Three 12's or 4 10's?

[hakunamatata, BSN, RN]

I have two job offers on the table, and having a dilemma. One is a *great* job and is 4 10 hour shifts, M-F, no weekends or holidays (so, one random weekday off each week). The other is still ok, not as great sounding as first, and is 3 12's, and self-scheduling. Weekends once a month. I can't decide which to choose - I know 4 10's and no weekends or holidays sounds super appealing, but not as much to me. I like to travel and get out of town for days at a time, and I still couldn't do this with the 4 10's, because only once in awhile would I have a Monday or Friday off. Still not a long time either. The beauty of the 3 12's is that it is self-scheduling, so I could have tons of days off at a time if I wanted. Weekends off of course are a great thing, but I don't care too much about working holidays.

Someone give me your thoughts! Please!

[WannaBNursey, ADN, ASN, RN]

I would kill to do 4 10's. I hate 12 hours shifts because, with the charting, they're not 12 hours! It's 13 or 14 hours (and I'm still talking CNA work!)

If you don't really care about the difference between hours, I would look more at the pro's and con's of the job opportunities. Will you have room for professional growth? What kind of experiences will you have? Did you do your clinicals at either facility? What did you like or dislike about it? Make a list of pro's and con's! Best of luck to you!

[edmia, BSN, RN]

For me the 3 12s is a no brainier. 4 10s still feels like a workweek. And only 1 weekend a month? That's great! I would much rather have 4 days off than 3 plus the opportunity to work early in the week 1 week and late in the week the other and have a full 7 days off. Much better!

Less physical time at work is always a plus for me, but I really don't care about holidays or weekends. My family is flexible.

2 job offers is a great dilemma to have. Good luck!

[SweetSouthernLove, ASN, BSN]

If I was in your position I would definitely take the 4 10's over the 3 12's any day. WannaBNursey is right when it comes to those 12 hour shifts - they usually turn into 13, 14, or even 16 hour shifts due to the fact you need to factor in prep time to wake up, eat, drive, get there, work, go home, take a shower and eat again, and then - if you prefer back to back shifts - go directly to sleep and do it all over again with barely a hello or goodbye to your family. This is excluding days where not everything may go right with your patients and you may have to stay at the hospital a little longer than expected or carve out extra time for charting. There are many three day weekends you can have to go and travel out of town or just to get away for a bit. If you are a serious traveler then maybe the 3 12's would be better suited for you.

I do know that "self scheduling" is what my hospital requires our staff to do and most often the days we schedule can be changed around from our Nurse Manager or Staffing Dept. for what our unit needs. This is also an issue because when you are scheduling yourself you wonder how they are adjusting other's schedules in conjunction with yours considering everyone schedules themselves at different times and want to work specific days. Be mindful of "self scheduling" no matter where you work and always, always, ALWAYS make a copy of what you have scheduled yourself (days off, days intended to work, your holidays, and shifts being covered in switches from other people) this makes your life entirely easier when it comes to staffing conflicts due to self scheduling.

Weekends and holidays are another issue because you are always rotated on holidays (I don't know anyone that enjoys working holidays!) and it is just an outright mess to try and find switches, get the time off, or schedule around your Nurse Manager's needs for these types of staffing dilemmas. To me, bypassing that for weekends off sounds like a dream! :)

There ARE pros about 12's don't get me wrong - 7 or 8 days off in a row sometimes if your "self scheduling" actually sticks to game plan, plenty of time to recoup and plan things if desired, and not having to book it to work an extra day or two each week for the sake of making your hours. I also agree with edmia, two job offers with great potential is a wonderful dilemma to have. I would also take into heavy consideration the field of nursing that draws you and use that as incentive to work either position - regardless of hours - given the fact that you can learn and experience so much in a field that interests you. Good luck!

[krisiepoo]

I LOVE working 3-12s... last week I had 7 days off and in june I have friends coming and will be getting 8 days off in a row... we self schedule as well and I just love it

[trishmsn]

ummm....pretty simple~which one do YOU prefer??? We all have differing preferences for a zillion reasons, so go with your gut.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

There has to be more to the jobs than the hours - - which one does your gut tell you is the more enjoyable place to work?

As for the hours -- I'd go for the 3 12s.