24 hr shifts?

[ocellicyst]

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I was looking at some job openings in my possible future career...and I saw a 10-16 12 hr shifts a month or 5-8 24 hr shifts a month... I feel like I would definitely choose the latter. I work 12 hour shifts right now as a scribe and it isn't sooooo bad. What do you guys think? Pros and cons? I wonder what how long it would take to recover from 24 hr. I've heard from emts and firefighters that it is pretty brutal.

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[MedPR]

I was looking at some job openings in my possible future career...and I saw a 10-16 12 hr shifts a month or 5-8 24 hr shifts a month... I feel like I would definitely choose the latter. I work 12 hour shifts right now as a scribe and it isn't sooooo bad. What do you guys think? Pros and cons? I wonder what how long it would take to recover from 24 hr. I've heard from emts and firefighters that it is pretty brutal.

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I'd like 9-5 M-F, but I also want to do surgery so somethings gotta give.

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[ocellicyst]

Yeah. I'd prefer 9-5, but I feel like those days are over. I just really want a schedule where I can spend time with family. Working a few days a month would do that lol. I wonder if efficiency decreases with such a long shift, though.

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[MedPR]

Yeah. I'd prefer 9-5, but I feel like those days are over. I just really want a schedule where I can spend time with family. Working a few days a month would do that lol. I wonder if efficiency decreases with such a long shift, though.

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EM supposedly has good shift work.

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[GUH]

If your family is a priority, working surgery (or other specialties with particularly long hours) kind of makes things difficult unless you're willing to earn a little bit less $$$.

It seems that a lot of docs choose to work ridiculous hours because they make a lot of money for each hour worked compared to the average Joe, which they certainly should. But it's not impossible to work with very reasonable hours as a physician; you might just have to settle for a speciality/practice/location/income level that allows for it.

I shadowed an FM doc who works maybe ~ 20-30 hours/week and loves it. He doesn't make tons of money compared to an ENT working 70+ hours but isn't struggling by any means.

 

[dntke1518]

EM supposedly has good shift work.

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The only 24hr shifts that I observed were ER docs and Hospitalists (IM), granted that was in a smaller hospital, but they managed. Some nights would get a little crazy and they wouldn't get much sleep but they had a day or two off after that.

 

[ocellicyst]

Guess I should have specified that its EM...

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[FrkyBgStok]

EM does have some sweet schedules but you really gotta take everything into account. 24 hour shifts are more common in smaller hospitals where it is possible you could get a little sleep. sometimes it doesn't happen, but it could. another thing to consider is that 12 hour shifts are not the same as 24 hour shifts. I know that sounds obvious but coming from someone who used to occasionally work 16-18 hour shifts, your body starts completely shutting down at hour 14-15 and the last few hours are the longest part of the day. everyone is different but 24 hours on is pretty brutal. if you didn't have a choice it is easier to deal with because you HAVE to get used to it, but if you do have a choice, people quickly say "screw this crap." this is all negating a family as well as if you don't get sleep, it takes a good 2-3 days to fully recover. but for some people it can be considered a gravy schedule.

 

[Dmr6186]

EM does have some sweet schedules but you really gotta take everything into account. 24 hour shifts are more common in smaller hospitals where it is possible you could get a little sleep. sometimes it doesn't happen, but it could. another thing to consider is that 12 hour shifts are not the same as 24 hour shifts. I know that sounds obvious but coming from someone who used to occasionally work 16-18 hour shifts, your body starts completely shutting down at hour 14-15 and the last few hours are the longest part of the day. everyone is different but 24 hours on is pretty brutal. if you didn't have a choice it is easier to deal with because you HAVE to get used to it, but if you do have a choice, people quickly say "screw this crap." this is all negating a family as well as if you don't get sleep, it takes a good 2-3 days to fully recover. but for some people it can be considered a gravy schedule.

+1 with experience as well.

Stick with the 12s.

 

[survivordo]

Worked with some surgeons that routinely did 24 hours shifts (in hospital call). None of them seemed to mind but I suspect it would get old after awhile.

Survivor DO

 

[ocellicyst]

Worked with some surgeons that routinely did 24 hours shifts (in hospital call). None of them seemed to mind but I suspect it would get old after awhile.

Survivor DO

I could see it being pretty easy (relative) during my 30s and maybe early 40s, but I'd love the option to switch out as I age. Although...switching up might give some strain. I guess I have a lot to learn about being a real physician when I'm in med school.

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[wooki]

a 24-hr call can vary a lot. it all depends how much sleep you can sneak in.

but yes post-call, if you do get to go home, is ridiculous. you spend practically the entire day just recovering. even after 12-hr shifts, it kind of takes the rest of the daylight hours to catch up.

 

[VisareAvGud]

Personally, I would prefer a job with close to normal hours (ie. 9-5ish). That way my schedule is close to most of the working world. I worked long night shifts as an undergrad and absolutely hated working when everyone else was free.

 

[gmcguitar4]

Def do the 12 hour shifts. They suck but you don't need all the recover time from them. I will have no choice but to work a ton to pay off all my loans for a while, but as I get older I will def cut the hours/days down a ton to just live a comfortable lifestyle. I would be fine driving a Toyota in a small house the rest of my life.

 

[LebLlama]

ive done 12hr shifts...and those are hard enough.... how do 24 hr shifts even work? are you expected to stay up the whole time or can you sleep during downtime? i thought sleepy people are as bad as drunk people as far as mistakes made...and it seems like around 20-24hrs into the shift the individual wouldn't be able to function well..

 

[cliquesh]

ive done 12hr shifts...and those are hard enough.... how do 24 hr shifts even work? are you expected to stay up the whole time or can you sleep during downtime? i thought sleepy people are as bad as drunk people as far as mistakes made...and it seems like around 20-24hrs into the shift the individual wouldn't be able to function well..

I did a few weeks of trauma surgery. I'd work 1 day for 24 hrs. Then the next 2 or 3 days off. Repeat. I didn't sleep most shifts. It wasn't that bad. I just drank a lot of coffee/monsters and read a lot. There was plenty of down time.

12 hr days are pretty normal for any specialty in medicine, just to let you know.

 

[cabinbuilder]

ive done 12hr shifts...and those are hard enough.... how do 24 hr shifts even work? are you expected to stay up the whole time or can you sleep during downtime? i thought sleepy people are as bad as drunk people as far as mistakes made...and it seems like around 20-24hrs into the shift the individual wouldn't be able to function well..

No, you are not expected to stay up the entire 24 hours. These are smaller hospital ER shifts where you are available and generallly the nurse calls you when there is a patient to be seen. I am doing rural medicine where I do clinic 9-5, and cover ER. The most I have done is 17 days in a row of 24 hrs shifts. I usually get about 5 hours a night. You get used to it.

 

[circulus vitios]

Working 8 24 hour shifts a month would be an AMAZING schedule for me. The less time I spent driving to and from work, getting ready for work, etc. the better.

 

[pre med 2014]

I work several 24 hour shifts per week.... but I'm in elder care so I sleep when they sleep.

 

[Bacchus]

I would never consistently work 24 hour shifts. No no no.

 

[ocellicyst]

Sleep? If I worked once a week 24 hrs or 2 every other week or whatever...the schedule, I can't imagine it would really screw you up too badly. I see a lot of people talking about working 24hrs then taking a day or 2 off, then back to work. That would be awful. It's like work 15 24 hour shifts a month... That would be a definite no no no for me, but most of the time there is a few day delay. Seems reasonable, esp. considering I'm sure you could switch.

Although the consensus is pretty mixed............

It does drive me crazy when I'm working and everyone is off. That is what I hate the most about working shifts right now. My weekend started Tuesday and I go back to work fri, sat, sun when everyone is off. It is horrible for my social life.

 

[emtthink]

It really depends on how busy the hosptial is. I work in EMS and have worked 48-60 hours shifts. Sometime you are busy sometime your aren't. I had 1 48 hour shift where we had 43 calls (each call takes about an hour) and was dead tired after it. Other shifts were't so bad. But honestly working in an ED (unless it is slow) I would choose the 12 hour shifts.