Need help with 12hour shifts.....

[maddiecat]

Started a new job working 3 12's a week....I've been told that I will do 3 12's in a row every other week. What do you think about that? I am so exhausted after 2 days in a row that I don't think I can do it....just need some opinions on this....thanks!

[lola4525]

I've worked 12 hr shifts FSS for the last 5yrs. All though I am not a nurse yet I love the hours. It's one of the reasons I chose nursing, because I would be able to continue to work the hours. I love four days off. One thing that I do is, as it gets closer to work time I start to stay up later and get up a little later the next day. That may help you if it's possible. :)

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Since you accepted the position, you might as well try it. You might like the payoff which is more days off in a row. Every other weekend I do three in a row and it kills me. The payoff is four days off in a row every other weekend so I hang with it.

Good luck. As was said everyone is different.

[Fly4Life12]

12 hour shifts were my favorites (i do 8's now that i dropped down to PT). It looked like this-

week 1: mon, wed, thurs

week 2: mon, wed, thurs

week 3: mon, fri, sat, sun

week 4: mon, wed, thurs

it was great i only had to do one weekend a month, but that weekend that i did work i had one day off in between 6 12 hr shifts (wk 3-4). Thats what killed me.

[angel337, MSN, RN]

depending on where you work, 12's are a blessing, because i personally cannot see working more than that on a busy telemetry or med/surg floor or ED. i work no more than 2 12's in a row then 1 off and the rest is history. i used to work 3 12's, thurs-saturday on nights and i felt like a truck ran over me by sunday. everyone is different, give it a try and if it doesn't agree with you, don't hesitate to speak up and tell your manager. believe me, they will understand. good luck :)

[ReinventingMyselfAgain, MSN, RN]

In my opinion, nights are tough-unless it is 3 in a row, otherwise you don't get in to a pattern. Pros- you (hopefully) get the same assignment, you will get some good sleep in between (because you will be so tired after working all night). Cons- you see nobody but your co-workers for 4 days (you need at least 24hrs to recover). If you have kids, this is tough. If you live with other people (ie, your parents), they need to respect your sleep during the day.

If you're doing days, its tough on your feet (depending on the floor you're on), and it's draining. I prefer not to work even two in a row on days, I like the day to rest and catch up with my family. I work w/ some who do even 4 in a row, to have a longer stretch of days off.

In my area, there are very few 8 hr opportunities. I don't mind 8 hrs, but then again I don't work full time. One of my per-diem places does 8 hr shifts. it's a breeze after working 12. Do you HAVE to do 3 in a row? What if you said you couldn't? BTW in my experience, it's very difficult to get a set schedule, as many posters here claim to have. This is why I work per-diem (so I can work when I can work). Good for you guys