Parents of young children do you prefer 12 hour shifts or 8s?

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I currently work 12 hour night shifts with an 8 hour shift every other week to bring the pay period to 80 hours. Nights is getting hard because my husband leaves for work at 5am and I don't get home until 8am. Early morning childcare has been a problem for us lately. My schedule always seems to work out to be 2 on , 2 off and the flipping back and forth between nights at work and days to accomodate my son's schedule is getting hard.

An afternoon job from 1pm-9:30pm was recently posted for internal transfer. I am 8 weeks pregnant, so I spoke to the Nurse Manager and told her I am interested but pregnant and she told me it was not a problem and I should apply. What are your thoughts as parents? Do you think 8 hour afternoons 5 days a week would be easier with 2 small children or harder? I know that most the work force works 5 day weeks, but the 3-4 days off a week I have now is also a great thing as a mom (even though I am tired all the time). I just don't want to do something out of my desperation to get off night shift and then be stuck with another schedule that is hard on my family. Thanks for any advice!

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Specializes in NICU.

It's all about survival.

In order to get off nights (I didn't have any childcare, so only slept when "the baby" slept), I took a full time 3-11pm position. It was easy to find a college girl to babysit from 230 til my hubby got home around 1700. But working "every" day was hard, as was "never" seeing my husband. Several months later I was fortunate to get a 12-hr day shift job, which I liked better!

I think the childcare problem you're having would push me to take the evening job.

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Specializes in PICU, ICU, Hospice, Mgmt, DON.

Well, I don't know about the pregnant part....but I was a single mother. When my daughter was little (she is now in Vet school, so it's not an issue, heehee)...I purposely worked every fri, sat, sun night from 7p-7a...she stayed with her father on weekends so I had child care covered...I would get off work on mon morning...and not have to work until fri night...I was able to be with her all of the time...I went to every school function, was room mother, PTA president, took her to dance and voice and riding lessons and I never felt like I was working!!!! I LOVED this schedule...and I loved nights....

I now work 5days a week in daytime and I HATE it....no kids at home but still hate it......so, I am just letting you know what worked for me....since you have a husband, could you work this out with him.....he has the kid duty on weekends while you sleep and you have them during the week....it's not forever, believe me...they grow up very, very fast...;)

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Diva Rn. that was great to hear. I have always wanted to be a RN but I have a 5 year old and 3 year old. Im almost done with my pre reqs for the RN program so I would be able to apply March 2013 but Ive been thinking alot about maybe doing teaching instead because of the better hours. I know I want to work with kids and my heart has always been in nursing. I just dont want to miss out on all the things my kids do! Im so afraid to work 12 hour shifts and Ive heard alot of times, the nurses actually end up working 12+ hours! Your schedule seems very great to have! I get discouraged about the 12 hour shifts but I know deep down in my heart I dont want to do anything else! So thanks for the reply to the other ladys question.

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Specializes in trauma ICU,TNCC, NRP, PALS, ACLS.

I was working 12hr nights now I work 10hr for days a week off weekends and hoildays. I have a 2 year old and 8month pregnant. I liked working 12's better. I feel like I had more time to spend with daughter

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I like 12's. It can be a pain on the days that I work, but I have so much more time with my son (4 days off). It is much easier for me to work nights (not a set schedule) though because my husband is home most of the time (in school) and he picks up all of my slack. If I didn't have him I would probably just work weekends. It's still way better than the 9-5 in IMO.

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Specializes in PICU, ICU, Hospice, Mgmt, DON.
Diva Rn. that was great to hear. I have always wanted to be a RN but I have a 5 year old and 3 year old. Im almost done with my pre reqs for the RN program so I would be able to apply March 2013 but Ive been thinking alot about maybe doing teaching instead because of the better hours. I know I want to work with kids and my heart has always been in nursing. I just dont want to miss out on all the things my kids do! Im so afraid to work 12 hour shifts and Ive heard alot of times, the nurses actually end up working 12+ hours! Your schedule seems very great to have! I get discouraged about the 12 hour shifts but I know deep down in my heart I dont want to do anything else! So thanks for the reply to the other ladys question.

I worked PICU for years...so I worked with kids and helped hundreds of them heal and go home...and I didn't miss out on any of the things that my daughters did (the other was in college, so that wasn't an issue, I just wanted to acknowlege her :))...except for on weekend nights while I was actually working...if there something special she was going to be doing, I would schedule it off and be there, but as I said, I took her to voice, dance and horseback riding lessons and anything else she needed or wanted to do... and I was PTA president and room mother from third grade until sixth and then it wasn't cool anymore:D...and I never missed out on anything because of my job...it gave me the most freedom ever!!

Now that I work five days a week during the day...during the week I NEVER have any time to do ANYTHING.....:mad:

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It really boils down to what works for your family. Part of the equation is coordinating your work with when your husband works, and how to manage daycare/ childcare. I prefer 8 hrs shift. We have 2 young children at home. I work swing shift, so I am home all day until the afternoon. So, even on days I work...I can be home and take my oldest to preschool, run errands, etc. If my husband is working (dayshift) the same day, we only have 2-3 hrs of "childcare" needed, so it is easier to arrange a sitter. Less childcare= more time for us to be with the kids, and less expensive, too. I never wanted 12 hr shifts because I feel that on the days I would work 12 hours, I would not see the kids at all. Besides that, it's exhausting. :-( So, with 8 hrs shifts, I can be with the children for a good part of the day. But you will have to decide what works best for your family and needs. It is great to have so many options. Good luck!

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Thanks everyone, good points all around, but ugh I still don't know what to do. There are a lot of moms working on my unit who only work weekends, so I am not able to get the Friday-Sunday Schedule. I have no seniortiy and in NICU most these RNs have a lot of time here, so I get scheduled to fill in blanks on the schedule. Like it or not I am 2 on, 2 off. The 8 hour shift every other week we have here really makes a difference in flexibility. I love my job here, but 2 on 2 off is killing me.

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