Why Do Nurses Work 12-Hour Shifts? 5 Benefits for Facilities
A career in healthcare is demanding. The long hours and stressful work environment can make it difficult for nurses to find balance. With all of the associated challenges, you may ask yourself, Why do nurses work 12-hour shifts?
It turns out that staff members often appreciate the lifestyle and financial benefits of working longer shifts. Additionally, greater continuity of care from longer shifts make it an optimal scheduling technique for facilities. Below, we’ll outline the history of the 12-hour shift, answer key questions about its application in healthcare settings, and explain what makes them appealing to nurses.
We’ll end this article with five key takeaways about how this particular staffing framework may benefit your specific team. Using these expert-backed insights, you’ll be better prepared to create a healthy, sustainable work environment.
Origins of the 12-Hour Nursing Shift
In the 1970s, a national nursing shortage left facilities looking for solutions to fill schedule gaps. Hospitals began using 12-hour nursing shifts as a way to decrease the number of staff needed per day. One nurse would work from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., and the next would work from 7 p.m. – 7 a.m. This decreases the roster overlap inherent with introducing three separate shifts per workday while keeping the continuity of care safely streamlined within a 24-hour period.
Nursing Shiftwork and Longer Work Hours: FAQ
Nursing scope and job functions have expanded over time, but the scheduling of nursing shifts has remained the same. Seventy-five percent of acute care nurses work three 12-hour shifts per week. We’ll answer common questions about this unique healthcare staffing approach below.
Which healthcare facilities use the 12-hour nursing shift?
Twelve-hour shifts for nurses are most commonly associated with hospitals, but are used by some nursing homes and other 24-hour post-acute settings.
How many hours a day does a nurse work?
Facility rules or state-specific regulations often determine how long nurses can work in a given shift. Many hospitals limit shifts for nurses to no more than 16 hours to avoid fatigue-related safety issues. Certain states (like Minnesota) cap nursing work days at 12 hours.
How many days a week do nurses work?
For many nurses working 12 hours at a time, their typical schedule includes 3 shifts per week. If your follow-up question is, How many 12-hour shifts can a nurse work in a row? the answer is once again facility- and state-dependent. Many organizations limit weekly hours for nurses to no more than the federally recognized 40 hours. However, each healthcare facility staffs according to patient need, staffing numbers, local compliance standards, and scheduling policies.
Is the 12-hour nursing shift safer?
In the healthcare industry, it’s crucial to consider factors like patient safety when developing a scheduling model. Research shows that 12-hour nurse shifts improve patient outcomes by helping to reduce medical errors, prevent miscommunication, and improve patient satisfaction.
How does overtime work in a 12-hour shift?
For many nurses, because their workday is set at 12 hours, they’re in overtime until they’ve exceeded those set hours per shift (or their designated weekly hours). However, some organizations pay overtime for anything beyond an 8-hour shift, which may be required under state law.
Shift differentials are also used to address recruitment or staffing issues. They’re not considered overtime, but many facilities offer evening or night shift differential pay, in addition to hourly increases on holidays.
How do nurses feel about 12-hour shifts?
Why do nurses work 12-hour shifts when they have other options? Personal needs and preferences certainly factor into shift choices, but a 12-hour workday is often the right fit for many nurses. From the nurse’s perspective, the pros and cons of 12-hour nursing shifts include the following.
| More days off: With four days to rest and recover, it’s easier to take vacations, go to birthday parties, and attend community functions.
Less time commuting: With the average work commute totaling 27 minutes each way, employees can save time and money by condensing the work week to three days. Fewer overall hours per week: Earning full benefits and a competitive salary in a 36-hour work week is an appealing benefit for nurses working long shifts. |
Poor work-life balance on workdays: Moral distress and mental illness are more common among shift workers, especially those that work night shifts.
Health risks: The short- and long-term effects of working long nursing hours include obesity, asthma, poor sleep patterns, and arthritis. Difficult to build routine: Because the days and hours at work change frequently for each nurse, it can be difficult to do things like join clubs and find child care support. |
Benefits of 12-Hour Nursing Shifts for Your Facility
With answers to your key questions, including, Why do nurses work 12-hour shifts? you’re better prepared to approach staffing from a research-backed position. As you establish the scheduling framework that best suits the needs of your teams and patients, here are five takeaways that reveal how 12-hour nurse shifts can optimize patient outcomes at your facility.
1. Improved Continuity of Care
One of the most compelling reasons for staffing your facility with 12-hour shifts is enhanced patient safety. Medical errors are often made during the nurse handover period between shifts. By limiting the number of times handoff is given from three to two times a day, hospitals can improve patient safety.
2. Better Daily Flow
With only two shifts scheduled per day, each shift can be more symmetrical and predictable for the patients you serve. For example, physical assessments take place at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., medication distribution happens at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., and patients can get help with activity at 10 a.m. and 10 p.m..
Scheduling 2 equal 12-hour nurse shifts can help patients and staff members find a bit of rhythm in an otherwise chaotic day.
3. Stronger Patient-Staff Relationships
Nurses who work 12-hour shifts are able to build better rapport with the patients they serve. Employees often work three shifts in a row, meaning that long periods of time are spent getting to know the patient’s needs and wishes.
4. Improved Staffing Consistency
Hospital managers report that safe staffing ratios are harder to achieve on units that use 8 hours vs. 12-hour shifts in nursing. Having a smaller staff that works longer nursing hours helps relieve nursing shortages to ensure that patients get the high-quality care they deserve.
5. Reduced Hospital Costs
Hospitals that staff nursing employees in 12-hour shifts have increased staff satisfaction scores and retention rates, and reduced position vacancy. Employing nurses in longer shift patterns can save the hospital money by reducing staff turnover.
Learn More Ways to Retain Your Workforce
So, why do nurses work 12-hour shifts? Learning about the benefits of different types of nursing schedules is just one way to improve and retain strong nurses. Reach out to IntelyCare to help find cost-effective solutions to all of your workforce needs.