Breaks

When I worked the floor we had a "partner" that relieved you and you relieved them...seemed to work very well also this "partner" was to be your resource if needing a co-signer (ie blood admin, insulin) or advice. Usually newer nurses were partnered with more experienced nurses when possible.

We just cover each other. For example, there are 3 wings to our unit, usually 3-4 nurses per wing. One nurse will go to lunch, telling the others any pertinent info they may need while she is gone. The others follow in the same way for 30 min periods. If there are 4 nurses to a wing, 2 may go at a time, as long as 2 nurses are always on the floor. Additionally, we have 8 hr and 12 hr shifts. I myself work 12's so I usually like to go a bit later (around 1 or 1:30) so I will let the other nurses know so that they may go earlier. It has really seemed to work with us, no real conflicts.

Break? :rotfl:

My employer ( in CA )recently put up a notice to state it is in full compliance with labor laws re. breaks .But simply putting up a notice doesn't mean they are in compliance !.

My employer allows the break buddy system to continue , this IS NOT in compliance with the minimum staffing law , which says you can only be relieved by a nurse , who would then be out of compliance with the Ratio for that area.

On the floor I work we have been monitoring compliance with the law , with relatively good results . But on other floors where the nurses are prepared to be Martyrs , they continue to either get no breaks or put their patients ( and themselves )at risk by going to break leaving another nurse with a double assignment .

Regarding the lunch break question, my unit does not have a specific routine. Instead, staff members go to lunch when they get hungry &/or when circumstances allow for it. And since the breakroom is located right on the unit, and each employee carries a spectralink phone that connects directly into a patient's room when they push their call light button, staff is never too far from being able to quickly & easily respond if/when something arises. There are 2 negatives to this concept, and they happen alot on my unit(and maybe at other facilities, too): scenario 1-some staff members don't get a full, 30-minute break due to being pulled back out to the floor or a patient's room for one thing or another; scenario 2-some staff members don't get any lunchbreak because of a patient situation, all the charting, etc, etc. I am lucky to work with an awesome group of people where everyone has a great "teamplayer" attitude. The unfortunate part is we're all needing & asking each other for help, and often at the same time. It's a no-win situation.

Your phone should roll over when it's turned off, so turn it off while you eat.

EVeryone deserves a lunch break!

Regarding the lunch break question, my unit does not have a specific routine. Instead, staff members go to lunch when they get hungry &/or when circumstances allow for it. And since the breakroom is located right on the unit, and each employee carries a spectralink phone that connects directly into a patient's room when they push their call light button, staff is never too far from being able to quickly & easily respond if/when something arises. There are 2 negatives to this concept, and they happen alot on my unit(and maybe at other facilities, too): scenario 1-some staff members don't get a full, 30-minute break due to being pulled back out to the floor or a patient's room for one thing or another; scenario 2-some staff members don't get any lunchbreak because of a patient situation, all the charting, etc, etc. I am lucky to work with an awesome group of people where everyone has a great "teamplayer" attitude. The unfortunate part is we're all needing & asking each other for help, and often at the same time. It's a no-win situation.

swee2000 , In law The scenario's you describe above ,means you are not having a break .To have a break you should be able to leave the patient care area and thereby have no responsibility for your patients .

Your phone should roll over when it's turned off, so turn it off while you eat.

EVeryone deserves a lunch break!

Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind many times!!!!

However, I don't think others would be so approving or keen on the idea, considering we already get lectured(often & enough) about not answering the phones...yet it hasn't or never rang!!! That's a whole nother story, though. So just like the phones don't work, neither would this great idea.

Break? What's a break?

Break? In our hospital we all carry wireless phones. You still can be reached whether you're in the restroom or having a lunchbreak. I fyou can't be reached they'll page you overhead!

swee2000 , In law The scenario's you describe above ,means you are not having a break .To have a break you should be able to leave the patient care area and thereby have no responsibility for your patients .

That may be true, but it's not always the reality on my unit. And if an employee can't take a lunchbreak no matter how hard they try, they're supposed to swipe "cancelled lunch" at the end of their shift so that they get paid for the 1/2hr. But that only creates another problem, because now the employee will have a 1/2hr of overtime for that shift, and management really frowns on any unapproved overtime. So I repeat what I said earlier: It's a no-win situation.

(For the record, I am aware of the laws, regulations, and rights that protect employees from these issues)

Break? In our hospital we all carry wireless phones. You still can be reached whether you're in the restroom or having a lunchbreak. I fyou can't be reached they'll page you overhead!

You guys have to answer the phone call even when you are having a pee?? Thats horrible....:angryfire

We do the buddy system. If I go for my lunch break, my partner, usually a RN covers for me.