When time isn't on your side: 12-hour shifts
Jacqueline A. Miller BSN, RN, NE-BC

$7.95 		Nursing Management
June 2011 
Volume 42  Number 6
Pages 38 - 43
 
  PDF Version Available!

ABSTRACT
NJ has worked as an RN for 30 years. Her chosen specialty is in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). In the PACU, she's able to use her vast experience and knowledge to help patients emerge from anesthesia. Every day is like a new day for her, always learning and strengthening her skills. She's highly valued and sought after for her wealth of knowledge and expertise. NJ is, however, part of the baby-boomer generation. She's well into her 50s, and the stress of her duties along with scheduled 12-hour days and being on call is taking a toll on her. Although her children have long been out of the house, she has grandchildren that are close by that she cares for several days a week. Her mother is elderly, and NJ visits her at the assisted living facility on her days off. Because of familial responsibilities, NJ has worked longer days so she can have more time off and continue receiving her full-time pay and benefits.There are many reasons nurses choose to leave the profession: inadequate staffing, long work hours, and fatigue to name a few. Leadership is now beginning to see the impact of the extended shift and the toll it has on nursing and, ultimately, patients. The research is clear: there's an increase in errors with staff members who work extended hours. But how can we change the culture of so many who have come to rely on 12-hour shifts as a way of life?Historically, because hospitals never close, healthcare managers have devised creative, cost-efficient ways to staff the units. Incorporating 10-, 12-, and 16-hour shifts decreases the amount of needed staff and is cost-effective, but at what cost to the patient? This subject tends to become somewhat controversial. On one hand, it's a staff satisfier and aids in retention, but on the other, it may be endangering lives of patients and putting nurses and hospitals at risk for increases in injury and liability. Recently, nurses at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Augusta, Ga., protested 16-hour work days.1 Economy, weakening

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