New kind of shift: 7/70

[cougarnurse]

OK.....this is something else: Nursing Shortage: New Program Targets at Nurse Retension - KIAH

Seven days on, seven days off: it's a new shift for nurses at Texas Health Fort Worth.

Nurses in the Palliative Care Unit at Texas Health Fort Worth are busy taking care of people near the end of their life. Matt Canning says his job is often sad, but fulfilling.

In early July, Matt and other nurses in the unit started working seven day, ten hour shifts. It sounds like a lot, but when it's over, he gets seven days off. A week on, a week off. That's 26 weeks off a year, plus vacation time. Matt says he's now more productive at home and work.

"I do feel much more motivated to come back to work after seven days off, even though I have seven days ahead of me, I just feel more motivated to come back because I've been able to clear my head from the week before."

The 7/70 pilot program comes at a time when the national nursing shortage could reach a 500,000 by 2025. Nurse manager Ashley Hodo says the program is being well received.

"I think it allows the staff time to kind of rejuvenate, to also, you know, think about the patients they've cared for and also be able to take care of themselves outside of here, which is very important to be able to come back and care for patients and that families that are in the unit."

The standard shift for nurses is usually three, twelve hour days with four days off, but Matt says the system was flawed because he never knew in advance what his schedule was going to be. He says he spent most of his time planning around his schedule. While his job is still as demanding as ever, he now has more quality time, away from it all.

"Yea, my wife actually said that i seem to be getting a lot more things done around the house since I started doing this schedule."

A schedule that he says may keep more nurses coming back.

"Just from what I've seen so far, it will."

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