Pros And Cons Of 12 Hour Shifts

Mandatory twelve-hour shifts have become a common standard in acute and long-term care facilities in the United States. When comparing eight vs twelve-hour shifts there are several advantages and disadvantages for the nurse and their patients. Applying twelve-hour shifts for some nurses may have benefits as in offering compressed work weeks (three twelve-hour shifts vs five eight-hour shift). Many nurses perceive these schedules to be desirable because they are able to balance work and family relations. However, the flexibility of working twelve-hour shifts is off set by the continuity of care that comes with the need to work these hours. Nurses working twelve-hour shifts can become physically & mentally tired and less focused causing an affect to patient safety and the quality of care provided. It wasn’t until the 1970’s during a national nursing shortage that acute and long-term care facilities began to use the twelve-hour work model to retain nurses. Today, it is a standard in most health care settings and most nurses like working the longer shifts in exchange for more days off. But the question still stands, are twelve-hour shift that are physically, emotionally and demanding a good idea for a nurse’s mental health, and safety of our patients?

Pros of working 12-hour shifts
Many nurses perceive these schedules to be beneficial because of the flexibility; they are able to balance work and family relationships. Gas expenses and commute time are also decreased. With a twelve-hour shift schedule, there are only two shift turnovers per day resulting in in fewer opportunities for miscommunication; and for patients, this can mean they will have fewer names and faces to get accustomed to during a 24-hour period. On the surface, this all makes good