Shift work is a double-edged sword.

It allows nurses and midwives time to deal with errands during the week that 9-to-5 workers have to wait for the weekend to do. On the other hand, shift workers often miss out on weekends and family activities. Penalty rates are great, but different working hours throughout the week can wreak havoc on one’s health. A compromise to this is the 12-hour shift as the alternative. These 12-hour shifts provide a work–life balance that 8-hour shifts can’t.

Working three to four shifts a week can give you three to four days off work, which gives nurses and midwives more time to rest and more time to enjoy life. It also provides more time to spend with family. Another benefit of working 12-hour shifts is avoiding peak-hour traffic. When you leave at 7:00 pm, most likely, you will have a clear trip home.

Another advantage of 12-hour shifts is the continuity of care you can provide to your patients. As attested by a new mum nurse, it helped that she had continuity of care when she had her baby. It meant she had one midwife caring for her while she was still in labour until she gave birth. Above all else, this should be at the forefront of the 12-hour shift advantages: Continuous patient care not only to provide the care, but also provide support to soon-to- be mothers.

This is why midwives at Westmead Hospital fought to get 12-hour shifts reinstated, after losing them without any consultation. They won back 12-hour shifts through the IRC. There are still more negotiations to ensure their 12-hour shifts can be made permanent. But if we look at the benefits for midwives and soon-to-be mothers, there is no argument beyond those benefits.

For now, let us celebrate this small win and hope we can make this permanent in the future for our midwives.

Wing Besilos, RN