I read alot of threads on here that talk about not having time to take a bathroom break, not being able to take a lunch break, much less 15 minutes breaks every, what, 4 hours or so.
Why does this happen?
There are laws that protect you. I fully intend on saying, "um, no, I am going on my lunch break, if you don't like it, talk to the labor department, or whoever passed the laws that certainly do exist.
What do you think? Tell me why you allow yourself to be abused like that. I promise you it won't happen to me.
Yeah, that old nurse practice act demands that we can't just say "sorry the law says I get my break now....goodbye".
However, I do not understand people that don't nuture themselves with a break sometime during their shift, and use the bathroom. I prioritize these things the same way I do meds, assessments, and treatments. I've never not gotten a meal break. There is no law that saws we have to have a 15 minute break in the morning and one in the evening because we're paid for that time and I don't those breaks. But 100% I take a lunch break. Never at a specific time everyday, but 100% of the time I take it.
My employer and manager are good about paying you if you report that you didn't take a lunch break. Some of the 8 hour folks sometimes sacrifice it to get out on time on those crazy days when we're short staffed. That's their choice and if I'm in charge, I'll check to make sure everyone has the opportunity to take a 30 minute lunch break, but if they choose not to, I allow that.
Some of you folks best lose the "Florence Nightingale nursing-is-a-calling" bullsqueeze quickly. Nursing is a job: albeit a job requiring a different mindset and skillset - but a job just the same.
I'm afraid that you kinda missed the mark on this one...at least in my case.
I am soooo not a Florence Nightingale "calling" person.
However, I AM a "want to keep my license" kind of person. When there is no one to cover your patients because they are all busy too..... you just can't up and leave for 30 minutes. The couple of times I did walk away and go eat..... I was nervous because I knew my pts weren't being watched as they should. I am not talking about floor pts that have been tucked in for a while. I am talking ER patients....MI's, CVA's, MVA's....ect.
I would love to report it but I am a single mom with a 2 year old to feed. Where I work, retaliation is a certainty.
I'm afraid that you kinda missed the mark on this one...at least in my case.
I am soooo not a Florence Nightingale "calling" person.
However, I AM a "want to keep my license" kind of person. When there is no one to cover your patients because they are all busy too..... you just can't up and leave for 30 minutes. The couple of times I did walk away and go eat..... I was nervous because I knew my pts weren't being watched as they should. I am not talking about floor pts that have been tucked in for a while. I am talking ER patients....MI's, CVA's, MVA's....ect.
I would love to report it but I am a single mom with a 2 year old to feed. Where I work, retaliation is a certainty.
Leah...You make some valid points! Yes, legally we're entitled to a meal break and other breaks BUT Concern for pts when off on break (because you know others are too busy to really be covering for you though they tell you that the pts will be covered) has kept me(and others) from taking the much-needed breaks too. Also, threats of retaliation, being termed "not a team player" have kept many of us from taking the legal breaks to which we're entitled. So MANY work environments are like this....who wants to constantly job hop in search of the one place that ISN'T like this? It's better just to "shut up about it and work"(paraphrasing comments told to other nurses and to me in the past).
I agree about the scheduled lunch breaks. My lunch break occurs when I am caught up enough on patient care to have a co-worker just look in on my patients.
Unfortunately, in nursing the work is never done. By the time meds are passed, it is time for more assessments, and then when that is finished, some charting. Then when you think you can get away, a patient falls, goes in to respiratory distress, etc. It is easy to keep putting off lunch until the day is almost over.
We are lucky that we have a refrigerator very close to the ER so I keep a couple of sandwiches and finger foods there that I bring back to the nurses station and eat as I chart. Sometimes I think of how germy this has got to be but I'll take my chance with RSV as opposed to passing out from low blood sugar.
I also promise myself I will pee once every 4 hours.
I am so sick of cold/lukewarm/stale food but as others have said the hospitals know that they have us. Most of us are so responsible we just can't leave our patients because something could happen.
I love my job and the people I work with so I quess not getting a break is a small price to pay.
Besides, I could easily live off my fat for at least a month.
And I chalk the loss of pay to penance for a misspent youth
I work nocs, so total of 8 hours - no built in 'lunch' breaks. Some nights I get paid alot of money for what I know and nothing for what I do - I am there for whatever walks in the door, but we may be empty all shift. Other nights I can't even stop to pee.
Yes it's the law, yes I need to take care of my self, No I don't feel like I have a FN syndrome - but.... when I have two labor patients, a preterm labor patient, have called in my help from home and end up with a crash section for a preterm patient with a massive abruption - "Excuse me, I'm taking a lunch break now" :trout: is not an option in anyones world.
On the other hand, if my patients are stable and I can ask someone to just keep and eye on them while I grab a bite to eat or go to the bathroom, then I will. Again, I work straight nocs and do not have any automatic deductions for breaks or meals.
I believe that many Nurses don't reailize that there should be 2 breaks in your shift. One is for breakfast and the other is lunch. Be more open minded and tell yourself that by 9, a break must be taken and by 2 the other one must be taken. You walk over to the Charge Nurse and ask who is the covering Nurse and be more forceful about it especially if your patients are unstable.
I'm afraid that you kinda missed the mark on this one...at least in my case.
I am soooo not a Florence Nightingale "calling" person.
However, I AM a "want to keep my license" kind of person. When there is no one to cover your patients because they are all busy too..... you just can't up and leave for 30 minutes. The couple of times I did walk away and go eat..... I was nervous because I knew my pts weren't being watched as they should. I am not talking about floor pts that have been tucked in for a while. I am talking ER patients....MI's, CVA's, MVA's....ect.
I would love to report it but I am a single mom with a 2 year old to feed. Where I work, retaliation is a certainty.
I didn't mean to imply a "calling" to any particular poster; sorry.
I turn over to my charge nurse if my coworkers are too busy; and I try not to leave for meals if someone is going sour right then (med-surg floor).
As far as retaliation goes, keep a work journal. That will help you win the multi-million dollar wrongful-termination or whistleblower lawsuit should the need arise. I am careful of my license too; but the facility MUST follow the labor laws as well or I WILL drop dime on them.
I believe that many Nurses don't reailize that there should be 2 breaks in your shift. One is for breakfast and the other is lunch. Be more open minded and tell yourself that by 9, a break must be taken and by 2 the other one must be taken. You walk over to the Charge Nurse and ask who is the covering Nurse and be more forceful about it especially if your patients are unstable.
Why wouldn't you eat breakfast BEFORE you came to work?
I'm only a nursing student, but this scares me more than a little. I do get lightheaded when I go more than about 6 hours without food. I'm also on a diuretic for hypertension, so I can't wait 12 hours to pee - I can wait a couple if something crazy is going on, but not a whole shift! I don't necessarily need 30 straight minutes to sit and eat, but 10-15 to shove something down in the middle of my shift might be nice. Please reassure me that no breaks whatsoever isn't the norm - I also don't want to have to job hop around town when I'm still new.
I usually find time to eat, but not a true "break". I bring soup most of the time, and eat while charting, etc. When I worked with adults, it was easier, because there were other nurses floating around, usually a tech, and the patient could use a call bell. If I had a confused patient, I made sure I ate within earshot of them. Working in the nursery is harder, someone always has to be there if there are babies with us, and 99% of the time, after 9pm, there's always at least 1 baby in there. And even if all the babies are with their moms (rare at my hospital), you can't leave for too long, because someone's gotta answer the phone, be there in case mom or dad show up to drop off a baby,etc. It gets hard sometimes. And frankly, making sure my patients are safe and breathing,etc is more important then me getting off the floor for 30 mins. I can relax later, if someone needs me and I'm not there and serious injuries result, can I live with myself if I was unavailable because I needed a break and just "had" to get off the floor for 30 mins? Nope, I would feel awful about that for a very long time, and so would the patient.
Tweety, BSN, RN
36,261 Posts
Yeah, that old nurse practice act demands that we can't just say "sorry the law says I get my break now....goodbye".
However, I do not understand people that don't nuture themselves with a break sometime during their shift, and use the bathroom. I prioritize these things the same way I do meds, assessments, and treatments. I've never not gotten a meal break. There is no law that saws we have to have a 15 minute break in the morning and one in the evening because we're paid for that time and I don't those breaks. But 100% I take a lunch break. Never at a specific time everyday, but 100% of the time I take it.
My employer and manager are good about paying you if you report that you didn't take a lunch break. Some of the 8 hour folks sometimes sacrifice it to get out on time on those crazy days when we're short staffed. That's their choice and if I'm in charge, I'll check to make sure everyone has the opportunity to take a 30 minute lunch break, but if they choose not to, I allow that.