12 hour shifts vs. 8 hour shifts

Nurses General Nursing

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Nurses, please give me some inputs please. I am wondering for those who do 12 hours shift, do you feel like you have enough time with your children? Some say, no because they feel like they are always working such as working every other weekend and have to work on holidays and feel that they do not get to spend much time with their kids. Is that so? What about days when you're off, is that enough time?

For 8 hour shifts, do you feel like you are always working? Do you feel this gives you enough time off to have time with your kids?

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Specializes in LTC.

I work eights now but its more like twelve because I'm always staying late for narc counts and last minute "oops I forgots". I do not get enough time with my kids especially since school started. I'm thinking twelve's would be better because you get three days off.

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I LOVE working 12's. I don't think I would want to go to 8's. One week I work Tue, Thu, and Fri. The next week I work Mon, Sat, Sun. Working only 3 days/wk is *fantastic*! I'm expecting my first child in Nov but I don't think my feelings will change....

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Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

I've never done the 8hr shifts/ 5 days a week thing but with 3 12's and working nights..I feel like I get a good amount of time with my child.

I can have snacks and dinner ready...rest while she is at preschool/daycare and pick her up early.There are some cons of course but I don't want to work 5 days a week at this point.

I often have 3-4 days off in a row.

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Specializes in Rehabilitation, Home Care, LTC.

I currently work 3-12's Night shift and it is tough, mentally, physically and emotionally. Yes you get the 3-4days off during the week but you are drained. My schedule varies week to week. After getting off of work I try to sleep but then so many people call the phone so that wakes you up for most of the morning. I can say I am able to set appointments but that means that I have to stay awake longer until I get to the appointment so now I have been up for 14-16 hours. When I do sleep I really crash not waking until late in the evening and then I still do not feel fully recharged.

If my 12's are back to back I sleep for about 3-5hours and then I am back up to do the same thing over again. My appetite is poor cause I do not eat but once a day when I am working cause I am so tired from working. If I do eat I run into Dunkin Donuts or Burger King and grab something then I fall right to sleep.

Now that I am in school full time the energy level is totally drained. Cause my waking hours is spent doing school work, going to class, trying to have a somewhat normal life on my off days. I have recently been diagnosed with some ailments that never affected me before, so maybe working nights has helped me with early diagnoses.

But one good thing that came from nights is that I am losing weight.

I have worked 8hr shifts but only part-time and I had no problem with that. :nurse:

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violet, this is a constant issue i think about! i am considering starting RN school in jan., but wondering if i have the grass is always greener cliche going on! i have a 5 day a week job that is quite flexible in the healthcare field already. i have a 20 1/2 month old and want number 2 in the near future. i feel like i get a decent amount of time w/ my girl and enjoy that i don't work weekends/holidays. i can take off whenever i want b/c i'm not a "critical" employee. however, when i get home, i get the let's get dinner ready, bathtime, bedtime routine (which i love) but i don't get the fun morning playtime, lets meet someone for a playdate time. my weekends are relaxed, but i also feel like i'm running to the grocery store, getting menus planned, etc and not enough playtime.

i worry about starting a new career as a RN w/ hopefully a new baby, working 12 hours in a job that is way more stressful then i have now and being exhausted. but, i do love the idea of having 4 days/nights off. when i work 4 days a week, i feel like that extra day is so wonderful. so, the 4 days off would be even better!

i wonder about when kids are in school. how are the 12 hour shifts? typically you have to work a weekend every now and then, so you really only get 1 day w/ your family. you might miss dinner 3 nights a week...with 5 8's you can have dinner w/ family every night, etc. i don't know...i guess there is always pros and cons to everything!!

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I work Mon-Fri, 8 hr. shifts. I don't know how old your children are, but mine are school age and it works out perfectly. They are only home for an hour before I get home. I'm there to make dinner and help with homework and to tuck them in at night. Three days a week sounds appealing, but like the other poster said you are so drained on your days off.

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Specializes in Med/Surg and ANCC RN-BC.

I have friends that work the 8 hour shifts and 10 hours shifts. the 8 hour shift people hate it. the 10 hour shifts say that they really like it. they get three days off and mostly have normal schedules. I work 3 12's at night and i'm so fried after it all. i don't have children yet, but i do have a husband and i feel that i miss out on some time with him.

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Specializes in Telemetry, M/S.

I do 5 8hr nights midnight to 0800. I hate hate hate it. I left a day shift 3-12hrs and feel as though all I do is work and sleep. I'm a newlywed who never gets to see her husband. I am desperately looking for a different job...5 8's wouldn't be so bad if it were day shifts...

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violet, this is a constant issue i think about! i am considering starting RN school in jan., but wondering if i have the grass is always greener cliche going on! i have a 5 day a week job that is quite flexible in the healthcare field already. i have a 20 1/2 month old and want number 2 in the near future. i feel like i get a decent amount of time w/ my girl and enjoy that i don't work weekends/holidays. i can take off whenever i want b/c i'm not a "critical" employee. however, when i get home, i get the let's get dinner ready, bathtime, bedtime routine (which i love) but i don't get the fun morning playtime, lets meet someone for a playdate time. my weekends are relaxed, but i also feel like i'm running to the grocery store, getting menus planned, etc and not enough playtime.

i worry about starting a new career as a RN w/ hopefully a new baby, working 12 hours in a job that is way more stressful then i have now and being exhausted. but, i do love the idea of having 4 days/nights off. when i work 4 days a week, i feel like that extra day is so wonderful. so, the 4 days off would be even better!

i wonder about when kids are in school. how are the 12 hour shifts? typically you have to work a weekend every now and then, so you really only get 1 day w/ your family. you might miss dinner 3 nights a week...with 5 8's you can have dinner w/ family every night, etc. i don't know...i guess there is always pros and cons to everything!!

I feel the same. Can't decide which is better. I would like to take my kids to their activities after school too, but I think the M-F 8-5 job wouldn't allow that either. But I would get every weekend and holiday off and dinner time with the kids... such a touch decision. I'm trying to pick one that will allow family time. I do understand the 12 hour shift do drain you out...

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I have found that when I work 12 hour shifts I am fatigued all the time. All I do is go from the bed to the car and back again with a stop at the shower.

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I love working 12-hr shifts. I have done day shifts for the most part, but in the last couple of years have picked up a couple of nights a month and it is totally draining when your not used to it. I used to work 8-hr shifts Mon-Fri and they just are as exhausting (I work on a very busy OB floor) and my weekends, although great, would fly by so fast, by Sunday evening, I was thinking, "is it almost Monday AGAIN?"....the weekends off was just not enough for me!

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