3 on, 4 off vs 6 on, 8 off

[sjalv]

Hi friends

Let's talk about schedules. Which of the two aforementioned schedules do you prefer? Working 3 days then being off 4, or working 6 days then being off 8? I'm currently doing the former, but I've signed up for the latter for the month of February. Kind of curious to see how I like it. Most days in a row I've done is 5, so I figured what's one more?

PS: I work nights.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Assuming they are 10 or 12 hours shifts ...

I believe that by the time you get to your 4th shift on, your professional performance will suffer -- as well as you general well-being as a person. If you have no commitments outside of work, you might be able to make it to the 5th shift ... maybe.

However, if they are only 8-hour shifts, you might be OK with the 6/8 combo.

[whichone'spink, BSN, RN]

I used to have 5-6 shifts in a row when I worked nights, because the 2nd half of shifts would fall into a new pay period. It sucked. Worse still, it was night shifts and I would use 2 days out of 7 I got off to recover from the awful shift marathon.

[Beatlefan, BSN]

I only have intermediate care experience, and work only three 8 hour shifts a week. When I was hired, they told me that they were trying to eliminate 12 hour shifts because they were not safe.

I agree with the previous post- (even with 8 hour shifts), that by the time you reach 4 in a row, you are dragging. My floor is very high acuity though, and I don't know your patient acuity.

It is important to have more than one day off in a row too, so 8 days off would be heaven.

Nursing is a profession like no other.

[LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM]

I would never, ever sign up for a schedule that required 6 12-hour night shifts in a row. 3 was absolutely my limit. 4 days off in a row is still a nice chunk of time. If I did 6 in a row, I would need the extra 4 days off to recover so it wouldn't be even remotely worth it. But that's me!

[sjalv]

Assuming they are 10 or 12 hours shifts ...

I believe that by the time you get to your 4th shift on, your professional performance will suffer -- as well as you general well-being as a person. If you have no commitments outside of work, you might be able to make it to the 5th shift ... maybe.

However, if they are only 8-hour shifts, you might be OK with the 6/8 combo.

Hi, llg. These are 12 hour shifts. I am curious what you think will lead to poor performance? I go home and sleep right after I get off. I live 2 minutes from where I work so I am usually in bed by 0730 or so, and don't wake up until 1800. I feel well rested and always get a lunch break during my shift so I never miss a meal. I will know for sure how well I do with it once I do it, of course.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Hi, llg. These are 12 hour shifts. I am curious what you think will lead to poor performance? I go home and sleep right after I get off. I live 2 minutes from where I work so I am usually in bed by 0730 or so, and don't wake up until 1800. I feel well rested and always get a lunch break during my shift so I never miss a meal. I will know for sure how well I do with it once I do it, of course.

Most people don't get that much sleep in between 12's. Your situation sounds a bit better than that of most people. Research shows that people working those kinds of hours tend to make more mistakes -- particularly in the last few hours of their shifts. Most people aren't able to maintain a healthy sleep pattern with too many 12's in a row.

You might want to look at the ANA's recent recommendations on the topic.

[NOADLS]

If I weren't pursuing my NP, 6 on 8 off would be ideal for me. I would just work / eat / sleep on my 6 on and enjoy my time with the 8 days off. I couldn't imagine working a "regular" looking schedule doing 12 hour shifts. I'd be spending my days off dreading having to come back after adjusting to a somewhat okay daily schedule. With 8 days off, even if I have to adjust my schedule for the first and last day off, I still have 6 days off to enjoy.

[BSNbeauty, BSN, RN]

2 shifts in a row is my limit unless I have a vacay lined up after. Not worth it.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

By the middle of my 5th 12 hour shift, I was exhausted. I have also worked 6 12s. It's not worth wasting 4 of those 8 days recovering, IMO.

Never again, even if the shifts are only 8 hours.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Unless I was planning around a vacation or other event where I'd want a long stretch of days off, I'd stick with the 3 on/4 off. 6 days in a row of any length (8, 10, 12) is a lot to put on a person.

And while that stretch of 8 days might be nice, I wouldn't be surprised if you actually have a harder time going back to work because you got used to being off for so long. Kind of like when kids have a hard time going back to school after a week's vacation.