16hr shifts

ukstudent · Jul 24, 2008

I don't know what to advice you. All I know is that I would hate to be a fellow driver on the road with you after a 16hr shift. 2 hrs in + 16.5 hrs working + 2hrs home = 20 plus hours and dangerous on the road.

Diary/Dairy, RN · Jul 24, 2008

I cannot do 16 hour shifts.... I get tired enough after 12 and I just have to get me home (and sometimes, cannot remember the drive back at all)

iwanna · Jul 24, 2008

Once upon a time I worked 3 doubles a week. It brought on exacerbation of my auto-immune illness. Doubles will break down your immune sytem. I had agreed to work 12 hr. shifts, but me & other LPN were tricked into doubles. They were supposed to have aides take over from 7pm through 7am with RN on unit. However, the aides were mythical. The 12s turned into 16s. And, the 16s will ruin you for a very long time!! A two hr. drive to work is not worth it. If I had to do over again, I would not have abused my body the way that I did. I was delerious with just a 20 min. drive.

nurseshepherd · Jul 24, 2008

I have driven an hour to work, but I can't imagine driving two! Bless your heart. Me personally, I hate 16 hour shifts and only do them when we are busting loose and I have to stay over, but I do not schedule myself that way, EVER. I work with three crazy money who#!% who work 6 days a week (between 3 different hospitals) and pull 16's wherever they can, the rest are all 12's. How they are still upright and funtional I do not know but they have been doing this for YEARS and haven't seemed to suffer physically. :bugeyes:

Neveranurseagain, RN · Jul 24, 2008

Not only would you be a dangerous driver, but a dangerous caregiver as you would be on auto pilot after 12 hrs, possible missing or not noticing a change in a pts. condition. And what about the weather in Alaska--stopping and chaining up on a mtn pass can make a 2 hr drive into 4 hrs. And you have a young son and school to boot? Don't forget about you--take care of yourself!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 24, 2008

I've been working 16-hour weekend double shifts for the past 2.5 years. I like having 5 days off in a row, saving on fuel costs, and having more flexibility. These long shifts are not as dangerous as everyone claims.

I attempted to recently go back to an 8-hour per day, 5-day workweek and could not adjust. Sometimes working less days can bring more joy to one's personal life.

wooh, BSN, RN · Jul 24, 2008

I'll do the occasional 16 on my last day in a row, (after 12s), and I like the extra money without making an extra drive. But if you try it, make sure you can do a trial before you commit to it long term. The drive home after that is going to be tough, especially with it being 2 hours. And have a backup plan for getting home if you realize on the way that you aren't going to make it!

SunnyAndrsn · Jul 24, 2008

Taking into account four hours of total drive time, I don't think this is a safe idea.

I have done one 16 hour shift, and have another coming up next week. I agreed to it because I don't have a long drive and I found that taking ALL of my breaks each shift helps too.

In our small town on the coast of Alaska the price of gas is already 5/gal. and due to the shortage of nurses I would think I could get 16hr.shifts but I cant get anyone to comment to them I have been in nurses 26yrs and understand the dangers of those long shifts, but I have to drive two hrs one way just to get to work over mountain passes, and I have a young son I cannot leave three days a week, due to school and I dont want to take the chance of getting burned out with the drive. Not sure what to do except not work.?

allnurses Guide · Jul 24, 2008

I used to work 16 hour shifts and hated it. I can't tell you how many times I almost fell asleep on the way home. I can't tell you how many times I fell asleep AT WORK. I think 12 hour shifts are doable if you can ever get your workplace to agree to them (I couldn't, hence the 16 hour shifts), but 16's, consistently, are just too much.

psalm, RN · Jul 24, 2008

I have driven an hour to work, but I can't imagine driving two! Bless your heart. Me personally, I hate 16 hour shifts and only do them when we are busting loose and I have to stay over, but I do not schedule myself that way, EVER. I work with three crazy money who#!% who work 6 days a week (between 3 different hospitals) and pull 16's wherever they can, the rest are all 12's. How they are still upright and funtional I do not know but they have been doing this for YEARS and haven't seemed to suffer physically.

...but have their patients and co-workers suffered by substandard care, failure to rescue, etc.

2bmalenurse007 · Jul 24, 2008

Do you have any family or friends that can help with your son? 16hr's is a long shift for a person who has to drive four hours per day. By the time you get up and get dress, eat something , drive to work, work 16hr's and drive home, get cleaned up , you would have been up a little more than a day. I would not try to do this on back to back days:twocents: