Why Do Nurses Work 12 Hour Shifts? (2024)

FAQs

Why Do Nurses Work 12 Hour Shifts? ›

Nurses on 12-hour shifts typically work three days a week, and many prefer to run these days consecutively. This four-day gap allows you to recharge and spend more quality time with family and friends. Less commuting. Fewer scheduled days mean less time on the road.

With eight-hour shifts, nurses have three handoffs in a 24-hour day. Maintaining 12-hour shifts cuts that number to two handoffs. That often means fewer errors and better patient care and outcomes. The longer shifts improve continuity for patients, too as they have the same nurses with them for a longer time.

There may even be advantages to 12 hour shifts in terms of lower stress levels, better physical and psychological wellbeing, improved durations and quality of off duty sleep as well as improvements in family relations.

History of the 12-Hour Shift

It wasn't until the 1970s that hospitals introduced the 12-hour shift to combat the national shortage. The new longer shifts allowed nurses to have more work/life balance and work fewer hours during the week.

eight-hour nursing shifts on patient outcomes can be significant. According to recent research, longer shifts for hospital nurses lead to increased errors, burnout, patient dissatisfaction, and can potentially affect nurse well-being.

Saving money

If they worked eight-hour shifts, five days a week, they'd have to spend money traveling to work five days a week, while if they worked three 12-hour shifts per week, they'd only have to travel to work three days a week, helping them save on travel costs.

A lack of sleep and limited opportunities for exercise are two significant factors in 12-hour shift health concerns. Additionally, long shifts make eating healthy and cooking balanced meals challenging. Due to time constraints, these employees may rely on fast food, which is usually higher in saturated fat and sugars.

Studies show that when you work twelve or more hours, your diminished mental capacity due to fatigue can result in less attentiveness. That may lead to errors affecting patient safety and outcomes.

Are 12 hour shift schedules legal? Yes, 12 hour shift schedules are legal. There are no federal or state law caps on the amount of hours an employee can work, which means employees can work up to 24 hours. However, there are restrictions around age, collective bargaining agreements, and regulated industries.

Is the 12 hour nursing shift causing burnout? ›

Results Nurses working shifts of ≥12 h were more likely than nurses working shorter hours (≤8) to experience burnout, in terms of emotional exhaustion (adjusted OR (aOR)=1.26; 95% CI 1.09 to 1.46), depersonalisation (aOR=1.21; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.47) and low personal accomplishment (aOR=1.39; 95% CI 1.20 to 1.62).

A study of over 22 000 hospital staff registered nurses (RNs) from 577 hospitals showed that 65-80% of the nurses work 12-hour shifts, with the 8-hour shift weighing in at only 14-30%.

Another reason is that having two nurses scheduled in a 24 hour period provides a higher continuity of care. This means fewer issues during hand offs and patients (and their families) may feel more comfortable with their nursing staff since they spend a longer time getting to know them.

Even in states without restrictions, hospitals or medical centers may prohibit nurses from working more than 16 continuous hours for safety reasons. However, it is essential to note that nurses could qualify for overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours per week.

Per diem nursing schedules are all about flexibility and freedom. A few of the advantages of per diem work include the ability to choose your shifts and which days you work. This means you can also choose the days you don't want to work, allowing more time for family commitments or personal pursuits.

While most nurses, especially those who work in hospitals, work a standard 12-hour shift, there are certain nurse positions that require different work schedules.

Twelve-hour shifts have been a mainstay of nursing schedules since they began as a staffing strategy in the 1970s, but debate continues about their effect on nurses' health and ability to safely care for patients. Studies have examined both aspects of the issue.

Twelve-hour shifts started in the 1970s when there was a severe nursing shortage. Nurses themselves came up with the idea of 12-hour shifts as a way to solve the problem. They have since become a way of life in hospitals. fewer commutes.