what do you all think about 12 hour shifts?

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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 NICU.

I'm all for the 12 hr shift. I wouldn't be able to work full time hours if it was an 8 hr day/ 5 day a wk deal-too much time away from the family.

I am wiped after a 3 day stretch, but as a previous poster said, the 5 day off bonus is a beautiful thing. I am on day off 4 of 5 and feel like its been a vacation- I'm fresh and ready for this week to begin.

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With me it depends on how healthy I am at the time. I've worked extended hours before and it took it's toll. Since I'm a night shift person to begin with, I wouldn't consider 12 hr shifts unless they involved the night hours where there is not so much running around. My old age is starting to show.

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One of the reasons hospitals went to 12 hour shifts was because it was so hard to fill evening positions, 3-11, forget about seeing your family. I have been a nurse since the mid 70s and the evening shift was the shift for the 'young', but once you have a family everybody wanted to work days, or nights for the differential.

The advantage I see for 12 hour shifts, beside the fact of more days off, was that the priority of care changed, I didn't have to rush to get everything done during the day shift had a liitle more time if things didn't get done by 1500 I could do them by 1600 or so. The other advantage is that if your wanted to pick up an extra shift, you still had two days off during that week.

The draw back is of course you are more tired, and your family doesn't see you until the mid, or late evening, and you tend to wind down quickly on your working days with less 'quality' time than you may like.

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Specializes in ICU, ER.

I do three 11a-11p per week in an ER, and love it. I usually pick up a 4th shift each week, for OT.

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Specializes in ER, Psych.

I hate 12 hours shifts. I can't wait until the day when i can have 5 eight hour shifts a week. I do 12 hour nights now and so I work my 12 hr overnight shift then come home and sleep the day away while the rest of the world is awake. If i work a string of 12's togeather i am so exhuasted the 2-3 days inbetween I sleep all of the time and i have a terrible time getting back on a normal day/night schedule. So even when i am off i am usually only awake when every one else is asleep. I feel very lonley and isolated and I can feel myself getting very depressed.

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Specializes in Cardiac, ER, ICU.

I had a hard time adjusting to 12's at first, I was 6 months pregnant when I started my current job, but now I can't imagine anything else. It's nice to have the extra days off during the week, it saves on gas money, stuff like that. Every once in a while I may do some QI work from home one night or something, so I will get an 8 hr shift in place of one of my 12s and it does feel heavenly once in a while to get out at a decent time!

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Love 12s...Where I work, there is still the same amount of pt care that needs to be squeezed in to 8 hours vs 12 but, at 3p I still have 4 more hours to complete things...charting, dressings, etc. Sometimes at 3p I can kind of sit for a bit and regroup after a crazy morning vs trying to get everything done and charted by 3p and more days at the hospital. Between 3p and 7p there are sometimes 16:00 meds and then 18:00 meds...definately no where near as heavy as a 9am med pass. So, I'm getting 4 more hours of pay, more time to finish up day stuff and 4 days off per week.

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Specializes in CCU,ICU,ER retired.

I loved them. And for every reason I have seen stated on here. More days off more time to get stuff done. I did 1900 t0 0700 3 days a week. My family loved them too. And every other weekend I had a 4 day weekend. Which was great for the summer lake time.

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Specializes in L&D.

I wouldn't trade my 3 12 hour days for 5 8 hour days. 12 hours goes so fast on a busy floor. Nope! I love it!

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Specializes in Peds Cardiology,Peds Neuro,Pedi ER,PICU, IV Jedi.
I like having plenty of days off per week, so I have a definite preference for either the 12-hour or 16-hour shifts. I have been working 16-hour weekend double shifts at my facility for the past year and a half, and I love having 5 days off in a row. Contrary to popular belief, I am not all burnt out on Monday morning after having worked two 16 hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday.

I worked 12 hour shifts at a factory for 3 years, and I loved having 3 to 4 days off in a row per week. In my honest opinion, the 8 hour shifts drag out, and I despise having to come into work 5 days per week.

Exactly!!!!

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Specializes in Peds, PICU, Home health, Dialysis.

I don't work as a nurse yet, but I cringe when other nurses in my area talk about work 5 12-hour shifts a week. Eek! I am sure the money is amazing working 20 hours of overtime a week, but 60 hours a week??

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Specializes in geriatrics, medsurg, group homes.

I work 8 hour shifts now and would love to go back to my 12 hour shifts. I liked having my 4 days off. I will graduate in Oct from LPN to RNBSN and hope I can find 12 hour shifts in either psych or oncology where I live. I vote for the 12 hour shift.

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