Breaks

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Gyn, Pospartum & Psych.

Our floor is very big on forcing nurses to take breaks. Sounds like a good problem to have, huh? Except that when you go on break you hand your patients off to your nursing "buddy". That means that your "present" for taking your break is that you now get to care for 12-14 patients, half you don't know. One step worse is that since we are night shift, the nurses tend to group all their breaks together which means you get to care for that many patients for 1 1/2 hours and they always need some care in that time period. (An hour for lunch and two 15 minute breaks).

I am constantly chided for not handing off my patients during my break but I find it easier to actually get up and handle a few issues on my break instead of trying to explain all my patient's needs in a two minute handoff. And if I do take an hour and a half break most nights, I won't finish my documentation. I am not sure why I am so much slower than everyone else but suspect that it might be things like I actually do put my stethoscope on every patient instead of cut & pasting the previous shift's assessment and will walk a patient to the bathroom if I am the only available person.

How does your unit handle breaks?

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well on my unit we only take 4 patients so when i am watching patients while another nurse is on break I technically have 8. The good thing is that our breaks are only 15 minutes and no one goes on break until their patients are taken care of for instance no one goes on break if a patient needs meds. I go when my patients have been medicated and are asleep or don't need anything.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Gyn, Pospartum & Psych.

I covered a nurse who was running downstairs to get a coffee. She was gone 10 minutes max. In that time, a doctor finally returned her page (long over due) ... yeah, and I knew nothing about the patient or the question luckily he did and was patient with my ignorance. A patient of hers also had out-of-range vitals but the nurse's aide said she would wait and tell the nurse.

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We have a "lunch partner" that watches our patients while we're gone and everyone is pretty good about not taking their break until all their patients have settled in for the night. We only get 30 mins. for lunch. We technically get two fifteen minute breaks but they are very informal and we cover our own pt.s while taking them. (Grab a quick drink in the break room while standing kind of thing.) I rarely have to do something for my lunch partner's pt.s while they are gone so when I do, I don't mind. If I regularly had to do a bunch for my partner's pt.s I think I'd get annoyed.

I'm surprised you guys get an hour and a half break at one time. That seems a bit long to me.

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I'm surprised you guys get an hour and a half break at one time. That seems a bit long to me.

This was my thought exactly. Even spread out, I never saw that much time even offered. At most, two paid 15 minute breaks and one unpaid lunch. If we were handling and emergency, we could fill out the 'no lunch' form. This was for a 12 hour shift. Sounds like some employees are taking advantage of the 'mandatory break' policy. I had an employer (non-nursing) that instructed us that we were not allowed to 'cluster' our breaks and that the reason for 'highly encouraging' us to take all of our breaks (two fifteens and a 30 for 8 hours or longer) was to increase our productivity, not give us an extended lunch.

What happens if there are emergencies during the 1.5 hours that the assigned nurse is on their long break? Multiple things could happen during that time and I don't see how taking this long of a break and having one person cover that many patient routinely could be safe practice safe practice. I would be surprised if upper level management approved this practice.

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Specializes in Family practice, emergency.

What is this "break" you speak of, and how might I procure it?

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Specializes in Med Surg/PCU.

We get a half hour for lunch and 2 15-minute breaks. My coworkers also lump them together. Some nurses take their phones, others don't. After getting stuck calling RRT 2 different times on 2 different patients (belonging to 2 different nurses) within a month, I insist they take their phone if I'm watching their patients. I won't call for stupid stuff, but if I need you, I better be able to find you.

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

We can't group breaks like that.

We are supposed to get 3, ten minute breaks and two, 30 minute breaks. I only get a 30.

We hand off patients to another nurse, but if I take patients as a charge nurse, I typically keep them and have the secretary call me. The day is busy enough if I'm taking patients, and I don't want to burden anyone else.

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We are guaranteed a 30 minute lunch and if we can a 15 minute break. I can't imagine getting an hour for lunch. Must be nice!

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Specializes in Pediatrics and Med Surf Float.

I'm a night shift float nurse and all units do things differently. all the floors have 15 break and 30 min lunch break. Some floors heat their food up and eat at the nurses station and some floors the nurses take their break in the break room. I usually leave, get a coffee then go to the break room. I ALWAYS take my phone with me and wait until I am done my meds and Majority of my charting, if not all of it. If my patient is unstable, then I grab a coffee, heat my food up and eat in the nurses station. also, all the floors try to make sure only 1 nurse goes out at a time. Just so no one is overwhelmed

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