Note: I'm not trying to downplay a nurses job...I'm just confused. So, don't tear me to shreds. :chuckle
Ok, now that I got that out of the way, what's so stressful about working 3, 12hr shifts? I keep reading how nursing is sooo stressful and you guys are pooped when you get home...but you're only working 3 days out of the week? Yes, I know some of you guys work more than that but, for the most part, I keep reading how you guys have 3, 12hr shifts. That's not even 40hrs/wk. Most people work well over 40hrs/wk so what am I missing?
As a college athlete, working 3, 12hr shifts doesn't seem like it would be exhausting so...please...enlighten me. Lay it on me thick! I'd like to know what I'm in for (if I choose nursing over PA or MD). Examples work best. Thanks!
Have you had enough yet. I'm not sure that you really get it. There were a lot of good posts, but you really would just have to do it to understand. Just as I can't understand what an athelete's day might be like, they can't understand mine.
I like what I do, but it is a stressful job no matter how you look at it. You deal with so much in one given day, sometimes in one hour. A bad start to a shift can ruin your whole day. Imagine starting the day with your patient coding and then dying on you. You still have 5 other patients to take care of. You also have to deal with the patients family and the paperwork that goes with all that. Your own emotions are tough to deal with too, depending on the situation. The other 5 patients can't know what you are going through, your have to keep your emotions to yourself.
On rare occations when something like that happens, you might have a coworker that will say take 10, I'll watch your patients, but they usually don't have time either.
I can't tell you how many days I don't empty my bladder or eat lunch.
Usually 12 hr shifts turn into 14.
I enjoy taking care of people and want to do it to the best of my ability. If we are short staffed or have heavy loads and I don't mean the weight of the pt, I don't feel like I give good care. This stresses me out as well.
If you don't truly care about people. Don't go into nursing. We need nurses, but we need nurses that will care about their patients and each other enough to be stressed. I don't know if that really makes sense to you or not, but I don't think if your not somewhat stressed you are not caring enough to do a good job.
Have you had enough yet. I'm not sure that you really get it. There were a lot of good posts, but you really would just have to do it to understand. Just as I can't understand what an athelete's day might be like, they can't understand mine.
I like what I do, but it is a stressful job no matter how you look at it. You deal with so much in one given day, sometimes in one hour. A bad start to a shift can ruin your whole day. Imagine starting the day with your patient coding and then dying on you. You still have 5 other patients to take care of. You also have to deal with the patients family and the paperwork that goes with all that. Your own emotions are tough to deal with too, depending on the situation. The other 5 patients can't know what you are going through, your have to keep your emotions to yourself.
On rare occations when something like that happens, you might have a coworker that will say take 10, I'll watch your patients, but they usually don't have time either.
I can't tell you how many days I don't empty my bladder or eat lunch.
Usually 12 hr shifts turn into 14.
I enjoy taking care of people and want to do it to the best of my ability. If we are short staffed or have heavy loads and I don't mean the weight of the pt, I don't feel like I give good care. This stresses me out as well.
If you don't truly care about people. Don't go into nursing. We need nurses, but we need nurses that will care about their patients and each other enough to be stressed. I don't know if that really makes sense to you or not, but I don't think if your not somewhat stressed you are not caring enough to do a good job.
Oh, I get it. I got it after post #5 by ohmeowzerRN. After I read that post, I thought, "Phew! No wonder nurses always say they're overworked and underpaid." That's a lot of stuff you guys have to do/deal with in a 12hr shift so yes, I see why you guys are exhausted.
From a spectators view, it looks like you guys get a good salary, which you do, but yeah, I'd have to say that with all the stuff you guys have to put up with, and do, you definitely deserve to get paid more. Also, I now understand why nurses say "This job isn't easy! It's a calling." So yeah, I get it. Definitely.
Here's a nurse who liked working three 12 hour shifts! And.....it was on the night shift. Call me crazy...but there are some who thrive on this schedule.
I don't think the rest of us are complaining about the 12 hour shift schedules -- just attempting to answer the original question about what makes a 3-day, 36-hour workweek (which does sound pretty cushy) "sooo stressful." Most of us like having the additional days off each week, compared to a "5 8s" schedule. I think the issue here is the stress level during a typical shift, regardless of how long that shift may be.
It's the combination of the physical and mental. My husband's job is more physically demanding than mine (especially since I went to peds and the lifting and turning became less demanding), but my job is WAY more mentally and emotionally stressful. To me it's not the job, it's the hoops I have to jump through to do a good job. The begging other departments to do their job. Read the "And it's all going to be your fault" thread to see the emotional toll it takes on you. Whatever the patients do, the doctors and ancillary departments blame me for. And when the doctors and ancillary departments don't do what the patients want, the patients blame us. When you do everything right, you're still at risk for patients dying. When you make one little mistake, it's a lot worse than when Taco Bell gets your order wrong.
And your height might be a negative. I'm 5'11" and taller than most of the staff. Raising beds (especially when I was at a nursing home with hand cranks) takes time that you don't always have, so you're constantly bending and stooping. And when you get help for lifts, if it's someone short that's helping (which is most women compared to me), then I can't raise it to the optimal height for me.
And like someone said, once I spend the hour drive there, the extra hour pre and post shift for report, the hour drive home, the decompress so I can go to bed, and factor in a shower and eating, I'm left with far less than 8 hours of sleep to recover and do it again. Add to that the limited time for breaks, so I can't eat as well as I'd like or drink enough water while I'm at work.
I'm as sarcastic as can be, have a warped sense of humour, didn't have any hallelujah moment about becoming a nurse and yet I'm a great nurse. You don't need to be touchy feely, lovey dovey, or feel nursing is a sacred calling to be a great nurse. For some people that is what it is but for others it is a job that they may or may not love but are good at - don't be turned off by people who are judging your ability to be a good nurse based on you having some sarcasm in your postings. I don't really think there are specific right or wrong reasons for going into nursing. It is a job and like any job there are a multitude of reasons why it might or might not be a good fit. You could go into it completely for the job security (or money..haha) and still be a great nurse. If you think it might be for you go for it - You'll find your niche, nursing has a huge variety of avenues you can explore.
As for working 12's - people have given you lots of examples of busy days. I agree with those - it can be like that. You can work in places though where there aren't people dying or coding every shift. Codes are pretty rare in my hospital. Some shifts I am run off my feet, stressed, exhausted and drained physically and mentally and other shifts when the census is low, the families are on board, the acuity is down... then it really is a pretty easy day to get through with time to chat and joke with co-workers and enjoy the day. I've also worked as an elementary school teacher and THAT is exhausting!
Being physically fit does help - it takes some of the physical load off, you still have to deal with the emotional / mental aspect but it keeps you from being run ragged by the physical part.
I know many people who do three 12s and say it is great. I myself could never do them but they came into vogue when I was already 50 years old. My niece is just turning 40. She has been an ICU nurse for 15 years and did 3 12s for the entire time. Just recently she went to 2 12 hour shifts a week saying that for the first time 3 12s was getting to her. Her husband is a pharmacist and makes really good money so she was able to do it.
When I first became a nurse the 3-12 hour shifts were doable. As I got older AND had a husband and a family the 12 hour shifts were harder on me mentally and physically(and I am athletic-different kind of tired). You HAD to be done at the end of your shift-no staying later to chart like in the past-I had 2 kids to pick up from daycare at a certain time. Also, getting 2 kids ready for daycare and all of their paraphenalia prior to the 0700 shift was trying, *I* didn't even want to get up that early. The prep prior to work was more difficult, there are classes and meetings on your days "off" . I have worked M-F 8-5 for the past 3 1/2 years and I would NEVER go back to the l o n g 12 hour (13,14,15 .....)shifts again.
At my previous job, 12 hours almost always ended up being about 14.
Let me tell you, 14 hours of running around, getting yelled at by families, annoying managers, needy patients, incessantly ringing phones, worthless computers, non-helpful people around you (Pharmacist: "Dobutrex? What's that?"
You'll find out. Give it a shot. Or several shot glasses.
Stand on your feet for 12+ hours, all the while dealing with the intellectual and emotional component of nursing (ie. assessments, meds, etc). Throw in family members, arrogant doctors, nasty patients, etc, etc.
Once you've done it, come back to this thread and we'll see how your perspective has changed. :)
another thing i 'd like to point out is that it's 12.5 hours-we don't get paid for a lunch/dinner break-whether you take one or not. minimum 12.5 hours period. also, you can't always just "leave" on time. if your patient crumps 10 min before the next shift starts you can plan on spending at least another hour at work.
it also gets hard in winter when you are coming and going to work in the dark.
holidays are always fun with the family working 12 hours, your family are all off from work and having a good time and you are either late arriving, or have to leave early to go to work. nothing like spending christmas eve or new years eve working a 12 hour night.
summer is fun too, everybody is on vacation-your job never closes so you have to work extra while your coworkers are off-or work short. if you have to work every other weekend-kiss half of the parties goodbye.
12 hours take a toll, but i still would never go back to 8 hour days-they're never 8 hours anyway-might as well just work 12 hours -lol.
marilynmom, LPN, NP
2,155 Posts
LOL! That perfectly describes what it takes and feels like to work in a hospital!