Nurse Managers - moving from 8 hour to 10 hour shifts

[deweydecimal13501]

Hello,

I am doing research for a nurse manager at my hospital. Her question is below. I have done the usual library research but would like to hear from the "field" as well.

Question:

Has any Nurse Manager moved from 8 hour shifts to 10 hour shifts (or longer if I get no responses at the 10 hours she requested. I found 12 hours in the literature. ). Was it successful? How did you do it? Any advice if you had to do it again? How did you prepare?

Thank-you in advance,

Deweydecimal13501 ??️

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

As far as department nurse managers are concerned, I only know of those who are scheduled for 8 hour shifts, but work 10-12 hour days. However, I know of one place that has a 10 hour shift assistant nurse Manager/frontline manager, but it was set up to cover a swing shift starting at 11 AM. It also was to accommodate one RN who wanted to work 40 hours a week, but not 5 days a week. With that said, when that ANM retires or leaves, her manager will abolish her 10 hour position and replace it with an 8 hour shift.

I hate 8s and I would not even consider 10s. 12s are great for those of us who actually work the frontlines as ANMs. I am referring to positions that are 24 and 36 hours per week. I do not mean positions with rotating weeks that throw in an 8 hour shift to cover 40 hours per week/80 hours a pay period. In fact, in my experience no combination of 8s is any good; 3 days, 4 days, and 5 days a week are all bad because they do not provide worklife balance. Good luck!

[K+MgSO4, BSN]

Are you trying to find evidence that a unit manager could work 4x10 hr shifts?

I doubt that you will get far with that. Managers need to be present M-F to ensure operational efficiency and to be able to participate in the committees and other meetings that come as part of the job. If NM on ward 1 didn't work Mondays, NM on ward 4 didn't work Wednesdays etc how the heck would organisational work get done? I doubt that your hospital executive would endorse it.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I just have to laugh at the idea that a nurse manager would work 40 hours/week. Yes, I do 10s and 12s, but I do them 5 days a week (once in a while I come in on a 6th day, but try my darnedest to not stay a full day).

[K+MgSO4, BSN]

On 1/26/2020 at 12:45 PM, klone said:

I just have to laugh at the idea that a nurse manager would work 40 hours/week. Yes, I do 10s and 12s, but I do them 5 days a week (once in a while I come in on a 6th day, but try my darnedest to not stay a full day).

It is true. I do 10s most of the week, but have remote access to a number of discrete systems from home. I review job applicants, rosters, emails from home and action a number of items from home.

[JRT1, MSN, RN]

I actually worked at a facility that allowed the Nurse manager to work 4 "shifts" It was actually very successful. The way we did it is one day a week you were able to work from home and have your assistant manager cover on the day you were out to help handle and day to day "stuff" on the unit. Now there were some expectations...

1. You couldn't have bad quality metrics.

2. If you were needed the day you were slated to work from home you were expected to be available.

3. Your assistant Nurse Manager had to be in house when you weren't.

This was great honestly and I miss it. That day out of the office I would clean up my emails and work on projects that I could never seem to get to while being in the office. I was more productive and successful. Our VP was very supportive of this. Where I am working now I am still trying to sell it.

A lot of nurse managers are "martyrs" in my experience but you don't have to live like that. Your quality of work is not measured by the number of hours you put in.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

On 2/10/2020 at 12:34 PM, JRT1 said:

This was great honestly and I miss it. That day out of the office I would clean up my emails and work on projects that I could never seem to get to while being in the office. I was more productive and successful. Our VP was very supportive of this. Where I am working now I am still trying to sell it.

Good job, JRT1! Thank you for posting this perspective. Why not conduct a study or a small test of change to sell this idea to your new team? I like your idea, because it not only provides some flexibility in your schedule and provides opportunities for innovation, it also allows assistant nurse managers to gain some growth because they are covering on a normal week day when the department nurse managers are out. Good luck!

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

I love my tens. Having a third day off every week is a big plus.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

Well, since I last posted on this topic I ended up transferring to a facility that offers 12s to frontline nurse mangers (ANMs) and House Supervisors. Department Managers and up are still 8s (well, we know that they work more than that)! ?