No more 12 hour shifts?

During my nurse residency, it was mentioned that our health system and in general across the board, 12 hour shifts are under scrutiny. This is due to staff fatigue, errors, and continuity in patient care.

It was said that in the not-too-distant future 12 hour shifts will be going away in our health system. In bedside nursing, the four days off to recuperate from the circus that is my unit, I can't imagine being there 5 days a week!

I am looking to get out of bedside nursing anyway, but I was wondering if anyone else has heard talk of this!

What do you think about it?
Very interesting. Would love to hear the responses. I have never heard of this.

How many years have they said associates degree nurses were going to go away ? 30?Im not too worried about what "they say"

Twelves are not going anywhere from where I am at in the midwest.

Quote from mhy12784How many years have they said associates degree nurses were going to go away ? 30?Im not too worried about what "they say"

Leaving aside continuity and a few other issues the main arguments against twelve hour shifts (fatigue, errors, etc...) can be dealt with by ensuring nurses have and take proper rest and meal breaks. It stands to reason if you work a nurse to death by keeping her or him on the floor/unit for what amounts to eleven or more hours there are going to be problems. Nurses need meal and "coffee" breaks and they should be allowed to leave the floor/unit to do so. That is go to the cafeteria, outside for a breath of fresh air (or even walk around ), this or they need to be allowed at least a rest area reserved just for nurses where they can be off the clock. By this one means non-accessible to other staff, patients, and so forth absent an emergency. This issue has been well studied and there is enough data out there to support doing the right thing by nurses. However as usual things on the ground come down to money. Places don't want to pay for staffing that will allow nurses what some consider a luxury but is there proper due. The Nursing Debate: 8-Hour Shifts vs. 12-Hour ShiftsNone of this will change until Washington enacts sane workplace laws covering nurses and their rights to break/meal times.

As exhusting as 12 hour shifts can be I think MANY nurse love that they only have to work 3 to 4 days a week to be seen as full time. There will be a lot fewer nurses that will want to work 5 days to get those full hours. I agree that breaks are important. I use to work in a factory, and when we would be busy we had 12 hour days sometimes. It really was not that bad working 1 to 3 days 12 as long as we could go to the bathroom when we needed and got our 4 breaks in. 3 10 min and one 20 min.

I am in NY and I have not heard anything like that. In fact, if that did come to fruition, I would immediately start looking for a new position which did offer 12 hour shifts. I have absolutely NO interest in working 5 days a week, that is one of the things that I love about nursing. I can work 3 twelve hour shifts and have 4 days per week off. I don't even pick up overtime (of which there is plenty) because I have no interest in working more than 3 days week. Now, if there was a significant financial incentive to work overtime then I would definitely consider it. Sorry, I digress. As a matter of fact, if 12 hour shifts went away and 10 hour shifts were substituted, I don't think I would be happy with that, either. In a few hospitals in CA they don't even offer 8 hours shifts. So I would be very surprised to see 12 hour shifts done away with in a widespread fashion.

I worked 12 's for awhile , and I've got to hand it to anyone who has done it for many years, I know that I couldn't , 8 would be my pick, I do not fore see that happening where I live, not even mentioned

I would be up a nasty creek if 12 hour shifts could not be had. Like many other nurses, I use my 4 days off from my full time position to work per diem at another facility. I actually make more money doing my 2 PD days/week than I do full time, once insurance and deductibles are taken out. Being able to cram 12 hours of pay into one day is how I (and I believe many other nurses) are able to make ends meet these days.

12 hours is no big deal for me. I love having more days off per week than what I work. I would hate working 8s and having 2 more days of work.Sent from my iPad using allnurses

Quote from mhy12784How many years have they said associates degree nurses were going to go away ? 30?Im not too worried about what "they say"

For those of you who love 12s and would look elsewhere if only 8s were offered, good on you. I just wish (as an experienced nurse of 30+ years) that there was an option of eights for those of us who still have something to offer at the bedside but find 12s (esp. nights) are wearing us down. Look at it this way, when you work 12 hours, you can work, commute, sleep and shower. That's about it. When you work 8s, you can do all of the above PLUS sit down for a meal with your family, make a dentist appointment, grocery shop- whatever, AND STILL work without feeling like a zombie or giving up sleep.