As a CNA I frequently worked double shifts (16 hrs) in order to cover for someone who decided they didn't want to come to work that day.  It's no secret the turn over rate for CNA's is very high, and I worked my hall alone nearly every evening.  This meant having sometimes more than 30 pts. assigned to me.  Thankfully some of those pts. were ambulatory and somewhat self sufficient, but a good portion of them required bathing, turning, routine peri care, etc....It infuriated me that I could not go home at the end of a shift and feel as though I had made one ounce of difference for any of them, mainly because I had to cut major corners in order to get anyone even partly cared for.  Many was the night that showers were not given and pts. were not turned in a timely manner.  That was what I hated about being a CNA, and one of the reasons I stopped working in that field.  It wasn't the hours of hard work, it was knowing that no matter how long I stayed or how hard I worked, someones mother, grandmother, father, grandfather, sister, brother was not getting the attention and care they so desperately needed and deserved.

i just came out of a job for people with special needs  where we worked  3-4  24hr. shifts with a sleep time set ( not that you could sleep)

it was rewarding but left no time for my  family

I worked at a nursing home and before I left the Director of Nursing called and told me to come prepared to stay over.  They were forecasting a blizzard starting that evening and I worked the second shift.  I packed a bag this was a Friday afternoon made it in .  Two other nurses stayed over.  The three of us with the help of the Nuns took care of 3 floors.  I worked 12 hours slept 4 and was back on the floor.  By Sunday night I refused to work without  enough sleep to function propably. I told them I would rather lose my job than my license or someone lose their life  due to my negligence.  I knew I would have another job within two or three days.  And the buck always stops at the nurses regardless who makes the error the nurse gets the blame.   Needless to say working all those crazy shifts and hours I am retired and have insomnia so bad I can't sleep without medication.

The longest shift, I worked, lt was 16 hours a Double shift and yes it was tiresome, the trick is to take all your breaks, and mostly wear some very comfortable, and supportive shoes, one time, I didn't and my feet had blisters during and at the end of my shift. Good Bless.

I think  its was 32 long hours , I remember was in the hospital with a patient  with cancer. but,  longer I'm busy,  I'm  fine, I don't know but  I'm very hyper, I have to be moving constantly.

" I worked for a private contractor during the Blizzard of January,1996; there were numerous employees

   from several departments," working and sleeping > timed schedules",enough to keep the STC/LTC

   facility going.It wasn't too long,before," the roads were declared open",and the everyday life of this

   quiet community returned to," status quo".

    By the end of the week, I had worked:"70 hours within 7 days", thus had recieved from my employer,

    " An Award of Appreciation",that I keep fondly in a scrapbook".

Well, just this past weekend I did a double and triple shift. I slept in til 9am on Friday...worked my day shift-got off went home & had dinner. Went in early for 2nd shift of 9.5  hours-got off at 7am, went home showered and napped for 2 hours. Went to day shift again, got off in the evening, had dinner, napped for 1 hour. Went to my night shift-got off at 7am, had breakfast and rushed to my last day shift.                         So up since Fri @9am-til Sun 9pm, with a 3 hour nap in between 5 shifts!  And they still wanted me to work the night shift again on Sunday! But, I love my job, love my pts.,  and deal with the families.

" I do recall several years ago,when working@ a teaching hospital, I had taken," a job-related course",

   in addition to working,part-time on a Telemetry Unit. There was one day, I had class,from 12noon-3pm,

    then,hurried,next door to the hospital,to work 3-11:30pm. That evening, the RN Supervisor had asked

    several nurses," to stay and work until 7:30 am,secondary to numerous,call-outs recieved.

     Obviously, I needed the money,so I had opted to stay,( working on the same floor ), until 8am.

     ** Total...19.5 hours. I returned to work,the same day, to work, another 3-11:30pm shift."

I regularly worked 14 hours on a busy medical oncology unit, lunch on the run, few bathroom breaks (but who needs those when you don't have time to drink anything?). The longest I worked was 18 hours...I agreed to 16, but  one of my patients coded and died at the end.  Unforgettable.  Caffeine and adreneline were my salvation! 

I've worked 16 hour shift several times! But the longest was 17.5 hours!

16 hours more times than I can count.  Usualy because we're short staffed & I get "persuaded" to stay through the first med pass of the next shift and then am able to go home.  For some reason, it's far easier to do the routine 12 hour shift vs. the 16 hours but patients come first and since most days I do love my job I'm willing to stay.