Paid lunch or 13 hour day?

[Zooey72]

I am just curious about how lunch works with a typical 12 hour shift. I assume that whatever shift you are working your 'mirror' relieves you and vice versa. They say you work 3 days a week for 12 hours, so if it isn't paid than are you there for 12.5 to 13 hours a day? Do you work with your mirror at the start of your shift?

It is a minor detail but figured I would ask. I have never had a job where lunch was paid.

I also heard that when things get really crazy at a hospital some times a nurse won't even go home. They let him/her sleep in one of the rooms for a few hours and than go right back to work. How much truth is there in that?

Considering how expensive it is to stay over night at a hospital, on paper that night of rest is worth more than the most expensive luxury hotels lol.

[bugya90, ASN, BSN, LVN, RN]

When I worked LTC my 12s were actually 12.5. I clocked in at 0645 and clocked out at 1915. The 15 minute overlap was for report. They automatically deducted 30 minute lunch.

The only time I've heard of nurses sleeping at the hospital is during bad weather. I live in Texas so we don't usually get snowed in but I would imagine up north if the snow/ice got bad it'd be safer to just stay at the hospital than drive back and forth.

[verene, MSN]

It's just like working 8s with an unpaid lunch except longer. I typically worked 8s but picked up 12s on occasion. Depending on the need I worked 7am-7:30pm, 11am-11:30pm, or 3pm-3:30am when working 12s. A 30 minute lunch was automatically deducted from the time.

I never had to sleep at the hospital, but one of my coworkers did a few years before I started when there was a particularly bad ice/snow storm. She said that the staff that stayed over were provided meals and slept in spare patient rooms. It wasn't particularly pleasant but it wasn't terrible.

And yes, if you are mandated to stay over a certain number of hours the hospital must give you time to sleep. (I think legally it is 6 hours out of every 24 hours on clock).