What do you think of 12 hour shifts?

Nurses Humor Toon

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12-hour shifts have been gaining in popularity among nurses and hospitals ... Do you think this is a good idea? Do you find it more dangerous to work a 12-hour shift vs a 10-hour shift? Would you prefer sticking to the standard 8-hour shifts?

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Is it hard to find work as a 8hr working nurse?

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I think if a person is working for clinic then they probably are working 8 hr shifts?

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I like my 12's, but I am only a .6 so I get many days off which makes it worth wild! I think that it would be tuff if I were full time.

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I love 12 hour shifts! However, at my current job, I work 8 hr nights and it isn't as terrible as I thought it would be. As long as I work 8 days within the 2 week period, I still keep my FT status. My nights go by pretty fast so I can't complain right now...especially since I am getting older!

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12 hour shifts lead to two things:

1. Decreased quality patient care.

2. Sleep deprived nurses.

I am shocked that the Joint Commission and the states have not banned these shifts.

THERE IS NOTHING POSITIVE about them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in Med Surg.
12 hour shifts lead to two things:

1. Decreased quality patient care.

2. Sleep deprived nurses.

I am shocked that the Joint Commission and the states have not banned these shifts.

THERE IS NOTHING POSITIVE about them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

References please.

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Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.

i ​HATE twelve hr shifts !

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

I loved 12 hour shifts! I worked Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 7 PM to 7 AM. My husband teaches Wed. from 6PM to 9 PM and comes home around 10, Thursday evenings, he helps coach at the YM until almost 10 PM, and he used Friday evenings to grade student papers. Because I worked every Friday, I never had to work the rest of the weekend.

Three 12's were great because I had four completely free days to shop, visit, do volunteer work, spoil our critters, etc. Would I have wanted to work four 12's in a row or in the same week? XXXX NO!

I am absolutely unable to rotate shifts -- ever! I will absolutely without exception have uncontrolled partial complex seizures. Being willing to work every end of the week took the sting out of the nonrotation for my employer.

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Specializes in ICU.

I work 12's. LOVE em. Would not have it any other way and would be very upset if they tried to take them away. i dont think its dangerous, only if your doing like 8 in a row. Your more likely to do 8 in a row while doing 8's. I get 4 days off every week if I want! (and its easier do do overtime because I still have 3 days off!). So yes I love them.

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I worked 8-hour shifts, office hours, for years before starting 12s within the last couple of years. I'm not sure which I prefer. 12s are nice for knocking your workweek out sooner but it's hard to do anything except sleep and work those three days, not to mention if you have a lazy husband and still have to do housework, cooking, yardwork, take point on kid care, etc. in those days. That is rough.

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OK, here's input from someone who just got off three twelves in a row a couple of hours ago.

I do like having four days off. However, tomorrow I will be able to do one or two things around the house, not want to go out or have fun, not want to exercise. Just want to either do internet or TV. So tomorrow is essentially going to be a waste.

I was asked to work tomorrow but I can't. Not because I don't want the money but because if I made an error in judgment a med error because I was tired I couldn't forgive myself. About five years ago I could have pulled another twelve off quite easily.

Up until three years ago I worked two sixteen hour shifts back to back on a rehab unit. Now.........the longer I did that shift the more I realized how unsafe it was. Those should have surely been outlawed. It always surprises me that the very people who shouldn't be working while exhausted (doctors and nurses) are the ones who do it routinely.

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12 hour shifts lead to two things:

1. Decreased quality patient care.

2. Sleep deprived nurses.

I am shocked that the Joint Commission and the states have not banned these shifts.

THERE IS NOTHING POSITIVE about them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, twelve-hour shifts lead to improved continuity of care since there are fewer shift changes.

The sleep-deprived thing is subjective. Personally, working five eight-hour shifts a week leaves me far more burnt out than three twelves.

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