2mos ago. everybody from nsg to lab is now 12hr rotations, some do 7 on/ 7 off, some do a 4 and 3 split type routine. it really upset alot of folks when they first went to it and some nurses evan left the facility. like some posters stated the 12hr shift can be rough on folks of have to use child daycares cause here in my are not many of them stay open past 7pm, so say you get out of the hopistal around 1915 and take 10-15min to drive to daycare you are gonna be hammered with late childcare fees! by going to mandatory 12hr shifts they have taken away one of the "old time" allures to nsg, and that is to have the chance to have many different shifts available to you to work.

We haven't been able to find a daycare that is decent that is open past 6pm. We've had a heck of a time with daycare already. She currently goes to an in home daycare that was my old neighbor. She was kind enough to alter her hours so that my daughter could be there later. My husband used to have to get out of work early on the days I worked. So I'm not sure how it's going to go over when I ask to switch hours AGAIN. Also, my husband will now be responsible for dropping her off and picking her up each day when we make the switch.

I do have a feeling there are going to be quite a few people leaving. There are a lot of unhappy people after our new contract was voted as they took things away from us. Now a few months later they go and make a major change like this as well.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Neuro, ICU, travel RN, Psych.
I worked at a hospital during its transition from 8's to 12's. They did it gradually to give people time to adjust -- and didn't go exactly 100% to the 12's while I was there. Only a few units changed at first in order to give people the ability to transfer to another unit if necessary. A few units went 12's on the weekends and 8's during the week.

So people had choices -- at least for a while. Everyone was told that "12's are the way of the future" and that they should prepare for the possibility that they might not have a choice someday. But no definite date was given for a 100% conversion. (It was a non-union hospital.) I left while things were still half and half. That was many years ago and I don't know what happened after I left.

Everything I have right now is hearsay. So I can't be sure how truthful everything is. But my understanding is it's just going to happen, and people are expected to just make the switch.

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