Length of Clinical Shift on Quality of Care, Learning Outcomes, and Satisfaction in Prelicensure Nursing Programs

Abstract

Some schools and nursing care organizations have implemented 12-hour shifts for students' clinical experiences. The aim of this review was to identify how student 12-hour shifts compared to shifts of less than 12 hours influence patient safety, care quality, learning outcomes, and student, faculty, and staff satisfaction. Searches for academic literature using electronic databases resulted in 13 primary research articles covering the period between 1982 and 2018. During longer clinical shifts, no change in patient safety events occurred. Students and clinical staff perceived care quality was maintained or influenced positively. Faculty were undecided or minimally did not believe care quality improved. While students perceived meeting learning outcomes, faculty perceptions were divided. Students were satisfied with longer shifts; however, the satisfaction of faculty and clinical staff was mixed. Within realms of patient safety, care quality, learning outcomes, and student, faculty, and clinical staff satisfaction, research has been insufficient and inconclusive regarding 12-hour student shifts.