Why do most psych jobs seem to be 8's rather than 12's

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN · Oct 19, 2017

Depends on the unit. Generally speaking, it takes more staff to cover eight-hour shifts. That is why most medical units do 12s.

lilmamarn · Oct 22, 2017

Hello,

I enjoy my work as a psych nurse with the state of California, however working in such a highly volatile environment that deals with inmates who have a criminal AND psych history can be difficult. These individuals are the ones deemed incompetent to stand trial or labeled criminally insane. Many of my coworkers have been hit by a patient at least once and some have been severely injured during their shift. So while there are several places in Southern Cali that offer 12 hour psych positions my hospital does not. I believe that because this nursing specialization can be so dangerous and mentally draining there is a preferance to limit the time spent providing nursing care.

Good luck with your future endeavors!

GeneralJinjur · Oct 22, 2017

I agree that psych nursing can be very emotionally draining. I have done both kinds of shifts for at least 3 years on each type. Personally, I prefer 12s, since working five 8 hour shifts feels like I am always on the unit. Working 32 hours a week is a good middle ground.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Oct 26, 2017

12 hours with psychiatric patients can be mentally and emotionally taxing (and yes, physically taxing as well). Plus for all the research studies that are in favor of 12-hour shifts, there's just as many against 12-hour shifts for various reasons (more stress, more fatigue, higher risk of med errors, etc.)

My facility is also on 8s.

AutumnApple · Oct 29, 2017

My experience has shown me that while in every specialty the scheduling is more dependent on the institution's policies than anything else, there are trends to be found that are specialty dependent.

M/S, Critical Care, ICU and ER seem to drift towards offering 12s.

Home Care, Doctor Offices, Psych and Clinics lean towards all 8s.

While the assertion that psych nursing is emotionally demanding and hence offers only 8's has some validity to it, there is a flaw in that theory. That flaw being: Look at the list of places that offer 12's above. They are demanding too, although perhaps not so much in the "emotional" category.

Truth is, every specialty can claim to be "too demanding" in one way or another. So, if the response to this was to offer only 8 hour shifts to help with coping then, well, every niche in nursing would only offer 8s.

Money. That's what it boils down to. 8s vs 12s vs 16s, its not a matter of the nurses coping that drives the unit's or institution's decision making. Us coping well (or not) is something they consider to be our problem to solve. They balance out the financial pluses and minuses then make the appropriate policies to produce the results they seek.

DanaVelling · Oct 31, 2017

I work for a state Psych hospital and we do 8s because the state of VA requires 40 hour week. A few nurses work 3 twelves and come in one day for 4 hours. Most, however, stick to the 8s

millan · Dec 17, 2017

Do you get a choice of 8's or 12's? How does it work?

Pug RN · Dec 17, 2017

I did 12's while in pediatrics/medical nursing. No choice.

I just started my first psych job, and it is 8 hour shifts, no options.

Lanntis, BSN · Dec 27, 2017

I want 12's in psych but I can't find anything in Florida that seems to run on a non 8 hour shift schedule I'm not a 40 hours 5/days a week type. I need the 3 12's.

Heylove, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Dec 28, 2017

In California, in nursing school, our psych rotations were working with RN's that worked 8 hour shifts. Here in Missouri I work 12 hour shifts in psych. The way that it was explained to me was that my hospital prefers to have only two shift changes per day, not three, as the transitions can be difficult for our patient population.

Silver_Rik, ASN, RN · Dec 31, 2017

My facility offers 4, 8, 12, and 16 hour shifts. I work mostly 12's with an 8 or 4 thrown in sometimes - usually if I'm covering for someone or have plans earlier in the evening and just work an 11-7.

The main shift changes are at 7 AM and 7 PM and I agree with something cited in another reply that it's probably less stressful on the pts to have most of the staff changeover only 2x a day.