12 hr shifts- a thing of the past?

[SeekUrBliss]

I recently became staff at a large hospital here in my city. As i sat through hours of orientation (the hospital's history and future etc), it was stated that the hospital is currently looking at ending the 12 hr shifts and return to all 8 hr shifts. The speaker said there were studies nationwide that found that most mistakes were made by an employee who was working the long shifts.

I worked 12 hr shifts for 6 yrs and they are, indeed, draining. I now choose to work four 8 hr shifts/wk and feel so much better!

Anyone heard anything about this?

[grentea]

I'm graduating in about a week from nursing school and I've been applying for jobs. I applied to one unit where all they offered me were 12 hour shifts, and I wasn't exactly jumping for joy over it. I'm absolutely flat-out exhausted after 8 hours, and I wouldn't even want to see myself after 12. I don't even know how I would get home. I want to live my life, but my idea of doing that is not running myself into the ground three days a week and then sleeping the other 4 days to recover from it. As a new nurse, I could totally see myself making a mistake at the end of a 12 hour shift. I think the 12 hour shift is awesome if it works for you and you're a more experienced nurse, but it's just not my thing right now, and I know it. I found a unit that would give me 8 hour shifts, but I didn't base my decision to work on that unit on the shift thing.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I've heard of studies that show mistakes happen with long shifts, but thought they were talking about nurses working double shifts doing overtime, not 12 hour shifts.

I think for retention and satisfaction they should let it remain an option.

Or better yet, have safe working environments and ratios and deal with the stress that is perhaps underlying the nurses making mistakes. Duh.

[General E. Speaking, RN, RN]

Can't bite the hand that feeds me: 12 hr shifts make it possible for me to work full-time and go to school part-time. However, on the rare occasion that I do work 8 hrs, it's a piece of cake. At noon your day is pretty much over. I probably wouldn't feel like that if I had to do 5 eight hr shifts/week-yuk. NO, I'll keep my 3 twelve hr. shifts/week, thank you.

[SeekUrBliss]

I'm graduating in about a week from nursing school and I've been applying for jobs. I applied to one unit where all they offered me were 12 hour shifts, and I wasn't exactly jumping for joy over it. I'm absolutely flat-out exhausted after 8 hours, and I wouldn't even want to see myself after 12. I don't even know how I would get home. I want to live my life, but my idea of doing that is not running myself into the ground three days a week and then sleeping the other 4 days to recover from it. As a new nurse, I could totally see myself making a mistake at the end of a 12 hour shift. I think the 12 hour shift is awesome if it works for you and you're a more experienced nurse, but it's just not my thing right now, and I know it. I found a unit that would give me 8 hour shifts, but I didn't base my decision to work on that unit on the shift thing.

That's great! For me, 12 hr shifts proved to be too much for me also. I was pretty much a basket case of stress and didn't realize it until i stopped doing the 12's. Like i said before, i feel so much better now!

Best wishes to u in your new career :balloons: