8 hours vs 12?

[Livingdeadnurse]

Currently I work 12 hour night shift and have the opportunity to switch to second shift. However it's 8 hour shifts. I really love my extra days off. My husband says he works 5 days a week what's the problem. Do you love 8s or 12s? I know I sleep part of my day off to flip back to days. Ugh. I am scared I might get burnt out faster on 8s. Then again less hours a day might be less stress. Any thought?

my schedule on 12s are work MTFSS the next week is work WT.

my 8 hours weeks I would still have every other weekend off but my other day off could vary leaving me working 5,6 or even a 7 day stretch.

[Bear05]

I personally could not work 5 8h shifts as a bedside nurse. Working 3 12's is already hard enough. Is there any way that you work 3 in a row so that you would have more days off? Your current schedule looks tough since you're not getting much days off in a row.

[PCnurse88]

Do you self schedule or do they make the schedule for you? My entire unit only works 8s. I personally like working 5-6 8s in a row, and I usually make it either TFSSM or FSSMT, so that I'm working both Monday and Friday. It gets me into good graces with the other nurses, and I like it. I seem to be in the minority though, and none of the 1st or 2nd evening shift nurses ever do more than 3. Most don't even do that and only manage 2 in a row.

[annie.rn]

I would find 5 8hr shifts hard to do. I have worked 8's before and I found that you still have to do the same amount of work but you have to do it in 8 hrs. If you think about it, the bulk of the work during a twelve hour shift is done in the first 8 hrs. I tended to have to stay a little late most days so by the time I got home, an 8 hr. day turned into 9 or 10. As was mentioned in another reply, I think 8's at the bedside would contribute to burn out quicker. If you have a challenging floor full of patients, with 12's, you know you will push through and then get 2 to 3 days off. When you return a lot of those pts. will be gone. With 8's, you're exposed to them 5 days in a row without a break. This has been my experience but of course you know what you can put up with and have to decide what's best for you. :-)

[Livingdeadnurse]

Right now I do ER. 12s

The psych job are all ambulatory aka walkie talkies. I would be in the admission ward. Meaning quicker turnover. Not really bedside nursing. It's a mental institution. Not a regular hospital. Think that would make a difference? I would work second shift with only one med pass. Total of 36 pts on the ward. Most times the LPN would be the med nurse. There are 2 Rns, one LPN and 4-5 CNAS for the total of patients

[Livingdeadnurse]

I can self schedule the 8s. But weekends are already in place every other weekend