Please tell me about working three 12 hour shifts/week

[Anonymous]

I am considering applying for a job in which I'd work three 12 hour shifts/week. Every month the days and shift would change (sometimes including a weekend, sometimes being overnight). Kind of like nursing can be, but it's not nursing. I have a 4 month old and a 4 year old (and a DH who is very good at parenting/child care and cooking and works 9 a.m. to 6 or 7 p.m. and travels about once a month).

Do you work this type of schedule (or have you)? I can see pros and cons. I would like to have 4 non-work days to spend with my kids and take care of the house, etc., but am afraid I'll be tired all the time, need to sleep during the day if I was working over night, have trouble getting childcare, etc. Please share how it worked for your family and how you arranged child care. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Those are some long shifts. I can understand wanting long stretches of time off but maybe working in moderation (ie eight hours five days a week) isn't so bad. Overnight shifts are not good for your health. There are studies that show an increase in cancer among third shift workers. They think it is from the exposure to light during hours when humans are supposed to be sleeping.

[Anonymous]

I'm an RN who does this all the time. I love it. 4 hrs longer isn't that much, and the time off is wonderful.

[Anonymous]

My boyfriend does this almost exactly. He does three 12 hour shifts at a hospital (he's not a nurse but does nurse support stuff). He does about 2-3 overnights/month and about 1 weekend/month. So, he's generally home most weekends, and he's not too affected by the overnights since they're not that often.
We don't have children though, so I can't speak on that. He is exhausted after a 12 hour shift though. He has been finding he can't/doesn't want to do much the next day. Or at least will wait until 2-3oclock to do errands, gym, etc. He is on his feet and busy the ENTIRE 12 hour shift though and has one half hour break for lunch. I don't know how he does that. I need to eat every 4 hours at least, or I go nuts.
I don't know, I guess there's pros as cons. Having 4 days off is awesome, but they're not consistent which will I think is a major drawback.

[Anonymous]

For nearly 15 years I have worked 4 10-hour days with rotating shifts and rotating days. I am beyond burned out. Over time the shift work really wears you down. The overnights are a bitch. since I had kids a couple of years ago I have been beyond exhausted. Your body never gets used to the constantly changing times; your kids still get up at the crack of dawn and need you to be on; and you will miss important events because you need to work on Saturday afternoon or Thursday night.

If you love this job, if your children are teenagers or if you really need the money, take the job. If not, think twice.

[Anonymous]

PP here. Another complicating factor: childcare. Most sitters or nannies want a M-F 9-5 job. It is very tough to find someone who will adapt to your rotating schedule (t/w/th this month, diff the next). And if your husband travels once a month, who will take care of the kids when you are working until midnight or on the overnight shift?

Working opposite shifts from your husband isn't great either. I work nights a lot so I don't see my husband or kid for 4 days/nights a week because our child in preschool v early and husband works early to pick him up. It is a major burden for my husband to get up early, work a full stressful day then be the sole caregiver on nights I work.

Sorry to be such a downer, but we have walked a mile in your shoes and it is tougher than it looks. I hope it is easier for you.

[Anonymous]

I work 2, 12 hr shifts per week but mine are luckily regular. I do half nights. I nap the day after my late evening shifts, and sleep about 4-5 hr after my night shifts. My schedule can be tiring but i have 5 whole days to spend with my son which is amazing. We have a wonderful nanny come on my weekday shift.

[Anonymous]

PP here- I arrange my overnight to be into the weekend so DH can watch kids while i sleep in the morning. If you do a weekday overnight it would be tough to watch kids the next day on your own because of fatigue. I have also found that if you do 3 overnights in a row it is tougher to flip back to "regular" day schedule where as 1 or 2 nights is easier.

[Anonymous]

Childcare would definitely be the trickiest thing to figure out. Do you have family in the area that would be able to help out when it happens that DH is out of town and you're working overnight? If so, then if financially feasible my suggestion would be to get childcare that covers all of DH's regular work hours. That way you have the option of catching up on sleep/errands/etc. during that time if you need to, and then picking the kids up early or taking a day to be together when you can. This might actually be the more cost effective option, as you're covering regular business hours, and can use standard day care options.

If that doesn't seem like a workable option, then you're probably going to have to find a nanny willing to work hours like this (they are out there, as plenty in the medical profession are working hours like this). You're still probably going to have to guarantee her weekly hours, but you might be able to find someone who can be flexible with when those hours are. But all of that is likely to come at a premium.

[Anonymous]

If you flip shifts, do night shift then day shift not vice versa, and try to do the nights in clumps so you flip less. I work straight nights on this schedule and always do three or four in a row and flip to days when I'm off. Snow days are the pits but once the kids hit 5 or so you are ok there too.