what do you all think about 12 hour shifts?

Nurses General Nursing

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I personally miss the days of normal 8 hour days. I find myself craving a normal 5 day work week. I have been considering leaving acute care for this reason. So what do you all think? Has 12 hour shifts increased the stress of nursing and contributed to nurse burnout?

Specializes in I have an interest in Travel and OB/L&D.
Nope, I loathe and despise 12 hour shifts, even working only 3 days a week.

So what do you do on the 4 days that you're off work? Don't you see those 4 days off as a blessing???

Specializes in home & public health, med-surg, hospice.

Aspiring, I think the argument is that it's all about incentive, motivation, convenience, etc. for the individual.

For some people 4 days off a week is a great thing; they have more time with their families, etc. However, for others (particularly single parents w/o support) the 3 days that they are working is such a drain on their family lives, etc. that it's just not worth it.

I guess what I'm saying is, 12's are great for some and 8's are great for others. Hell, 6 & 16's work for some people. In a field that is supposedly so short of workers, does the work shift have to be across the board for everybody; or could we not try to accomadate those who are willing to work and contribute with a greater diversity of options?

I, myself, am seriously wondering what I'm going to do about finding after school care for an 11 year old 'til 7:30-8:00 at night. Days off or not, it just doesn't work for some.

So what do you do on the 4 days that you're off work? Don't you see those 4 days off as a blessing???

Nope. I live my real life when I'm not at work. When I worked 3 12's, I would spend the first day recovering from the exhaustion of working 3 12's (they were so draining, I would feel sick most of my first day off), so that left only 3 REAL days off to squeeze in all the things I wanted/needed to do. Before changing to per diem (what I do now) I worked 4 8's (still 3 days off, and only 4 hours shorter on the pay period). BUT, then I didn't need to wait for my days off to do all the things I wanted/needed to do. I could easily fit in other activities after my shift was over (I worked 7a-3p). When working 12's, I did little more than work and sleep on days I worked. Working 8's, I could do fun things in the evenings AND have 3 days/week off to enjoy. Working per diem, I still work only 8 hour shifts. I have felt much happier and healthier since I stopped working 12s. THAT is what I see as a blessing.

Specializes in SICU, PACU, Public health.

4 days off and 3 on seems like a dream at first...until you live it. For me, on the night shift, I drove 30 minutes to work, my shift was 12.5 hours (no paid lunch) and then IF ( i stress the word IF) I got off on time in the morning, I would drive another 30 minutes home. In total I was working 14 hour days on average. If i was lucky, i fell asleep within minutes of getting home (stressing the word IF again) which was somewhere around 8 am. I had to be up by 2:30 pm to pick up my kids from school. IF i had uninterrupted sleep (there is that word IF again) i had about 6.5 hours total of rest. Usually i did not get 6.5 hours, that is just the max. I would spend the remaining 3 hours of free time getting ready for work and helping with homework, snacks, spot cleaning, etc. Then I would leave at 6pm so i could be to work on time because we all know that good nurses arrive 10 minutes BEFORE there shift right? LOL My first day off I was ruined....no shower, no cleaning, nothing!!! i was exhausted. Then because I slept all day my first day off, I would be awake half of the night watching tv, praying for sleep to find me, and then in the morning I would be tired all day again. It was a cycle that was hard to break, and as soon as you got on the same sleeping schedule as everyone else, it was time to go back to the other. Then you have to add in the weeks that for whatever reason, your 3 days were split like mon-tue-thur or mon-wed-thur. Oh and also mandatory unit meetings that would be scheduled at 5:30 pm. I could go on and on.....but you get the idea.

Specializes in Open Heart/ Trauma/ Sx Stepdown/ Tele.

Love the 12 hrs.........call me crazy.........

This is very interesting.12 hour shifts were introduced in our hospital 2 years ago.Initially nurses complained that they were not comfortable with them,but all the same the shifts were implemented.The monthly patient satisfaction survey done by our client relations dept was full of complaints and this was largely attributed to the 12 hour shift.Patients complained of nurses who cant smile after 4 PM.Continuing nursing education attendance was also affected with fewer nurses turning up for classes.During my graduate studies i carried out a survey on what the nurses felt about 12 hour shifts.To sum it up all they said,"It is good for the nurse because of the many days off,but bad for the patient because their care is compromised".

Quote: I have learnt that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

Specializes in I have an interest in Travel and OB/L&D.
Nope. I live my real life when I'm not at work. When I worked 3 12's, I would spend the first day recovering from the exhaustion of working 3 12's (they were so draining, I would feel sick most of my first day off), so that left only 3 REAL days off to squeeze in all the things I wanted/needed to do. Before changing to per diem (what I do now) I worked 4 8's (still 3 days off, and only 4 hours shorter on the pay period). BUT, then I didn't need to wait for my days off to do all the things I wanted/needed to do. I could easily fit in other activities after my shift was over (I worked 7a-3p). When working 12's, I did little more than work and sleep on days I worked. Working 8's, I could do fun things in the evenings AND have 3 days/week off to enjoy. Working per diem, I still work only 8 hour shifts. I have felt much happier and healthier since I stopped working 12s. THAT is what I see as a blessing.

Thanks for answering my question. Does "per diem" mean that you get no vacation and no benefits? And are you ever on-call?

Specializes in I have an interest in Travel and OB/L&D.
Aspiring, I think the argument is that it's all about incentive, motivation, convenience, etc. for the individual.

For some people 4 days off a week is a great thing; they have more time with their families, etc. However, for others (particularly single parents w/o support) the 3 days that they are working is such a drain on their family lives, etc. that it's just not worth it.

I guess what I'm saying is, 12's are great for some and 8's are great for others. Hell, 6 & 16's work for some people. In a field that is supposedly so short of workers, does the work shift have to be across the board for everybody; or could we not try to accomadate those who are willing to work and contribute with a greater diversity of options?

I, myself, am seriously wondering what I'm going to do about finding after school care for an 11 year old 'til 7:30-8:00 at night. Days off or not, it just doesn't work for some.

Yeah, everything you have said is true. See, I'm looking from the perspective of someone who is single with no kids (which is me, heehee!). I'm only 23 years old, and I guess working 3 days for 12 hours would be perfect for someone who is young, single, with no kids like me.
Thanks for answering my question. Does "per diem" mean that you get no vacation and no benefits? And are you ever on-call?

I do not get paid vacation (I just don't schedule myself when I want time off) or benefits, but it works out because I get a higher rate of pay in return. I do take call, but I am not required to do so. I like taking call because I get time and a half when called in, regardless of how many hours I have worked during the pay period.

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.
Yeah, everything you have said is true. See, I'm looking from the perspective of someone who is single with no kids (which is me, heehee!). I'm only 23 years old, and I guess working 3 days for 12 hours would be perfect for someone who is young, single, with no kids like me.

Lets see how you feel when you are a RN

Specializes in Telemetry, Nursery, Post-Partum.
Lets see how you feel when you are a RN

I'm an RN with no kids, and I love my 12 hour shifts. My husband has gotten used to them as well, we have no kids, no plans for kids, and its a great schedule for us. I am tired that first day off...but its nice to have an extra day or two a week, after I've recovered from working, to do whatever I want.

Specializes in I have an interest in Travel and OB/L&D.
Lets see how you feel when you are a RN

Okkaaayyyy...what is that suppose to mean??? :o

There's one thing that I've noticed about this board as a newbie...a lot of people are very discouraging about the field of nursing.

For me, working 3 days a week as opposed to 5 days a week will most definitely give me a better quality of life. And I know that for a fact. I would not mind working 12 hours for just 3 days a week. I am someone who likes to work, be busy, and active. I absolutely hate sitting at work for 8 hours for 5 days a week with nothing to do.... that is a big drain to me. I have to stay busy. You have to realize that everyone is different. Some people like to work long and hard, and some don't.

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