define break...lol

[lkulmann]

Anyone?

[Tait, MSN, RN]

There is more and more research coming out that breaks are a necessity for patient safety and nurse well-being. While I was always guilty of taking my breaks "with the door open" so I could listen out, I would have loved to shut my mind off for a full thirty and just relax.

[lkulmann]

Yep.No matter how busy it is.They make sure we get our breaks.

What state and is it union....just curious....

[martymoose, BSN, RN]

hmm define break....

I could liken it to old style horse training- They break you until you have no life left in you.......

[CodeteamB]

The time when I can groan "I'm on my -insert profanity- break! What can't wait another 6 minutes!" When I am disturbed.

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

Break to me is enough time to finish a decent sized meal and a few minutes to pee.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

Breaks are required by law in some states. If you don't get one, it should be paid...lol.

In my part of the world, there has been lawsuits over this...employees said they didn't get a break, employers say "your fault" to the employee. Well, believe it or not, the employees won.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

On our floor, only one staff member at a time may take a break on midnights. Well, there are ten of us. That's five hours and we can't take the break before 1 or after 5. You do the math!

The techs take their breaks, and a few of the nurses do but most of us don't.

This is the same management that thinks if you clock out on time there is no way you had a bad night.

[loriangel14, RN]

What state and is it union....just curious....

Ontario Canada and yeah it's union

[JDZ344]

We normally all get ours. We cover each other. If it's super busy, we might have to shave some time off, though.

[andreita1382]

I am the only nurse on the floor on a super busy grave yard shift. I Define a break as eating finger foods while I chart. If I get a chance to pee twice, I consider that a good night, and the second time I take my time = break.

[CodeteamB]

Lucky to get a break here (UK). Shift is 15 hours long (7am until 9.30pm) and we are supposed to get 1 20 minute breakfast, 1 1/2 lunch, a 10 minute tea break and a 1/2 hour evening break.

However, management rules:

No lunch breaks allowed between 12-1.30 (you know... lunchtime) as patients lunch time falls in within that time.

1 RN and 1 NA allowed off the floor for a break at a time.

If you don't go to lunch by 2pm, tough luck. You've missed it.

So. That leaves us the hours of 11-12 and 1.30-2 for lunch.

The law here kinds of screws us over, because it says we must be allowed to take a break but we have to make sure we get it. So it's illegal for a company to say "You may not have a break" but if our work doesn't allow us to have one, then that's our fault, we should have time managed better. Mostly I just take a break long enough to eat and pee, so in all, I think I get around 30 minutes per day.

At night, we sit down whenever it's quiet and count that as break.

My goodness! That is insane. I may complain but I take my breaks and if I don't my employer pays me the break time at OT rates.

We also have no limitations on when we can go, each nurse has an assigned break buddy or pod mate and we work it out amongst ourselves, as long as my patients are covered I can go whenever I please.

There are people who are chronic break-missers and they will get told to work on their time management skills, and we are expected to inform our charge if we are not getting our breaks with the idea that she will make her best effort to help us get away. The general policy is if you miss your break you will be compensated.

[edmia, BSN, RN]

30 minute breakfast break and 1 hour lunch. Patients are covered and colleagues actually do stuff if needed. It's a break from my day and I take full advantage of it. Oh and lunch is paid of course.

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