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Gone are the days when nurses slept in the hospital wards to be close to their patients. However, it wasn't until after World War II that nursing adopted the standard 8-hour day. Hospitals began using the 12-hour shift in the 1970s during a national nursing shortage as a way to retain nurses. Today, 75% of hospital nurses work 12-hour shifts (Townsend, 2013). Nursing shifts of 12 hours or longer are more common in teaching and high-technology hospitals (Stimpfel, Sloane, & Aiken, 2012).
Nurses can work less hours and days, and potentially have an improved work/life balance. For hospitals, the longer shifts mean less overtime and use of agency nurses, and greater ease in developing schedules, with only two shifts to cover each day and two daily handoffs.
Stone and colleagues (2006) found that nurses who worked 12-hour shifts were generally more satisfied with their jobs, reported less emotional exhaustion, and were about 10 times more satisfied with their work schedules, compared with those working 8-hour shifts. Units that offered 12-hour shifts had lower vacancy rates, and vacant positions were filled more quickly.
Patients tend to like having fewer names and faces to remember. Dr. Joan Rich, vice president of the School of Nursing at Rasmussen College, says she feels more connected to her patients when she can see them and their families over a longer day (as cited in Knoll, 2013). Dr. Rich cites better continuity of care; communication is better when patient information and assessments are being passed between two people instead of three in a day (as cited in Knoll, 2013).
Concerns about the 12-Hour Shift
Despite these positives outcomes, a recent comprehensive scoping review of evidence of the impact and effectiveness of 12-hour shifts found inconclusive evidence in areas of risks to patients, patient experience, risks to staff, staff experience, and impact on the hospital (Harris, Sims, Parr, & Davies, 2015). Some studies demonstrated positive impacts, and others negative or no impacts.
One area of concern is how 12hour shifts can affect nurses and what that might mean, not only for the nurse, but also for the hospital. A study of over 22,000 nurses in the United States reported that more than 80% of nurses were satisfied with scheduling practices at their...