CRNAs and bathroom breaks...

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hello, all,

i was wondering if CRNAs get bathroom breaks. what do you do when you need to go to the bathroom?

how long is the average procedure and do you have time to go to the bathroom in between procedures? and again, what if you are IN a procedure and need to go? is there any kind of relief you can call?

i also wonder about bathroom breaks for all kinds of nursing, so all please feel free to comment, but i am especially interested in CRNAs and their experience.

thank you So much in advance! :)

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Specializes in CRNA.
hello, all,

i was wondering if CRNAs get bathroom breaks. what do you do when you need to go to the bathroom?

how long is the average procedure and do you have time to go to the bathroom in between procedures? and again, what if you are IN a procedure and need to go? is there any kind of relief you can call?

i also wonder about bathroom breaks for all kinds of nursing, so all please feel free to comment, but i am especially interested in CRNAs and their experience.

thank you So much in advance! :)

Cases last anywhere from 5 minutes to 12 hours or more. I was trained to view bathroom breaks as sign of weakness. In fact, where I work we use the staff restroom as a torture chamber for SRNAs who have missed intubations and/or did not answer pimp questions correctly. If you gotta go, you learn to hold it. I have never heard of an anesthesia provider being given a break. You take your break when you have run out of cases to do. Let me give you an insider secret that usually is only passed on to anesthesia providers. Wear Depends if you have an incompetent sphincter. Usually due to the absorbancy you can get through an entire day without any leaks. The smell does become an issue, but an open bottle of sevoflurane works to mask those unwanted odors.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTAC, Critical Care.

I dunno about CRNAs but I once saw a surgeon walk out in the middle of an open colon resection. He just stopped what he was doing, said, "I gotta pee", walked out and returned 5 minutes later.

From what I've seen, most of the CRNAs around here are pretty good about relieving each other, depending on how busy the caseload is, sometimes there are two in the room. Of course... I work at a small hospital, and I haven't been through surgery in a long time sooo.....

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I'm sorry, I have no idea when CRNA's get bathroom breaks but I just HAD to comment because bathrooms breaks is something I would be concerned about too! LOL :lol2:

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I can only speak as a student and then in my nursing experience. I've never had a problem getting someone to cover my patients for just the few minutes it takes to use the bathroom. You do need to give your colleague a brief report on the patient and what's happening at the moment, but then you're good to go, ha ha

The same thing happens with lunch and dinner breaks, which is my bigger concern. In some units the culture is to not take a meal break. I'm sure it originates with management, but nurses have bought into it. Many nurses are willing to forgo breaks, especially if they have a busy assignment. And many feel it is your duty to do so if anything is happening with your patient. And then managers don't want to pay for the lost break time; of course, this is illegal. But unless you're in a union, you'll have a hard time enforcing your rights.

In summary, I've worked in units where it can be very difficult to get a needed break and did not get paid for the extra time. I've also worked in units where the staff nurses and managers are very cooperative and supportive of ensuring everyone gets necessary breaks. This means recognizing when someone has a busy assignment or is flat out with a critical patient and making sure that they are relieved for time to eat, sit, and regroup.

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Cases last anywhere from 5 minutes to 12 hours or more. I was trained to view bathroom breaks as sign of weakness. In fact, where I work we use the staff restroom as a torture chamber for SRNAs who have missed intubations and/or did not answer pimp questions correctly. If you gotta go, you learn to hold it. I have never heard of an anesthesia provider being given a break. You take your break when you have run out of cases to do. Let me give you an insider secret that usually is only passed on to anesthesia providers. Wear Depends if you have an incompetent sphincter. Usually due to the absorbancy you can get through an entire day without any leaks. The smell does become an issue, but an open bottle of sevoflurane works to mask those unwanted odors.

When I first saw this thread, I thought it's a UTI just waiting to happen. But Depends, OMG! I never thought I'd see this response after joking around about seeing it on a t.v. show. Grey's Anatomy might be a little bit more realistic than I thought. Wow, what exactly is sevoflurane? Better yet, don't tell me because I will look it up. Wow! CRNAs like that are some serious go-getters. I appreciate the knowledge you've shared here since I've encountered two CRNAs from my own personal life experiences. :up:

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thank you everyone for the great information. at least perhaps i feel better about nursing in general, but perhaps being a CRNA is not for me..lol! thanks again

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

In all my clinical rotations as an SRNA and where I work now bathroom breaks have never really been a problem. In general I get a break in the am, 30min lunch, and 15min break in the afternoon plus time for a quick bathroom breaks in between cases.

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Specializes in Trauma 1.

I just had to comment because I thought this was cute.... such an obvious question, but no one ever really thinks about it (at least it has not come up in my class....yet)!

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Specializes in ICU.

When I shadowed my CRNA, there was about four or five times over a two hour period that someone peeped their head in and asked my CRNA if she wanted a little relief. She never accepted and told me that she is responsible for this patient and she wants to keep her eyes on every moment. She was actually requested to be the CRNA by the patient's mother. I see why now.

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Specializes in CRNA, Law, Peer Assistance, EMS.
Cases last anywhere from 5 minutes to 12 hours or more. I was trained to view bathroom breaks as sign of weakness. In fact, where I work we use the staff restroom as a torture chamber for SRNAs who have missed intubations and/or did not answer pimp questions correctly. If you gotta go, you learn to hold it. I have never heard of an anesthesia provider being given a break. You take your break when you have run out of cases to do. Let me give you an insider secret that usually is only passed on to anesthesia providers. Wear Depends if you have an incompetent sphincter. Usually due to the absorbancy you can get through an entire day without any leaks. The smell does become an issue, but an open bottle of sevoflurane works to mask those unwanted odors.

While mildly entertaining, none of what you say is true (I can only hope you were being funny). No anesthesia providers, CRNA or otherwise, wear 'depends' to compensate for a lack of bathroom breaks as some sort of trade secret. We are not animals. Depending on the work setting, breaks are most frequently built into the schedule. For example in any larger facility a CRNA is SCHEDULED as the break/lunch person who rotaes through and relieves rooms. If there are anesthesiologists covering, say 4 CRNA rooms then the CRNA will call him/her should the need to relieve be urgent (it is like pulling teeth but when you gotta go you gotta go). In settings where you may be the sole provider or where there are few providers and each covers a room, you of course try and go between cases...but you don't stand at the head of the bed and sh*t your pants. you gotta go, then you gotta go...put the patient on 'auto pilot, let the circulator know you will be out for a minute so they can watch the monitors and you do what you have to. Neve in 21 years have I ever heard this depends/sevo baloney. Anyone who uses bathroom breaks as some sort of leverage against students does not belong teaching them.

Good lord, we are not animals. No CRNA would return for day two if any facility created the environment described here.

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While mildly entertaining, none of what you say is true (I can only hope you were being funny). No anesthesia providers, CRNA or otherwise, wear 'depends' to compensate for a lack of bathroom breaks as some sort of trade secret. We are not animals. Depending on the work setting, breaks are most frequently built into the schedule. For example in any larger facility a CRNA is SCHEDULED as the break/lunch person who rotaes through and relieves rooms. If there are anesthesiologists covering, say 4 CRNA rooms then the CRNA will call him/her should the need to relieve be urgent (it is like pulling teeth but when you gotta go you gotta go). In settings where you may be the sole provider or where there are few providers and each covers a room, you of course try and go between cases...but you don't stand at the head of the bed and sh*t your pants. you gotta go, then you gotta go...put the patient on 'auto pilot, let the circulator know you will be out for a minute so they can watch the monitors and you do what you have to. Neve in 21 years have I ever heard this depends/sevo baloney. Anyone who uses bathroom breaks as some sort of leverage against students does not belong teaching them.

Good lord, we are not animals. No CRNA would return for day two if any facility created the environment described here.

Thanks for your post, foraneman. I appreciate the reassurance...I was starting to get a little worried about this thread.

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