which shift do you prefer and why?

[nrsman1]

I was thinking. The hospitial where I'm at has floors that are mostly 12 hour shifts. except for a few. the others are 8 hours. My concern is that nurses who work 12 hour shifts are more tired and make more mistakes, thus putting the patient's safety at risk. Also, with nurses working three 12 hour shifts instead of five 8 hour shifts continuity of care is broken. with continuity of care in shambles there is a new nurse every three or so days with a patient that they are unfamiliar with. By the time they understand that patient it is time for their day off. I am just concerned with how this effects patient safety. what do you all think?

[Super_RN, BSN, RN]

I personally loved the 12 hour shifts (not now that I have a baby at home though!!).

A patient will have 3 nurses per day w/ 8 hour shifts.

They will only have 2 nurses per day w/ 12 hour shifts.

I think it pretty much evens out for continuity of care. JMHO.

I also want to add there is less shift change / report to other nurses w/ 12 hour shifts and IMO less chance for miscommunication.

[nrsman1]

I personally loved the 12 hour shifts (not now that I have a baby at home though!!).

A patient will have 3 nurses per day w/ 8 hour shifts.

They will only have 2 nurses per day w/ 12 hour shifts.

I think it pretty much evens out for continuity of care. JMHO.

I also want to add there is less shift change / report to other nurses w/ 12 hour shifts and IMO less chance for miscommunication.

good point I never thought of it taht way

[Guitar_Heroine]

I love 12's and wish my current floor had them. When I worked them I'd usually work opposite the same nurse, so the continuity was great and we just reported back and forth to each other for our stretch. There's more accountability and a better working relationship between the shifts, whereas with 8's there seemed to be more blame thrown around. Also less room for things to get missed. And it feels more like a team effort and the shifts seemed more inclined to help out each other rather than what I hear now - "leave it for days."

And when you have to work full time, especially nights, having to work only 3 days a week is fantastic! :)

[racing-mom4, BSN, RN]

I prefer to work 12 hours and at night. It allows for more mommy time at home for me. Pt side I agree it is nice for the pt to know Suzy is your nurse today and Molly is going to be your nurse tonight. By working the 12s back to back, the continuation of care is a plus.

On the rare chance I split a shift with someone and work either a 6 or an 8. I feel like I am always rushed and getting behind. 12 hours allows more of a cushion for me to find time to chart.

[tatarn2b2007]

I love 12 hour night shift. I am a night person in general and it works well for me and my job since most people don't like night shift. As far as continuity of care goes, I worked 5 eights in my last job and I would say I only got my same pts back 20% of the time. There was not much continuity of care. Good luck to you.

[sundowners2]

Also, in my experience, giving/getting report on just 2 ICU pt.'s can be a lengthy process (lasting 30-45 min. sometimes!). More shift changes= more time in report and less time at the bedside.

[hpcat]

I love 12 hour night shift. I am a night person in general and it works well for me and my job since most people don't like night shift. As far as continuity of care goes, I worked 5 eights in my last job and I would say I only got my same pts back 20% of the time. There was not much continuity of care. Good luck to you.

My SIL is a long time maternity nurse - she swears by the 12 hr night shifts! She typically works 3 days a week, if she wants some OT pay she can usually pick up shifts ranging from 4 to 12 hrs. She feels she gets more 1 on 1 time with patients and likes that there's fewer doctors and activity.

[Otessa, BSN, RN]

Always love evenings 3p-11 or 3p-3a. Could still sleep when it was dark and get some normal daytime chores done with sunlight .

Didn't work well for me with kids though.

I now work M-F with a variable 8 hour day depending on classes I teach.

[DEB52]

I prefer days. I have worked nights (8 and 12 shifts), I have worked rotating shifts(4 weeks days/2 weeks nights), I have worked 3-11 shift,11-7 shift and 7-3 shift. This body of mine says we can't do nights anymore and we have earned the right to do days. So my body and I are voting for days!