Lunch breaks during clinicals

[NurseAaliyah]

I am trying to find out what is the typical lunch break that is given to students during clinicals. I also want to know is it better to pack a lunch or buy lunch items in the facility where clinicals are done.

[poog]

When the girls would come during clinicals at my job they took breaks with cna when they were there for that part and then no break when the shadowed nurse. A lot of them were smokers and whined :/

[Elladora]

We had a 30 minute break and some people brought their lunch, some people bought it. If you bring your lunch, I would pack it with ice until you see if there is a fridge available. Some facilities have them for students, some don't.

[aachavez]

At my first clinical now, we only have a 30 minute break. Our instructor isn't super strict about tho, so sometimes we end up going over a few minutes. It's a nursing home, so buying lunch there isn't an option for us. We all bring ours. Fridge space is limited, so we try to bring plenty of things that dont require the fridge. Also, microwave access is a bit sporifice, so heating stuff up doesnt always happen. It really depends on the site you're at and what works for you. But at least bring a few snacks, with all the running around like frantic we do, I find myself getting very hungry before lunch (12 hour shift)

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

Anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour (depends on instructor). Sometimes the line in the cafeteria is LONG and SLOW, so you might want to pack your lunch the first day until you get an idea of what you'll be facing... if you only get 20-30 minutes for break and you waste 15 minutes in line and another 5 minutes in getting to/from the cafeteria from your unit, you may not have any time left for eating!

Prices vary considerably, too. One place you can eat for $5 and another it's $10. So packing a lunch the first day until you get a chance to scope out the situation is always a good idea.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

oh yeah. i worked one place where the lines in the cafeteria were so long i would pick up my food and eat it in line. i usually finished by the time i got to the cashier, and just paid and went back to work.

[KJoRN81, RN]

I almost LOLed at this one.....maybe it's just where I have my clinicals (in a care center), but we were lucky if we got to sit down for longer than 15 minutes to eat....& this is a 12-hour clinical, too. Perhaps it'll be different next term, but this care center seemed to be very demanding (typical I suppose), so there just wasn't time. W

We're also getting accustomed to bringing our own food. It's cheaper, easier, & healthier (at least in my case!).