Is it time to get rid of 12 hour shifts?

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Dec 1, 2008

I live 48 miles from work and would much rather work 12s than eights. Now that I'm used to working 12 hour nights, I feel like I'm behind all night when I come in at 2300.

FireStarterRN, BSN, RN · Dec 1, 2008

My feeling is that, since 12 hour shifts are easier on schedulers, they are here to stay.

I prefer them because I live far from where I work. Also, they give me more time during shift to procrastinate my charting, get to know the patient, and follow through on the plan of care. I also think that eash time a patient is handed off is an opportunity for information to become lost since shift report is often a weak link in the information chain.

Batman24 · Dec 1, 2008

I love 12 hour shifts and wouldn't want to work anything but them. I love having 4 days off a week and my body can definitely handle the long hours.

If someone can't handle the long hours and their job won't work with them I would urge them to look for work outside of a hospital. Pay might not be as good but hours and stress level are probably much better.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Dec 1, 2008

I quit working the floor because of 12-hr shifts. Just too stressful for me. I live 5 minutes from the hospital so my situation is a little different.

RN1981 · Dec 1, 2008

I love 12's. I cannot deal with four-five days of rushing in a hospital setting. I just can't. Three days a week is enough for me.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Dec 1, 2008

I prefer more days off per week, and the only way this can possibly be achieved for me is through compressed work scheduling (three 12 hour shifts per week, or two 16 hour shifts per week). I absolutely love having 4 to 5 days off per week.

I worked five 8-hour shifts per week as a floor nurse, and it got tiring quickly. The process of preparing to go to work on a daily basis requires plenty of motivation, energy, and time. Waking up, showering, dressing, and driving to and from work is a surefire way to consume time if I must do it every single day of the week. I simply don't have it in me to do floor nursing 5 days per week.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Dec 1, 2008

We also must keep in mind that very few people really want to work that dreaded evening shift (2 to 10pm or 3 to 11pm). Day shift is coveted and desired by many, and night shifts are also preferred by plenty of people.

However, people have the tendency to accept evening shifts only until something "better" comes along, and then they jump off the bandwagon into a unit with "better" hours. Evening shift takes up part of the day, the entire evening, and a few hours of one's night, so this shift tends to have the highest percentage of employee turnover in my area. 12-hour shifts seem to eliminate the problem of having to find staff to cover that stubborn 8-hour evening shift.

There are lovers of the 3 to 11pm shift, but they're usually in the minority.

sweetsounds · Dec 1, 2008

I think we should have the option of doing 12's or 8's or even others, like job sharing. 12's are extremely long if you work nights; foget the extra days off- you will be one of the undead on your days off.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Dec 1, 2008

There are lovers of the 3 to 11pm shift, but they're usually in the minority.

Count me in that minority. I work 8 hour shifts, eight shifts per pay period, and I LOVE the 3-11 shift. Those hours are my highest energy times, and the schedule allows me to have some sort of life during the mornings. Yes, I miss some of my favorite prime-time TV shows, but I can always watch them online on my next day off, and I'm not so beat up at the end of a three- or four-day stretch that I need two days just to recover........I actually get to do stuff on my days off, or just enjoy being home with the family.

I took this LTC job as a sort of 'temporary' stop on my way to something else, but now that I've been there for a month, I've come to really like it. I've dropped 11 pounds just by running the floors and am in drastically better physical condition than I was a month ago, and best of all, I'm getting to be a NURSE again, not a paper-pushing bureaucrat. The management doesn't mess with me because they all know I've been management, and the other staff seem to be OK with me because I don't act like the queen bee....all I want is to do my job to the best of my ability and then leave work AT work.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Dec 1, 2008

I'm interested in a discussion on the topic of 12 hour shifts, and I surmise there will be some strong feelings both for and against. I love a good debate. Do you think it would be better to get rid of the 12 hour shifts that have become quite standard on many nursing units?
The pro's: - some nurses like compressed work weeks in regards to child care, "having a life", etc.,
- less commute time
- more days open to moonlight somewhere else
- more days away from the workplace
The con's: - some studies show an association with increased errors on shifts longer than 8 hours.
- going 12 hours without eating/bathroom break is harder than going 8 hours without eating/bathroom break
- greater physical exhaustion after 12 hours, my legs don't hold up as well now as they did when I was a newbie in my 20's.
Just wondering what others thought.:typing

I don't see hospitals doing away with 12-hour shifts anytime soon, even though the fact that the nursing workforce is aging rapidly and many older nurses can't hack those long hours. It's far more economical because hospitals don't need as much staff, and on the plus side, there is better continuity of care with the 12-hour shifts.

But I think there needs to be some flexibility here; for example, the hospital where I used to work offered both 8- and 12-hour shifts, and that was good because even at age 40, I couldn't physically handle the longer shifts.........by the time five AM rolled around, I almost didn't care anymore whether the patients lived or died, and that's not a good attitude to have when you're a nurse! :no: But for most of the younger nurses, the 12-hour shifts were great, and they certainly got more time off than I did.

Tait, MSN, RN · Dec 1, 2008

I would leave nursing if I were forced to work eight hour shifts.

I did 11p-7a when I first started nursing and the constant stress of med/surg nursing and by the time I hit my seven month mark I found I was markedly stressed, unhappy and very depressed. Now there are more factors than just the shifts to my lack of happiness (new job, fresh out of school. lack of friends in my new area), however I found that the seemingly "heavy" work schedule was compounding that.

I believe nursing is a mentally taxing job that requires a certain amount of preparation each shift in order to perform a competently. When I go to work I put all of my energy into doing the best job I can, and at the end of my three days I feel happy, satisfied and like a productive member of society. Something I didn't feel when I had two sporadic days to recuperate each week.

Pros:

* Seeing my patients when they are awake and getting an extra four hours to go over progress notes, clean up orders, get clarifications and work on weeding out errors in my patients care. (I get a lot of time at night with the chart that the day shift doesn't have the luxury of).

* Getting to set a rapport with my patient and being able to look them at the eye at seven and say "I will be here all night with you". I find many patients to be comforted by this.

* Flexibility of course. We don't have children yet, but I look forward to the days when I can be a great mom and still have a career.

* No 3-11. I have done a few 16 hour shifts and I have to say I do sort of enjoy the 3-11 period, however I know this tends to be a staffing "bleeding wound" often being overpopulated by new grads who think this will be the happy medium between the dreaded "night shift" and their inability to snag the sweet shift of 7-3 from senior nurses.

I have an appointment now, so I guess that is about all I can say for this subject. I know this one has been conversed about many times on this forum, but the presentation of a debate is refreshing :)

Tait