Rethinking shiftwork: mid-life nurses making it work!

Many current analyses of shiftwork neglect nurses' own voices when describing the dis/advantages of a shift working lifestyle. This paper reports the findings of a critical re-analysis of two studies conducted with female mid-life Australian nurses to explore the contention that the 'problem-centred' focus of current shift work research does not effectively address the 'real' issue for mid-life nurses, that is, how to develop and maintain shift work tolerance. Participants used shift work to: (i) manage, navigate and negotiate various aspects of their nursing work and the workplace itself; (ii) facilitate more manageable work/life negotiations; and (iii) self-identify opportunities to engage in their own self-care (body work and mind work). The findings thus went beyond simply exposing what nursing bodies do in time and space by bringing to the fore discussions of 'time-body' relationships, the embodiment of time and nurses re/configuration of that time demonstrating that the frequently unacknowledged positive aspects of shift work, when centred in discussions, give voice to other ways to think about shift work and a shift-working lifestyle. Thus, our contention is that the 'problem-centred' focus of current shift work debates does little to address the 'real' issue for shift-working mid-life female nurses - the development and maintenance of shift work tolerance.