Are you so busy that you don't get a lunch break?

[cashew1]

I am a new nurse who works 12 hour shifts on days in Med/Surg. I am very annoyed that sometimes I am so busy that I can't take a lunch break. Sometimes the other nurse with more experience also go without lunches on my shift. Usually, we are so busy I never take a morning or afternoon break and I often have to work an hour or so of OT after my 12 hour shift. So, by the end of the shift I am exhausted, starving and my head hurts!!!

Do I expect too much?

Is it common to miss lunch breaks due to workload?

[grantz]

wait a minute, you're supposed to have a lunch break???

yep but I'd rather use my luck break finishing those nursing stuffs than to eat..

[SweetheartRN]

Yesterday I was so busy that in the 14 hours I was there I was glad I hadn't eaten or drank anything so I wouldn't have to take an extra minute to pee.:uhoh21:

[Dixielee, BSN, RN]

I could count on two hands the number of times I have had an actual 30 minute lunch. Food is eaten by the bite in between pt care, charting, answering phones, etc. Should it be this way? No. But it's the norm.

I agree....no it should not be this way, but it is, so you just go with it. I always pack finger foods with me, keep a bottle of water on the desk (where everyone keeps theirs) and eat when I can. I make sure I have granola bars, zip loc bags with cut up fruit, etc. On a good day, I might get to the cafeteria and get an order of chicken strips...they are very portable and taste the same hot or cold.

We have to cover each other for lunch, so if you go for a 30 min break, then you are so far behind when you return, you never catch up. I always turn in a "No lunch" slip because they will take out that 30 min if you don't.

Eat a good meal before you go to work, have something in your lunchbox or in the car that you can eat on the way home. Sorry, but I am afraid that is the norm, at least in every hospital I have worked in.

[elprup, BSN, RN]

I don't remember the last time I actually sat down in the break room to eat and decompress. I work overnights on a heavy unit. There are people that take the time, but I tend to bring quick snacks that I can eat at the desk so I don't have to leave my patients unattended.

You'll figure out what works for you.

It is against to law to not get a lunch break and/or your other breaks. I posted this on another thread, and actually got the idea from a poster on allnurses. I was so tired of not getting my breaks or my lunch that I started documenting on my timecard that I did not get one. This still did not help, but I did start getting paid for my lack of breaks. Frustrated that I could not even a break to use the restroom, one day I decided to email the Executive Director documenting my frustration that I, and my coworkers, were unable to take our breaks, and that I would be documenting every time this happened. Well that email got everbodies attention! Within an hour there was somebody to relieve me for my breaks, and for everyday there after. Funny though, when person came to relieve me, they only ever asked me to break, they never asked any other coworkers. Guess, unless you speak up they continue to walk all over you.

[CrazyCatLadyRN, BSN, RN]

I am on month 6 of my nursing career on a busy progressive care/ tele unit. I think I can count on one hand how many times I ate lunch in the break room, and I think they were during orientation when me and my preceptor covered for each other. On nights we have 5-7 pts and it's really hard to catch a break. Everyone does help eachother out though so we all tend to stay towards the nurses station when we chart and sometimes eat there too. There is no way to communicate when you are on opposite ends of the unit at night (no over head or anything). I lost 5-10 lbs since I started working.... Best suggestion is gatorade and meal replacement bars you can eat at the desk. I know it's gross, but I can't function without food all the time. There's been times when I can feel ny blood sugar just start to plummet and I feel like I'm going to pass out. The gatorade helps :-)

[Babs0512]

For the majority of my career, I didn't get lunch breaks - we were perpetually either too busy or short staffed. Now that I no longer work on the floors, I can take a lunch - but often it's 15 minutes - at most.

Get in the habit of bringing your lunch, fruit, trail mix, sandwich, water - quick things to eat on the run. This is the biz, comes with the territory. You would think most nurses would be really thin!

[PsychNurseWannaBe, BSN, RN]

When I was a staff nurse I always made sure to take one. As a nurse manager I always make sure my nurses take their break. I will take their keys and answer the phone and give PRN medications, orders, etc... I believe breaks are very important. A refreshed nurse gives better cares and I want our patients and nurses to feel better.

[runnergirl86, BSN, MSN]

I force myself to leave my unit for a 20 minute break. I agree with others, you aren't getting that time back and your patients will be ok for a few minutes. I'll usually pop in and tell my patients I'm 'going to go eat' not go on break. They usually look at the clock, see it's almost 2000 and say, 'ok go eat'. I think if you put it in those terms it helps them understand we are people who need to replenish as well.