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The Truth About Working Three Days a Week

While people may think its great to work only three days a week, the truth is that having
four days off every week might not be as interesting as it sounds. Nursing is a mentally and
physically exhausting career, and nurses who work three days a week have 12-hour shift
days, which sometimes extends to 14-hour shifts.
Advantages of Working Three Days a Week
Shorter Work Week
Working three days a week means you have shorter work weeks and more days to enjoy
time with your family and friends. If you have a long commute, a shorter work week means
fewer hours spent on the road.
Desirable Balance Between Work and Personal Life
One of the biggest benefits nurses experience because they work three days a week is a
better balance between work and their personal lives. Having four days away from the job
and its stress gives you some time to enjoy your personal life. Studies have shown that
smaller work weeks translate into reduced absenteeism, better staff morale, and less staff
turnover.
Better Care For the Patient
In this profession, communication errors occur at shift changes and they can sometimes put
the patients life at risk. With longer work hours, only two shift changes are required per
day as opposed to three. Therefore, patients will benefit a lot from the continuity of care.
Flexibility
With four free days at hand, you may find it easier to attend a second job and earn more
money. With a large amount of free time at your disposal, you can also volunteer in a
meaningful way or indulge in different household work.
Disadvantages of 12- Hour Long Shift
Fatigue
With extended work hours, fatigue sets in over a period of time. Working for more hours
per day means that you will lose your focus at the end of the day and make errors.
Symptoms of fatigue start showing from extended workdays and you may experience poor
concentration, sleepiness, increased susceptibility to illness, weariness, and irritability. If
you dont stop and rest, these symptoms can become overwhelming.
Reduced Productivity

Long working hours often proves to be counterproductive. According to a study, it was


proved that productivity was increased for only 3 to 4 weeks for every additional 20 hours
of work before turning negative. As a nurse, if you work consistently for long hours, you will
eventually start falling behind. Productivity declines with more working hours.
Patient dissatisfaction
Nurses working long hours become less responsive to the needs of their patients. This has
been directly related to fatigued nurses who experience burnouts working long hours for
three days a week. Nurses may also experience a burnout if there is inadequate nurse-topatient ratio, which can cause nurses to lag behind on their duties.
Neglected Social Life
When working for a 14-hour long shift, it becomes difficult to maintain a healthy social life.
With a hectic work schedule and extended work hours, ones quality of life can reduce.
Three-day work schedules can occasionally stop you from socializing, which can harm your
social life in certain instances.
Health Hazards
You must have heard the old saying, Hard work wont kill you. Well, it seems that we
should think twice about it, as working long shifts can cause health hazards. Depending on
the lengthened work hours and the area where you work, you can be exposed to serious
health hazards.
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