12 hr shifts/8 hr shifts

TweetiePieRN · Jan 24, 2004

Originally posted by prunepie
hello everyone... do you know if you work in a hospital that it is almost a given that you have to work 12 hr shifts? the reason i ask is..i have some health issues that can flare up..and 12 hours..omg i just dont know if i would be truly functional... can you work 8 hr shifts?? or is it almost impossible to find those positions? thanks so much xo jenn

My hospital has both, depending on what dept you work on. I can understand about the health issues "flaring" up. 12 is a long time. Sometimes i will work 16 hrs!!!

prunepie · Jan 24, 2004

wow 16 hours!!!! my hats off to you.... do you think having this issue with 12 hours may make it hard to get a job..or do you think its just something that can be worked out?? xoxo jenn

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Jan 24, 2004

I work four 8-hour shifts per week in a hospital that runs on a 12-hour schedule. There are 2-3 nurses on each shift who work only 7-3, 3-11, or 11-7; I'm one of the two 3-11 nurses on our med/surg floor. Our nurse manager can be very rigid about a lot of things, but she's really good about working with people as to schedules, and will actually create positions for folks (that's how I ended up with my current position).

Several years back when I worked at that hospital before, I was doing 12's and just could NOT handle it physically; she had me get a note from my doctor explaining that I could not work 12's because of my foot and joint problems, and promptly 'found' a spot for me on the 11-7 shift. (It was later on that I learned that nights were NOT for me, as I became forgetful and confused as to dates and times, and thought I was losing my mind.....turned out all I needed was a change of working hours.)

Then, when I came back last winter, she offered me a part-time, 8-hour position that she'd created for me, and that's what I've been working until recently when she offered me the full-time spot. Almost everyone else continues in the 12-hour routine, but I stay with my 8's because I know I can give my best.......when I worked 12's, I was often half-past give-a-sh** by 4 or 5 AM, and that, as we all know, is NOT the attitude to have when you hold patients' lives in your hands!! Not to mention the fact that EVERYTHING hits the fan at 0600.....the call lights start in, everybody has to go to the bathroom, and the one patient you've been worrying about all night will a) fall, b) go nuts, c) have a giant Code Brown, d) bottom out their blood sugar, e) have a seizure, or f) code. And that's not the time to be so tired that you can barely heave your sorry carcass out of the chair and move with all the speed of a weary blacksmith!

prunepie · Jan 25, 2004

mlj..thanks for tellingme your story!!! thats what i am afraid of what will happen to me working 12's.... in your opinion... if i am right out of school asking for 8's do you think that will be a horrible problem if i have a doctors note??? or should i just get hired and work 12's for a while and then let them know?? i just want to be my best but yet dont want to ask for too much out of the gate with my probs..thank you xo jenn

Bloodman · Feb 2, 2004

There are other things to consider that you're not thinking of prune. Don't work on a floor with 12 hour employees, if you are an 8; because, they will manipulate assignments into giving you the worst assignment patientwise. You will arrive for work after they've all worked for 4 hours already, and they will change their assignments to make it easier for themselves before you arrive. I did this, so I know. I also have a health issue to consider, but moving to 12 hours was better in the end because there was more down time to rest. I would say if you're going to do 12, do it over night. If you have to do 12 during the day and pm shift, then I'd think about it more. Make sure you work in a facility that has no mandatory overtime like I did; otherwise, make sure you have a doctor note permanently limiting your shift hours right after you're hired.

prunepie · Feb 3, 2004

bloodman..thank you.... so in your opinion..would you say get hired...THEN get a note from a doc...OR tell the employers up front that you can only work 8's?? i dont want to be dismissed or secretly discriminated if i come in with a work note...whats your opinion which way is better?? thank you xox jenn

Bloodman · Feb 6, 2004

I would avoid bringing a doctor note either before or after you get hired. You simply get hired at a facility that does not impose overtime or mandatory shifts. I did this and it worked fine for me. I do believe they will secretly discriminate against you otherwise in some way, especially if the floor you work on is revamped in terms of staffing shifts, etc. If you can't find a facility that doesn't have mandatory overtime, I would bring the note after hire, and then only if it's that much of an immediate issue, or when the issue rises. I was worried considerably about my health issue being forced while working, but the job never impacted it. Is it possible you're worrying too much ahead of time? You sound like a smart girl. I hope this helps a little. Bye.

prunepie · Feb 6, 2004

thank you bloodman..of course..i am worrying way in advance :) but thats me lol i appreciate your response and i think your advice is right on... i hope your health issues are doing okay and talk to you later xoxo jenn :)