What do you do on your break at work?

WhyO · Oct 14, 2003

you get breaks? :eek:

live4today, RN · Oct 14, 2003

Originally posted by fedupnurse
................. Do any of you do interesting or unusual stuff
during your break at work????

Uhhhhh...did you say "BREAK"? :confused: Define that for us please. Nurses don't know that word, nor do we have the opportunity to exercise it to the fullest extent of the "employee law". :lol2:

live4today, RN · Oct 14, 2003

I worked with a nurse today who did not get a "break"...lunch or otherwise...until I came on duty at three thirty to work four hours on the floor. :eek: I took one look into that nurse's face, and knew she needed a SERIOUS break, meal, and a hug. I gave her a big warm hug, and told her to STOP what she was doing, leave her patients to me, and go eat something. That left me with my four patients, and her five. She had just sent one to CCU before going to lunch. While she was at lunch (this was now past four o'clock mind you and she had been at work since seven this morning...) :rolleyes: Anyhoo...while she was at lunch, I received one of her patients back from the cath lab, discharged one of her patients, assessed my own patients...sending one home while waiting for another to show up from her doctor's office.

It is nooooooooooo excuse for us to not take a break to regroup and grab some nutrition. When that nurse returned from lunch, she was feeling much better although still looking short of a week's sleep in her face. I asked her on her return if she peed...she said yes. I asked her if she had enough to eat...she said yes. I asked her if she hydrated herself...she said she was about to go get some water. I told her to go do that while I continued watching her patients. I helped her throughout the rest of her shift to make sure she was caught up enough to leave work on time. I'm glad that I wasn't THAT swamped this evening so I could be of help to one of my fellow comrades on the job because that nurse was looking pretty beat up. She had a very heavy patient acuity load, and I was quite surprised that she had them by herself, or that they didn't divide up the patients based more on their acuity level. Had the shift manager or resource person done that, that nurse would NOT have had the patient assignment from hell. :rolleyes:

A few days ago, I had an assignment much like that nurse, so I totally understood her situation and frustration with not having a break. When I came on duty, one of her patients was coding. I'm like......you poor thing...what else can go wrong for you today besides no break to pee or eat or hydrate yourself.

Tell me allnurses........WHY don't we stop and help out the staff who works like hell...offer them time to go eat, hydrate themselves, empty their bladder, put up their feet for a bit? Yes, we are allllllllllll busy, but there was no way I could live with myself had I not intervened on her behalf and MADE HER go take a break! When will the nurse abuse end! If we are going to have a "so called break", then it's up to us nurses to see that we each get one.

Stop the nurse abuse! :nurse:

WhyO · Oct 15, 2003

There are smokers that work on my unit but they NEVER go for a break to smoke or pee or eat or whatever. They go 12 hours with only a 1/2 hour lunch break just like the rest of us.

Erin RN · Oct 15, 2003

HI

Well since I work out of my house (workers comp case management)..I usually either do laundry, start dinner or clean house..:)

Erin

WendylouLPN · Oct 18, 2003

This is in defense of all the smokers out there whom work their @$$ off just to get a break.... GO ON WITH YOUR BAD SELF AND KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DO!!!

RN~in~CT · Oct 18, 2003

Originally posted by cheerfuldoer
I worked with a nurse today who did not get a "break"...lunch or otherwise...until I came on duty at three thirty to work four hours on the floor. I took one look into that nurse's face, and knew she needed a SERIOUS break, meal, and a hug. I gave her a big warm hug, and told her to STOP what she was doing, leave her patients to me, and go eat something. That left me with my four patients, and her five. She had just sent one to CCU before going to lunch. While she was at lunch (this was now past four o'clock mind you and she had been at work since seven this morning...) Anyhoo...while she was at lunch, I received one of her patients back from the cath lab, discharged one of her patients, assessed my own patients...sending one home while waiting for another to show up from her doctor's office.

It is nooooooooooo excuse for us to not take a break to regroup and grab some nutrition. When that nurse returned from lunch, she was feeling much better although still looking short of a week's sleep in her face. I asked her on her return if she peed...she said yes. I asked her if she had enough to eat...she said yes. I asked her if she hydrated herself...she said she was about to go get some water. I told her to go do that while I continued watching her patients. I helped her throughout the rest of her shift to make sure she was caught up enough to leave work on time. I'm glad that I wasn't THAT swamped this evening so I could be of help to one of my fellow comrades on the job because that nurse was looking pretty beat up. She had a very heavy patient acuity load, and I was quite surprised that she had them by herself, or that they didn't divide up the patients based more on their acuity level. Had the shift manager or resource person done that, that nurse would NOT have had the patient assignment from hell.

A few days ago, I had an assignment much like that nurse, so I totally understood her situation and frustration with not having a break. When I came on duty, one of her patients was coding. I'm like......you poor thing...what else can go wrong for you today besides no break to pee or eat or hydrate yourself.

Tell me allnurses........WHY don't we stop and help out the staff who works like hell...offer them time to go eat, hydrate themselves, empty their bladder, put up their feet for a bit? Yes, we are allllllllllll busy, but there was no way I could live with myself had I not intervened on her behalf and MADE HER go take a break! When will the nurse abuse end! If we are going to have a "so called break", then it's up to us nurses to see that we each get one.

May I simply say BLESS YOU!!

wayover20 · Oct 20, 2003

Me and a coworker walk around the perimeter of the hospital (yes on night shift, but it's lighted and security around) for exercise and to get away for a bit.

SmilingBluEyes · Oct 21, 2003

i go pee...

and have some food.

if i get one.

some nights we do, others not.

sweetielin · Nov 9, 2005

while i do smoke, i make sure everyone gets a break. luckily, we have a close shift. we get along and help each other. anytime one of us sees another stressed and have not had a break, we tell her to go take a break. we cover her patients. the ones that don't smoke go to other floors and visit with coworkers. occasionally, they go outside with the smokers.we are all mindful of everyone's need to take a break. we are very lucky that everyone gets along. we even do things together outside of work. i know that if i called anyone of them at home and needed anything, that they would be there for me.:)

AFnurse3 · Nov 14, 2005

I work on a very slow unit....sometimes the nurses outnumber the patients!!! On weekends and nights, we usually watch "training films"....new releases! But when we get busy, we are busy. Usually up to our ears with paperwork....that's what takes up the time, more so than the patients. Sometimes I feel like my day is one long break....other times I don't get one. So I can't complain about busy days. I actually look forward to them!

unknown99, BSN, RN · Nov 14, 2005

Break??? What break???