I worked hospital nursing for 19 years. Do you get lunch breaks? I can count on 1 hand the number of times I took a lunch break. Mostly its my fault, I can't just leave when there is work to be done and I'm paranoid that I'll forget something or someone will need something or no one will watch my monitors (which they won't) it could be alarming for several minutes and no one does anything!!!!
Granted, most of the years, I have worked 7p to 7a, so its not that big of a deal for me to miss lunch breaks. After having kids, I worked mostly 7p-11p or 3-11.
Even when I was a nurse for a general surgeon, I never took a lunch break, there simply was NO NONE Zilch nada, NO time for lunch what so ever!
I have always packed my lunch and then I eat it on the 20 minute drive home from work. I'd rather spend the time that I'd spend eating lunch(that would take me 10 or 15 minutes), to clock out 10 or 15 minutes sooner. We'd be raked over the coals if I ever clocked out "no lunch". So of course I'd NEVER do that, but its worth it to me to get home sooner and also to be there for my patients.
Pepperlady
151 Posts
I guess the difference where I work is that there is someone assigned specifically to do breaks.