Is it time to get rid of 12 hour shifts?

[country mom]

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

[rngolfer53]

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.

So, does this mean you don't wake up or shower on your days off? :chuckle

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

So, does this mean you don't wake up or shower on your days off? :chuckle

Of course I do.

However, I don't want to do these things after being rudely awakened by a blaring alarm clock with the knowledge that I must go to work very soon. Sorry, but I don't have it in me to work five 8-hour shifts per week. Too much time and energy goes into preparing to go to the workplace, so I'd rather accomplish the feat less days per week.

I love 12 and 16 hour shifts.

[queenjean]

If they get rid of 12 hour shifts, I'll get out of nursing, or get a job that lets me work 2 doubles ie 2 18 hour shifts. There is no way I could work 5 days a week. Just like 12 hour days often extend themselves by an 1 hour or more, so do 8 hour days. So I'd be exchanging three days of working 13-14 hours a day for 5 days of working 9-10 hours a day? How is that better? Instead of 39-42 hours a week, I'd be pulling 45-50 hours a week. I can't see how that is any sort of improvement.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

I see nothing wrong with skipping a shower on my day off. Does that make me a bad person? Some people just don't perspire much...

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

Heck, I don't always wake up on my days off, either. :chuckle

[MB37]

The reason mgmt encourages 3x12s as the norm: it's only 36h/wk, so when we come in 15 minutes early and stay an hour late, they still don't have to pay OT. However, I love 12s as I stated earlier, and I'd be willing to consider 16s if they were an option in my unit. I know it was imaginary, but I would HATE having a 2.5 hour break. I never learned how to nap, and I'm not going to leave work, grocery shop (in my scrubs), go home, put my food away, get back in the car, and drive back to work. Having to kill 150 minutes every day, without really having the time to myself, sounds like my personal version of hell.

[ShayRN]

I see nothing wrong with skipping a shower on my day off. Does that make me a bad person? Some people just don't perspire much...

I am in the same crowd. Heck, if I am just going to be cleaning all day anyway, lol.

[rnmi2004]

I work in a hospital that has 8's and 12's. I prefer the 12's for all the advantages that so many others have already listed in this and other threads.

That being said, I can't imagine calling for an end to 8 hour shifts just because I would never work it. It makes no difference to me if someone else prefers 8 hour shifts. I don't see how it would matter to another employee if I prefer 12.

[woknblues]

I find it fascinating that nearly everyone in nursing cannot fathom doing anything but 12 hour shifts, working more than 3 days a week, can't tolerate commutes to and from work, and hate showering and getting ready for work, would quit under any other circumstances, etc. Is this the secret to the happiness of nurses? 12 hour shifts? I hope this comes off more surprised than sarcastic. I am just surprised, really. I sure didn't get the warm and fuzzy feeling about my 12 hour shifts in other industries. Wait and see, I guess.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I sure didn't get the warm and fuzzy feeling about my 12 hour shifts in other industries. Wait and see, I guess.

I was a factory worker for 3 years at a paper products company prior to becoming a nurse. My coworkers at the factory and I worked 12 hour rotating shifts and loved them. The managerial team at this factory intentionally switched to scheduling with 12 hour shifts many years ago, because they were suffering from grossly high employee turnover rates and attrition related to workers who hated the 8-hour southern swing shifts.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

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.

I am one of those minority people. If I had been told that after obtaining my LPN license that I would have had to go to the floors, I would have immediately said 3-11 shift, because at that time, those hours were only given to RNs. Since then, they have also granted 12s to LPNs. IN that case, I would have chosen 7p to 7a.

Actually, my hospital is thinking about going back to the 5 day work week, because the nurses on the floors are calling in more often and this is making it harder to get coverage. A supervisor can possible mandate someone to stay an additional 4, but it is harder to get someone to come in the middle of a tour. The call in rate got so bad that we are considered to be the worst in our network. I work in the clinic, so, we never get the 12s. I hope they don't get rid of it, though, because many times, it seems advantageous to create a schedule around children, school, and many other things without getting the job too involved.

[SharonH, RN]

I find it fascinating that nearly everyone in nursing cannot fathom doing anything but 12 hour shifts, working more than 3 days a week, can't tolerate commutes to and from work, and hate showering and getting ready for work, would quit under any other circumstances, etc. Is this the secret to the happiness of nurses? 12 hour shifts? I hope this comes off more surprised than sarcastic. I am just surprised, really. I sure didn't get the warm and fuzzy feeling about my 12 hour shifts in other industries. Wait and see, I guess.

I never could stomach working 5 days a week as a floor nurse. In fact, I couldn't stand working full-time. I only worked one year full time as a floor nurse and then worked per diem only in that role so I completely understand the aversion to a 5 day work schedule in the hospital.

Having said that, near the end of my career as a bedside nurse I found the 12-hour shifts very difficult. I would work 2 12s on the weekend and then I needed a full day to recover! That really took the shine off of working 12 s for me. I now work 5 days/week and yes, the commute is a PIA but I prefer working the M-F schedule and I still have energy to do what I want at the end of the day. I guess it's a matter of getting used to it. On the rare occasion that I am off during the week, it is terribly boring.

Oh and I never skip a shower no matter how tired I am. I can't even sleep unless I shower first.