heatherp5

Hi Everyone I'm going to be starting a new day/night rotation schedule and I'm just looking for some advice on how I should schedule myself to promote the best work/life/REST balance. I will be rotating in blocks of 4 weeks days then 4 weeks nights. I also have to work 4 weekend shifts per block (or every other weekend) The days block will alternate weekly between 3-12s and 3-12s and 1-8hr Ex: Week 1: AAA Week 2: AAAD Week 3: AAA Week 4: AAAD The next month will be a 4 week block of five 8 hour nights. Ex: Week 5: NNNNN Week 6: NNNNN Week 7: NNNNN Week 8: NNNNN I guess what I'm trying to figure out is how do people group their shifts together especially night shifts, how many shifts are too much to work in a row, when you have nights off how many in a row do you like best in order to flip back to "real" life? Etc. I know this is a pretty vague inquiry and everyone's body seems to adjust differently but I'm just hoping to solicit any advice from nurses who have had similar experiences. Thanks in advance for your time! Heather