12 Hour Shifts versus 8 Hour Shifts
Terri Lynn McCarley, RN
Ohio Christian University
Statistics
PS3060
Professor Decker
October 28, 2013

The purpose of this paper is to compare the preference of eight hour shifts and 12 hour shifts. This paper reviews how the nurse’s age and gender affect the survey. It also looks at their marital status along with the reason why they prefer eight hour shifts or 12 hour shifts. In response to economic, technology, and social pressure a 24 hour operation is very common in most workplaces today. This response requires the workforce to accept and become more adaptive to various forms of shiftwork schedules.
Hypothesis Statement: Nurses prefer 12 hour shifts
Null Hypothesis: Nurse have no preference in 8 hour shifts versus 12 hour shifts
Level of Risk or Level of Significance is set at .05

Methodology
The thirty-five Registered Nurse, of a psychiatric unit, were manually surveyed to determine what shift they preferred to work. Each nurse was asked if they preferred eight hour shifts or if they preferred to work 12 hour shifts. Each nurse met with the supervisor and director to discuss the different concerns and/or options of the two shifts.
The areas of concerns about implementing 12 hour shift were: (a) Safety; (b) Sleep, Physical Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing; (c) Fatigue and Performance in Work; (d) Absenteeism and Turnover; (e) Nurses Attitudes, Preferences and Morale and (f) Overtime.
One of the main areas that were focused on was that no matter what shift was decided upon that the Patients would still continue to get best practice care. The other focus was that Staff would work as a team to determine the best outcome for the Psychiatric Unit.
Each nurse provided information about their age and their gender. Male Nurses only accounted for two out of the thirty-five. The ages of the Nurses ranged from 21-72 years old. The survey looked to see if this had any impact on their preference of eight hour shifts or of 12 hour shifts.

female
39
Y
Married

Gender
Age Range
Y/N
Marital Status male 33
Y
Separated female 40
Y
Divorced female 36
Y
Divorced male 45
N
Divorced female
38
Y
Married
female
28
Y
Married
female
26
N
Married
female
27
N
Divorced
female
34
Y
Divorced
female
49
Y
Married
female
65
N
Married
female
64
N
Married
female
43
Y
Divorced
female
52
Y
Married
female
23
Y
Married
female
25
Y
Married
female
41
Y
Divorced
female
27
Y
Divorced
female
36
N
Married
female
21
Y
Single
female
72
N
Divorced
female
48
Y
Married
female
54
Y
Married
female
29
Y
Married
female
44
Y
Married
female
52
Y
Married
female
47
Y
Married
female
39
Y
Married
female
31
Y
Single
female
40
Y
Married
female
43
Y
Married
female
24
Y
Single
female
59
Y
Married
female
64
N
Divorced
female
39
Y
Divorced

female
31
Y
Single

The majority of the younger aged nurses voted yes to have 12 hour shifts for the Psychiatric Unit. The more mature in age nurses explained that they did not have the desire or the drive to work 12 hour shifts. They continue the discussion that they did not feel they were as physically active as they once was and that they felt that after eight hours they would not be beneficial to the Patients or to the Unit. The survey reveals that the majority of married nurses preferred 12 hour shifts. They reported that the fewer shifts would allow them to spend more time with their family. The 12 hour shifts would also allow them to take more time off and not have them to use their vacation time. They reported that it would cut down on child care cost and allow them to stay home more with their children. Several nurses stated that they could work opposite of their spouse and not have to have day care at all. Another benefit working 12 hour shifts was that they only have to work every third weekend versus every other weekend. This would give them more of an opportunity to attend sport events, church events and to attend events as a