12 hour shifts too long?

begalli · Mar 29, 2005

I prefer 12 hour shifts. I think anything longer is nuts.

I also think 12 hour nursing shifts are good for continuity of patient care....the fewer hands a patient passes through, the better.

baby&mommynurse · Mar 29, 2005

It seems to me that when we went to 12 hour shifts, there has been less calling in and better staffing, too.

CHATSDALE · Mar 29, 2005

when you are scheduled for more than 8 hours there is no way they can ask you to stay over..if someone calls in they have to move their butts and get someone to cover

also the days off are really good...if you want to get some overtime you can get some w/o wearing your self out

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Mar 30, 2005

when you are scheduled for more than 8 hours there is no way they can ask you to stay over..if someone calls in they have to move their butts and get someone to cover
also the days off are really good...if you want to get some overtime you can get some w/o wearing your self out

I have not found that the amount of time you are scheduled for plays into anything. They would ask someone who had been there for 12 hours to stay over just as quickly as they would someone who had been there for 8 hours - getting the shift covered is all that matters to them. I have not felt any additional pressure to stay over when I work 8s - it is still not my responsibility to staff the unit, only to work my scheduled shifts. If I want more hours, I can get them, if not I don't let myself be pressured into it. That is really the bottom line. We all have to do what is best for ourselves and look out for ourselves, with the knowledge that no one else is going to.

live4today, RN · Mar 30, 2005

For me it did. Plus the fact that most 12 hour shifts I worked turned into 14 or 15 hrs with a 1 hour commute each way. The "advantage" was said to be 4 days off one week 3 days off the next. After 8 it seemed everything went into slow motion including brain function.

This was my EXACT experience with working twelve hour shifts "P_RN", only my commute turned into an hour and a half most days. I'll NEVER do that again! I almost got killed on the road a few times. When I think back over that time in my life, it's a miracle I am still standing to talk about it.

I prefer working part time...three 8 hour DAY shifts a week. I haven't found that particular job yet, but I'm still looking. :)

humglum, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2005

I love my 12 hour shifts. I don't think I'm any more fatigued, or any more prone to making errors working 12 hours than when I'm working 8. However, I work in a very supportive environment where we are almost forced to take our 30 minute lunch break and 2 15 minute breaks off the unit. I think that makes a world of difference. I don't work on the kind of unit where I would be going 12 hours without a break, or working dehydrated, or anything of the sort... I don't think anyone can keep that up for a certain amount of time and not suffer.

I am on weekend option, so I work 12 hours on Saturday and Sunday and am off for the remainder of the week (unless I'm on call or picking up extra time for the good of the unit, which I do at times), being paid for full time with full time benefits. I love it.

I know a lot of nurses who really like 8 hour shifts. Sometimes if I'm working OT I'll come in for just 8 hours, and it always feels like a 'treat', like I'm getting away early. :chuckle

nbnurse95 · Mar 31, 2005

I work 12hr shifts and I love them. I work 2 days, followed immediatly by 2 nights then I'm off for 4 days. (plus I get that first sleeping day, so it's really like 5 off!!!) I've worked 8 hrs in the past but I felt like I was always at work then had to come home and start supper etc, etc, etc.

This way, I can really enjoy my days off with my family.

bikeracer5313 · Mar 31, 2005

Are 12 hour shifts too long? I have seen many nurses getting burned out at 8 hours. Does the level of care decline when nurses are working 12 hour shifts?

Love working 12 hour night shifts. I come in at 6 p.m. and can do my assessments then-therefore not waking people at 1-2 a.m. which is not appreciated! :coollook: Then I have the rest of the night to chart, do meds, etc. I feel rushed when I come in at 10 p.m. So for me it works.

webbiedebbie · Mar 31, 2005

Personally, I like 8 hr shifts. Do you realize that I lose $6,240/year by working 12's? The "extra" days off don't feel that way because I work 2 then off two then on two, then off one and work one, etc. When working nights, I also don't feel the "extra" time off because I sleep it away. I wish we could have a choice.

And, I don't see where there would be a difference with "continuity of care".

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Mar 31, 2005

I have a good commute also, and it does extend that 12 hr shift into something like 14hrs. However the way I figure it working 12's means I make that commute 2 less days a week. If I worked 8 hr shifts it would still mean something like 10 hrs a day with the commute.

14hrs X 3= 42hrs/week

10hrs X 5= 50hrs/week

As for missing out of money due to only 36hrs a week vs. 40. . . There is pretty much enough overtime available to anyone who wants it (at least where I work). Besides the fact that all the years I worked 8's I don't think I ever worked one extra shift, working 6 days a week REALLY cuts into my free time whereas I'm more inclined to work an extra if it means I still get 3 days off that week.

I guess it also makes a difference that I work night shift so my day is pretty much shot anyway whether I work an 8hr shift or a 12hr shift. With 12 hrs shifts I can kind of transition back to a normal schedule during my days off. When I worked 8hr nights I rarely transitioned off day sleeping as I rarely had more than 1 day off at a time.

As for quality of care I don't think my care suffers and believe my patients benefit. I used to work 11p to 7a then changed to 7p to 7a and I found a great benefit. I could assess my patient needs around 7pm, call for any PRN's without upsetting the MD's too much (docs don't like to hear about laxative & sleeper needs at 11pm), help them settle in and possibly get a set of vitals on them around 10:30pm and let them sleep until AM lab (if they were stable). Now that I work with infants it's not as important.

I do respect others preferring 8hr shifts, 12's are not for all, but as long as I need to work full-time I want to stay with 12's.

simao pt · Mar 31, 2005

My daily shifts have 6,5 hours and the night shift has 12,5 hours. And I love it. I have plenty of free time during the day, and when I work at night... if I entered later what would be the difference? I wouldn't be able to go anywhere, at least not for long. And the work keeps me so occupied that before i realize it it ended. And it's time to go home and sleep. :yeah:

apaisRN, RN, CRNA · Mar 31, 2005

I hates 8s, I felt like I lived at work. But 12s are killer. I'm almost 28 and have been doing 12s for two years, and already I feel like I wouldn't be able to do this a lot longer. I am chronically sleep-deprived during my work stretches- just a little bit, but enough to feel lousy. You just can't get home, make/eat something reasonably nutritious and get to bed at a decent hour. I guess if I did two on/one off instead of always three at a time that would be better.

There are many nurses in their 40s and 50s who still do 12s, many with substantial family responsibilities. I am positive I won't be doing it at that age!