Are 12-hour shifts bad for nurses?

Large surveys link them with more burnout and intention to leave than 8-hour shifts. Nurses who choose 12-hour shifts may differ in other ways, so the surveys can't show cause.

How many hours should be between nursing shifts?

At least 11. Less is a short turnaround, linked with more sick leave and worse sleep.

12-hour night shifts and short rests

Updated October 12, 2026 · with an example to try

On 12-hour shifts, the rest between them is the part you can change. In Norwegian nurses, more short turnarounds, under 11 hours between shifts, went with more sick leave, and in a survey of nurses in 12 European countries, overtime went with poorer safety ratings. On a 7-to-7 unit, watch for a day shift the morning after a night and a day shift less than 2 days after a run of nights.

Check the rest between your shifts

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Shift 1 starts onStartEnd

Shift 2 starts onStartEnd

Shift 3 starts onStartEnd

Shift 4 starts onStartEnd

Shift 5 starts onStartEnd

Shift 6 starts onStartEnd

An end time at or before the start means the shift ends the next day.

Time off between shifts

Tue, Nov 3 07:00 to Tue, Nov 3 19:0012 h
Wed, Nov 4 07:00 to Wed, Nov 4 19:0012 h
Thu, Nov 5 07:00 to Fri, Nov 6 07:0024 h
Less than 2 days after 3 nights in a row: in the research, one day off wasn't enough to recover (why).
Fri, Nov 6 19:00 to Sun, Nov 8 19:0048 h
Mon, Nov 9 07:00 to Mon, Nov 9 07:000 h: short turnaround (under 11 hours)

Or use your real shifts, free, with no account:

Open the schedule check What the checks see

Three 12-hour nights, then a day shift 24 hours after the last: it meets the 11 hours but comes before you've recovered, so it's marked. Then a night with a day shift the next morning, which a swap can cause: no time off at all. Change the times to match your own.

What you can change on 12-hour shifts

Short turnarounds: in 1,538 Norwegian nurses followed for a year, the more short turnarounds in a month, the more sick leave the next month, about 7% more sick-leave days for each one (rate ratio 1.066). 83% had at least one in the year, 3 a month on average (Vedaa and colleagues, 2017).
Overtime: in 31,627 nurses at 488 hospitals in 12 European countries, those who worked overtime more often rated their unit's patient safety poor or failing (odds ratio 1.67) (Griffiths and colleagues, 2014).
Days off after nights: 2 before a day shift. In one study, one day off after a run of nights wasn't enough to recover (recovery after night shifts).

What research links to 12-hour shifts

These studies compare shifts of 12 hours or more, day or night, with shifts of 8 hours or less. In the same 31,627 nurses, those on 12 hours or more had about a quarter higher odds of emotional exhaustion, a form of burnout (odds ratio 1.26), 40% higher odds of job dissatisfaction (1.40) and about 30% higher odds of planning to leave (1.29) (Dall'Ora and colleagues, 2015).
Nurses on shifts of 12 hours or longer were more likely to rate their unit's patient safety poor or failing (odds ratio 1.41) and reported more missed care (rate ratio 1.13) (Griffiths and colleagues, 2014).

Short turnarounds

In a trial across 66 units of a Norwegian hospital, a schedule that cut short turnarounds from 13.2 to 6.7 per worker over 6 months slightly improved insomnia and daytime sleepiness, though not fatigue (Djupedal and colleagues, 2024).
Why 11 hours: it's the daily rest the European Union's working time law sets, and the cutoff research uses for a quick return, its word for a short turnaround. US law sets no minimum, so the number is your unit's or your contract's to set. The research on quick returns.
For nights in a row and days off after nights, see consecutive night shifts.

Common questions

Are 12-hour shifts bad for nurses?: Large surveys link them with more burnout and intention to leave than 8-hour shifts. Nurses who choose 12-hour shifts may differ in other ways, so the surveys can't show cause.
How many hours should be between nursing shifts?: At least 11. Less is a short turnaround, linked with more sick leave and worse sleep.

Chart your own shifts over time.

Capillary Health makes scheduling software for hospitals and clinics. The free checks keep nothing; a free account is different. It saves your work calendar's shifts and charts your hours, nights and rest between shifts over time. No one in your department or hospital sees them (who can see what).

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