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Versus 8 hour shifts that almost all other jobs use? What benefit is there to having nurses work longer shifts?
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It usually is a nurse driven thing. I like 12 hour shifts for the 4 days off a week I have to go to school, or whatever.
Our manager likes it because there isn't that "incidental overtime" they pay when we stay past our shift.
We did have a management-driven mandatory 12-hour shift in our ICU a few years back when the "Hunter Group" came through. Rather than lay nurses off, they mandated they all go to 12-hour shifts, which cut each person by 4 hours a week, and they were able to keep their staff without laying off.
Where I work you have the option of doing five 8 hour shifts, three 12 hour shifts, or a combination of two 8 hour and two 12 hour shifts a week. Also we have what you call "self scheduling" where we are able to choose what days we work, of course we are still required to work every other weekend. Now you may not always get all the days you request, but they do try to accommodate you. I prefer the three 12hour shifts myself.
I appear to be the only one but I hated 12 hour shifts. I honestly felt that I only had 8 hours of flat out running and 100% patient care in me. Half the time on nights, the 12 hour folks were the ones I'd find sleeping in the lounge. I left hospital nursing when I could no longer find 8 hour shifts. I now work 4 ten hour days but it is community health.
I prefer the 12 hour shifts as it gives me more time at home. Here in the UK my management dont really like them but we found we cover 6 day shifts rather than 5. So in a time when we are told to cut our agency staff it means that the perm staff can cover an extra 4 shifts a month which addsup, and not be doing any extra time.
For me it means getting off duty on time every day, as I wont be staying on after an early to do management stuff. :roll
In our case the 12-hour shifts were the boss' idea. The med techs would work 3 12-hour shifts a week and everyone else would work 8-hour shifts. When all the med techs threatened to burn out or just couldn't do the 12-hour stretches, the boss told them they could work 12-hour shifts and get 36 hours a week, or work 8-hour shifts and only get 32 hours a week. (Let's just say the boss is now reworking the schedule to get rid of the 12-hour shifts.) One tech quit because the longer shifts gave her high blood pressure.
Everyone else has done a good job ov summing up the benefits. I love 12 hr shifts, it was one of the things on my list of why I wanted to be a nurse: 4 days off per week and flexible scheduling.
Melissa
Versus 8 hour shifts that almost all other jobs use? What benefit is there to having nurses work longer shifts?Thanks
I think the 12 hour shifts benefit the hospitals.
I don't think I could handle working 12 hours, and many people I know say the same, and I think it must get harder the older one gets.
As far as not getting out on time, the hospital I work at via agency, no one gets out on time, and the 12 hour shifts run into 14 hours for a lot of the staff.
I have worked 8 hour shifts that run into 9, 10, 11, almost 12 hours at that place, and that's with no break.
The hospital also saves money with 12-hour shifts b/c there's fewer staff and they have to pay fewer benefits.I personally like the 12 hours for the reasons stated above - more time off, and once I'm there, I barely notice if I'm working 8 or 12 hours.
-Julie in NYC
:yeahthat:
If I'm going to get up, put on my scrubs, drive to work, park, work a shift, then drive all the way home... well I might as well work 12s and only have to do all that 3 days a week instead of 5. If you consider that the drive and prep time takes me about an hour per shift (and it could easily be more if you have a longer commute) then I avoid wasting two hours of time a week by working 12s. Love them! Wouldn't work anything else.
ShayRN
1,046 Posts
Our unit offers 12 and 8 hour shifts. Some people prefer to do 2 12's and 2 8's a week, some want 3 12's, some want anywhere between 2 and 5 eight hour shifts. That is the wonderful thing about a nursing schedule, you can pretty much pick your hours.