Why Are 12 hour shifts the standard?

SmilingBluEyes · Aug 2, 2005

they are not standard everywhere. I work in a unit that is all-12hr shifts. But downstairs in Med-surg, they work 8's. (this is the same hospital, obviously)

It really depends on where you work.

Super_RN, BSN, RN · Aug 2, 2005

Probably because in some places (like where I work) 12 hour nurses only get paid 36 hours, not 40. Also, if other people are like me, I am more willing to pick up overtime since I only work 3 nights a week. Perhaps it's easier to fill holes.

:Melody: Jaime

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 2, 2005

I started in nursing when an 8-hour shift was norm. In most of the places I have worked, the switch to 12-hour shifts was driven by the nursing staff and not the administration. In fact, I have been through a couple of contentious voting processes in which the staff got to choose which way their unit would go.

People who voted for the 12-hour shifts usually did so because they didn't want to work 5 days per week ... and have to commute to and from work 5 days per week ... and get child care 5 days per week, etc. They preferred to work longer hours per day, but fewer days per week.

In many cases, it also meant that they would have to work fewer weekend shifts, fewer night shifts, fewer holiday shifts, etc. because only 2 shifts of nurses are needed to cover a unit per day rather than 3 shifts of nurses. For example, if your unit needs 8 RN's per shift ... with 8-hour shifts, you'll need 24 nurses to work that day ... but with 12-hour shifts, you only need 16 nurses to be scheduled for that day.

There is certainly a price to pay for working 12-hour shifts, but when they started to become very common, they were often very popular. And there are still a lot of people who, when push comes to shove, would not be happy working 5 days per week and increasing their night, weekend, and holiday committments.

Financially, there is a little benefit to not having 3 shift-changes during the day (and paying that 30-minute overlap), but I don't recall that ever being the big, driving force behind the change from 8 to 12 hours. It was mentioned ocassionally, however. It was mainly discussed as a retention strategy to keep the staff happy.

llg

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Aug 2, 2005

I love 12 hour shifts. I work 2 12's and off 2 days,, 3 weeks a month 3 days,, one week a month 4 days. Which amounts to 76 hours one paycheck and 84 hours the next for the pay period on a 2 week pay.

For the amount of work nurses have the 12 hour shift, in my facilities case is more effective in letting us get our work done without overtime and rushing to hard to get things done (not that we dont have our days).

Working 12 hour shifts we do one h/t assessment and one evaluation note for the shift, the rest of the time is devoted to teaching, communication with doctors, discharging and recieving new patients and surgicals and all the other things that come up that could cause mayhem if your time is to short. 8 hour people have the same work to be done in 8 hrs that i have 12 to complete.

It is also better for my family because i have at least 3 days a week that i dont have any other work obligations. My rotation is scheduled so i know every week which days i have off that i can plan extra special things with kids/family(day trips). Which the kids love in the summer. If i worked 8 hr shifts, i would be obligated for at least 5 days a week,, and if something was planned for one of those days, i would have to try to accomodate it AFTER a full day of work.

12 hour shifts sound long, but you do get use to it. I have a real hard time getting things done if i work a extra 8 hour shift, and almost always have to work a few minutes over to tie up loose ends. So i choose to work 12's.

Oh and if you have little kids,, you only have to have daycare about 13 days a month instead of 20.

fergus51 · Aug 2, 2005

I also feel 12 hour shifts are kinder to people who work nights. If I had to work 5 8 hour night shifts a week, I would never be able to be on a regular schedule (awake during the day) on my days off. That would make it very hard to maintain any sort of a normal life with normal relationships. When I have 4 days off, I can switch to daytime mode.

allnurses Guide · Aug 2, 2005

I agree - this is a nurse instigated idea, not administration.

We put it up for a vote a few years ago and the nurses still want 12's.

steph

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Aug 2, 2005

It is easier to handle working nights if you are only doing 3 a week rather than 5. It is also easier to pick up an extra shift if you are only doing 3 a week, and still have a life.

I work oncology/bmt. When you have 2-3 blood draws a shift on the criticals, plus electrolyte repletions, blood/platelet/FFP transfusions, multiple IV drugs/abx all going in 2 to 3 central lines...it is much easier to keep up with what has been done and hasn't been done over 12 hours. The extra shift over might allow things to get lost. It is also easier to see trends in fevers, I/O, BPs so that one can detect septic shock easier.

grimmy, RN · Aug 3, 2005

there is certainly a price to pay for working 12-hour shifts, but when they started to become very common, they were often very popular. and there are still a lot of people who, when push comes to shove, would not be happy working 5 days per week and increasing their night, weekend, and holiday committments.
financially, there is a little benefit to not having 3 shift-changes during the day (and paying that 30-minute overlap), but i don't recall that ever being the big, driving force behind the change from 8 to 12 hours. it was mentioned ocassionally, however. it was mainly discussed as a retention strategy to keep the staff happy.
llg

where i work (in the or) we have the option of 8, 10, and 12 hour shifts. i work 4 ten hour shifts, in part, because i love to have an extra day off during the week, but also if i am scrubbed in all day, 10 hours of standing on my feet is acceptable, but for my body, 12 hours is intolerable. still, i am offered overtime on a regular basis, and i am on call fairly often. when i am on overtime, my body definitely feels it, and by the time i get home, i am exhausted and usually dehydrated. we often crack jokes with anesthesia to start an iv in me so that i can get some fluids! :chuckle

Ruby Vee, BSN · Aug 3, 2005

twelve hours is a long shift, but three 12s makes for a short week! i've been working 12s for over 20 years now, and wouldn't change back to 8s if i could.

ruby

suzanne4, RN · Aug 3, 2005

I would no longer even consider accepting an assignment if they only had only 8 hour shifts. Much prefer the 12s with time for myself.

Alpha13 · Aug 3, 2005

Well isn't this a surprise, you guys must be hard workers to want to do 12 hour shifts. I'd much rather do 8, maybe 10 if I can get off my legs for a while. So if this is a nurse voted thing do most places give you the option of working how many hours you'd like (8, 10, 12) or not?

Thanks