Why aren't nursing homes doing 12 hour shifts???

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Jul 10, 2010

I see some people saying this, but its so nice having 4 days off free to do whatever you want vs. 2. Once I'm up, dressed and ready, I'd rather just keep going and get it over with. Driving to work 3 times a week vs. 5 with traffic. Most nurses on 12 hour shifts rave about it in the hospitals.

But working in the hospital is very different than working LTC. Last night, for example, I had literally 1/2 of my LTC residents off their rockers. Residents packing up and trying to get "home", residents fighting with each other (both physically and verbally), families chewing me a new one for things I had no hand in, had no knowledge of, and/or should have been addressed to the shift that it pertained to. Or support staff that argue with you about every request..wanting to know who told me to tell them that blah blah blah, working short so the support staff had added residents to care for..makes for an insane, out of control shift.

Don't get me wrong, for the most part I do like my job, but there are shifts (like last night) that I was thanking the stars, the moon, the powers that be, that I only had 8 hrs of that...if I had an additional 4 to go...I think I would have been sent out for a psych evaluation. :eek:

I only work part time so I always get 5 days off in the week. But at times the day after a nasty shift will take a whole day to recharge my batteries :yawn: *both mental and physical batteries*

GRAB1 · Jul 10, 2010

My friend works at a nursing home and they have 12 hour shifts. It just depends on the location. Oh and they weren't weekend only 12 hour shifts, they offer 12 hour shifts every day.

Great, thanks for this info. I will keep on looking and being hopefully on finding a shift that works for me... gonna be hard to turn down this 3-11/5 days a week that was looking very prospective on my interview the other day... but I know after a few weeks I'll be saying what was I thinking taking this...

Reigen · Jul 10, 2010

Mine does 12 hour shifts in long term care, and yes, the majority of the "work" falls on the 05:45 to 1815 shift. problem is that NOONE wants to work 3 off 4. Most want to work 2 off 4 work 1 and with some of us driving 110 miles one way those are LONG days. Some weeks I commute 600 miles +.

IF I could do 3 in a row that would be so much better, but I do not get to make the schedule out.

So there are some nursing homes that do 12 hour shifts.

Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN · Jul 10, 2010

But working in the hospital is very different than working LTC. Last night, for example, I had literally 1/2 of my LTC residents off their rockers. Residents packing up and trying to get "home", residents fighting with each other (both physically and verbally), families chewing me a new one for things I had no hand in, had no knowledge of, and/or should have been addressed to the shift that it pertained to. Or support staff that argue with you about every request..wanting to know who told me to tell them that blah blah blah, working short so the support staff had added residents to care for..makes for an insane, out of control shift.
Don't get me wrong, for the most part I do like my job, but there are shifts (like last night) that I was thanking the stars, the moon, the powers that be, that I only had 8 hrs of that...if I had an additional 4 to go...I think I would have been sent out for a psych evaluation.
I only work part time so I always get 5 days off in the week. But at times the day after a nasty shift will take a whole day to recharge my batteries *both mental and physical batteries*

And people thnk that all the residents do in the nursing home after 7pm is sleep.. yea right. I tell them like it is. and if they don't believe me they can come follow me around for a night. Bring your running shoes.

I just worked 10 days in a row. I am part time but I was training on another shift. I was off yesterday I work tonight and then I am off for 3 days. I will need those entire 3 days to recharge myself. I am not picking up the phone. My family is instructed to also not pick up the phone.

CoffeemateCNA · Jul 10, 2010

I have worked at LTC facilities that mix and match 8- and 12-hour shifts. Some people are scheduled for the 8's, others are scheduled for the 12's. Somehow, it always works out in the end and we have the necessary number of employees.

I stopped doing the 12's because it was just too much work and made for a LONGGGGG day. I was the person that got many of the residents up in the morning and put them to bed after dinner.

3 sets of getting everyone up and then putting them down after meals is HARD and quite tiring. Most days felt like 12 years instead of 12 hours.

PMHNP10 · Jul 10, 2010

I'll take a stab at 1 reason. I suspect there are many many call-ins in a nursing home, just as there is in a hospital. Difference being that there are usually float pool and maybe even agency nurses available to cover some of the holes in a hospital, whereas there are not going to be as many resources for a nursing home. So if you have someone call in for 12 hrs in a nursing home, that's a huge deal, because you are short for half of a day. At least with 8's, if someone calls in for the am, you still have half of the pm shift time to get folks bathed and cared for, whereas if you have 12s going, you don't have that luxury because they are getting folks in bed shortly after they arrive--not much time to do baths on the unit

scoochy · Jul 10, 2010

I work the 3-11 shift, 4 evenings/week, in LTC. That's all I can muster, so I budget accordingly. I am NOT a morning person, so the 12 hour day shift wouldn't work for me. As for 7p-7a, I have done my share of nights. I don't care how many extra days I would have for myself. I am past the age of double shifts/12 shifts; my vote is NO to 12 hour shifts in LTC.

emnicams · Jul 10, 2010

I went to LTC partly for the 8 hour shifts. I guess it's all in personal preference. I do Monday through Friday 7a-3p and love my hours. I despised 12 hour shifts at the hospital. Yeah, I got more whole days off, but I was so exhausted all the time. I couldn't enjoy it because I was already filled with dread over my next 12 hour shift the minute I got off work. Not for me!

Oh, wanted to add: I wouldn't want to work 3-11 either.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Jul 10, 2010

I actually like nights and were I single would go back to them. However, my husband just doesn't get it and he gets lonely with my sleeping all the time.

itsmejuli · Jul 11, 2010

I work 12s 7a to 7p every weekend. I work 24 hrs, get paid for 32 and also get shift differential. I am quite happy with this work arrangement. It suits me fine while I am going to school fulltime for RN. Weekdays are run on 8 hr shifts.

By giving the nurses a modified Baylor plan the facility pretty well guarantees that none of the nurses will be calling off on the weekends.

Hospice Nurse LPN, BSN, RN · Jul 11, 2010

I used to work in LTC and we did 12 hour shifts. I liked working 3 days and if I did a 4th it was OT.

WhiteScrubs · Jul 11, 2010

The LTC facility where I used to work just switched from 8s to 12s, purely for budgetary reasons, and ended up with a lot of staff leaving because they couldn't or didn't want to handle the switch.

I have worked 3-11 in the past, but now wouldn't give up my 12s for anything. From a nursing side of it (more than CNA -- I've done both), 12s just make more sense. Nurses don't leave when the shift is over, they leave when the work and all the charting is done. I've found there is more time to get it done on a 12 hour shift, so I'm more likely to actually get out of work on time. This varies by facility and staffing levels, of course.

I do agree that from a CNA viewpoint, 12 hour shifts in LTC would be very physically demanding, and I know a lot of CNA's that just couldn't do it.