RNs if you could...

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could you please tell me what the life of a rn is really like in a 12 hour shift? i am really excited about l&d and er. however, i would love to hear from all of you. :)

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
could you please tell me what the life of a rn is really like in a 12 hour shift? i am really excited about l&d and er. however, i would love to hear from all of you. :)

12 hours is a long shift, but it's a short week!

don't expect to be able to do much of anything except work on your working days -- but you should get plenty of days off to spend with your family. hubby and i worked 3 12s a week for most of our relationship, and it's worked out great.

many new parents we know worked nights so that they could be home with their child in the daytime while the other parent is working. it's certainly a flexible enough lifestyle!

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They're great. I work 3 12-hour shifts per week, which gives you full-time benefits in most hospitals. I have 4 days off each week to do as I please. Since I work the three 12's in a row, I do nothing but sleep between each shift - but the days off are wonderful! The 12 hours gives me enough time to chart and do all that needs to be done for my patients, and then in my personal life I have enough time to relax & spend time with my family.

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12 hour shifts in the ED go incredibly fast!! I worked 10 hours "officially" but inevitably something "bad " would come through the door right beofre it was time to go home (I worked 5pm to 3:30 am)..I can honestly say I was never tired when I was there and ran my a** off the whole time..I worked at the busiest ED in our city. I did however wake up the next AM feeling like a train ran over me most of the time. It was fun and exciting and I learned more in a month in the busy ED than I did in 6 months on the floor. On the floor I would perhaps start a couple of IVs a night in the ED it was more like 25 to 35 a night. We usually each had between 4-7 pts which of course were constantly changing and rotating...overall I liked the longer shifts since I had more days off of course I needed an extra day just to recover after my nights on..Erin

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Specializes in NICU.

Agree with everyone else - 12 hour shifts are great! It's best to schedule them all in a row if you're working nights, though, so you can get into the groove of sleeping during the day. Like Ruby Vee said, don't expect to do anything but work and sleep on days you work your 12's. You'll be exhausted if you try to fit anything other than a quick errand or dinner into those days. The 4 days off per week totally make up for that sacrifice. Being full-time but only working 156 days a year, as opposed to the 260 that "normal" people work...you can't beat that!

My own deal...

Wake up at 5, leave at 6, start at 7, work until 7:30, get home at 8:30, in bed by 10, wake up at 5...

So you see how there's not a whole lot of time for anything else.

Or did you mean what working the actual shift is like, as in the routine? That varies unit to unit...

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It sounds great to me.

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

in the ed i work 2 12's in a row, one day off and then my last 12. i really don't like 3 12's in a row because its hard on the body, but as you can see with the other posters, it depends on you. it goes by very fast. right now i work 11a-11p. not quite day shift and not nights. i love it.

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Specializes in NICU.
in the ed i work 2 12's in a row, one day off and then my last 12. i really don't like 3 12's in a row because its hard on the body, but as you can see with the other posters, it depends on you. it goes by very fast. right now i work 11a-11p. not quite day shift and not nights. i love it.

Oooooh, I love that shift! VERY busy from start to finish, but it flies by so fast. You get to sleep at night but also get to sleep late in the morning. They're trying to do away with it by me, or else I'd still be working it!

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Personally, I have mixed feelings about 12 hour shifts. It's great to have more days off, but I'm so insanely tired the day after working that I don't feel like doing much, especially after working nights or extra busy shifts. :o The continuity of patient care is improved, but after 8-10 hours of working, I'm not as sharp mentally as I would prefer to be. I seriously think at times patient care is comprimised by the longer working hours, but that's just me. I have less time with my kids on the days that I work, but then there's those days off again. You just have to weigh the pros and cons and decide if it's right for you.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Personally, I have mixed feelings about 12 hour shifts. It's great to have more days off, but I'm so insanely tired the day after working that I don't feel like doing much, especially after working nights or extra busy shifts. :o The continuity of patient care is improved, but after 8-10 hours of working, I'm not as sharp mentally as I would prefer to be. I seriously think at times patient care is comprimised by the longer working hours, but that's just me. I have less time with my kids on the days that I work, but then there's those days off again. You just have to weigh the pros and cons and decide if it's right for you.

I do too. I don't have kids, but I also don't do anything on days that I work and try not to feel guilty about it. I just concentrate on getting enough sleep, I'm very picky about making sure I make not plans or spouse makes no plans for me (he's bad about scheduling a plumper or some other worker to come in on my days to sleep. :)) Every shift or schedule has it's disadvantages. To me having the four days off is what does it for me. Plus it makes it easier to earn extra money and still have three days off that week. But I know what you mean. Sometimes at around 5AM my mind is not very sharp at all and I may not be able to give 100%

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I'm very picky about making sure I make not plans or spouse makes no plans for me (he's bad about scheduling a plumper or some other worker to come in on my days to sleep. :))

does the plumper do pillows? that wouldn't be too bad!:chuckle

sorry couldn't resist!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
does the plumper do pillows? that wouldn't be too bad!:chuckle

sorry couldn't resist!

hehehe.........if the plumber did aromatherpy massages then perhaps I wouldn't be so grumpy about it. :chuckle

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