Those dreaded 24s

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joeboo

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Am I the only one in EMS who can't stand working 24 hour shifts?:o

We get run ragged, and my slow documentation makes for 24 hours of misery........and to think all the Medics and Basics beg for these blessed shifts....

I'll stick to my 12 to 16 hour days trucks. I may get home late, but at least I get home:)
 
I'll trade my 24s for your 24s.
 
I'd trade for a 24 hour shift. I hate our SSM posting in the ambulances for 12 hours a day 3-4 times a week.
 
On the tail end of a 72 meow. Its the only way to pay the bills and go to school full time in my book.
 
I like 24s in a slow-to-medium setting, but ideally there's a crew-readiness alert and policies to limit late-night or very-early-morning LDTs (or a designated transfer crew). Properly done, it's the best way to schedule IMO.

For busier systems, I think that even 12-hour shifts are pushing it. 10s are a pretty sweet spot, as are 8s.
 
Rocketmedic40 said:
I like 24s in a slow-to-medium setting, but ideally there's a crew-readiness alert and policies to limit late-night or very-early-morning LDTs (or a designated transfer crew). Properly done, it's the best way to schedule IMO.

For busier systems, I think that even 12-hour shifts are pushing it. 10s are a pretty sweet spot, as are 8s.
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Yup depends on the system you work.

I prefer the 24s because you don't have to post all day and you can cook your own food at the station. With the use of day trucks in our system it is not too bad for the 24 trucks. We aren't an extremely high volume system though. Theres some places where a 24 would just be miserable as you'd be running almost the whole shift straight.
 
As started, 24s work great in the slow/medium systems.

And I don't know why more places don't do it, but 24s that run 1800-1800 (or 17-17, 19-19, etc) are amazing. I'd gladly work 18-18 the rest of my career.
 
In every system I have ever studied, the busiest hour of the day is 1700-1800. Ain't no way I would willingly work a 24 that ended at 1800. You can spell that LATE. CALL.
 
I work 24s, our shift runs 0800-0800. Our shifts are usually hit or miss. I've had ones where we had 1 call all shift, others that kept us up the whole shift. You never know. I wouldn't trade it for anything else either. We run Kelly days, so I work 8 days a month, every 3 weeks I get a 5 day weekend. I'll never get rich at this job, but the pay is enough for me to get by with no problems. If i want to work more, there is always OT available.
 
I much prefer 24's, but right now we've got the worst of both worlds. SSM all day, posting continuously until 2000 hours if we're lucky makes for a long day.

Still, though, beats 12's in my book.
 
I'd love to do station based 24s. It would never work in the system I work in though unless you were designated to one of the slower areas. Even then, you have the potential to get sucked into central if it gets busy.

I like 12s but I'd love to do 3x16s and have 4 days off each week.

abckidsmom said:
In every system I have ever studied, the busiest hour of the day is 1700-1800. Ain't no way I would willingly work a 24 that ended at 1800. You can spell that LATE. CALL.
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You can say that again. When I was working as an Intermediate they bumped my partner and I back from 0730-1930 to 0630-1830 to "help the night crews get off on time". WE promptly got a late call nearly every shift for the rest of the bid.
 
I started at a slow service that would do 24s and it drove me nuts with boredom (~1000 calls per ambulance annually). I went to a service that averaged over 4500 calls per truck that did 12s and 18s, and I loved it. Honestly, I prefer to work and not lay around watching TV (not that I didn't appreciate a slow day now and then).
 
medicsb said:
I started at a slow service that would do 24s and it drove me nuts with boredom (~1000 calls per ambulance annually). I went to a service that averaged over 4500 calls per truck that did 12s and 18s, and I loved it. Honestly, I prefer to work and not lay around watching TV (not that I didn't appreciate a slow day now and then).
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Agreed, it makes the day go by faster. Provided I have enough time to finish each chart after every call and get some food, coffee or use the bathroom every meow and again I'm a happy camper.

But running back to back for 24 would suck.
 
abckidsmom said:
In every system I have ever studied, the busiest hour of the day is 1700-1800. Ain't no way I would willingly work a 24 that ended at 1800. You can spell that LATE. CALL.
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Not my system, 5k calls a year, busiest time is 1000-1200hrs. I then slows from there

we work 12 hours, 4days on 4 days off. i like this system.
 
Bullets said:
Not my system, 5k calls a year, busiest time is 1000-1200hrs. I then slows from there

we work 12 hours, 4days on 4 days off. i like this system.
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See, with volume like that I'd rather work 24s or 48s.

We do 5000 calls in 3 weeks, maybe less.
 
phideux said:
I work 24s, our shift runs 0800-0800. Our shifts are usually hit or miss. I've had ones where we had 1 call all shift, others that kept us up the whole shift. You never know. I wouldn't trade it for anything else either. We run Kelly days, so I work 8 days a month, every 3 weeks I get a 5 day weekend. I'll never get rich at this job, but the pay is enough for me to get by with no problems. If i want to work more, there is always OT available.
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+ 1 except we go 0700 - 0700.
 
NVRob said:
Agreed, it makes the day go by faster. Provided I have enough time to finish each chart after every call and get some food, coffee or use the bathroom every meow and again I'm a happy camper.

But running back to back for 24 would suck.
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I agree. I was given the chance to choose between a relaxed 24 hr truck that was known for running 0-1 call per shift or a day truck in our busiest district.... And everyone acts like I am crazy for choosing the day truck. The first thing people say is "oh well you must be a new medic then".

And while they're right I am a newer medic, I feel like if at any point I get tired of running calls then it's probably time for me to find a new job anyways.
 
I'm a fan of the 13 in the city. Even a really busy shift is survivable for that long, and you only have to work three days a week. Plus instead of 12s, you're scheduled for 39 hours a week (duh), which means you're close to making overtime any time you get held over.

I hate 8s with a passion, I was stuck working them at a slow base. 24s would have been highly preferable.

I'm applying to work at a place that does 24s and does like 1500 calls per truck (three total). They're trying to switch to 48s given the volume.
 
abckidsmom said:
In every system I have ever studied, the busiest hour of the day is 1700-1800. Ain't no way I would willingly work a 24 that ended at 1800. You can spell that LATE. CALL.
Click to expand...

Weird. Our busiest time is from 1000-1600 then it slows down big time.
 
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