A common question from radiography forums and Facebook groups. People want to know if there is a particular shift that has less drama than all the other shifts.
Healthcare shifts are not unique in that they offer a multitude of working shifts.
The Best Shift Configuration
- Day Shift 8am to 5pm or a variation close to it
- Swing Shift (aka Second Shift) near 2pm to 1030pm
- Night Shift (aka Third Shift or Graveyards) is typically 10pm to 7am
- Weekend Shift is on Saturdays and Sundays and can be an hourly combination
The most effective way to cover all hours with minimal staffing AND in a way that gives employees a decent amount of time off to enjoy life is to put everyone on 12-hour shifts.
A 12-hour shift means an employee only has to work three days to accumulate a full-time job and can enjoy the next four days off.
A department can be staffed from 7am to 7pm with a day shift crew. Then replaced at “shift change” with a night shift crew who works 7pm to 7am.
Everyone enjoys a work/life balance of only working three days each week with four days off to enjoy life.
The only hitch in this plan is that having three day shifts doesn’t cover seven days a week. You have to incorporate a shift consisting of four 10-hour shifts, like 10pm to 7am.
But with the right mixture of 12-hour shifts and 10-hour shifts, everyone gets a good work/life balance.
You can even rotate the 10-hour shifts with 12-hour shifts every other week, if desired.
Shift with Least Amount of Drama
Without a doubt, at least in my career, the most drama occurs during the day shift. Probably because of two main factors:
- it is the shift with the most amount of people working
- it is the only shift guaranteed to have administration on site
With that being said, the night shift is usually the place with the least amount of drama. I mean, how much drama can you create when there is only one or two techs working the whole department?
