Dayshifters - do you take a breakfast break as soon as you get to work?

RNfaster · Nov 29, 2011

Wow. I hit the floor running to get my work done in a timely fashion. I also usually delay lunch per discharges and/or receipt of new patients. I eat before work except for lunch.

allthesmallthings · Nov 29, 2011

I work night shift, but when I stay over late to chart, I don't notice the dayshifters going on immediate post-report break; they work. FWIW from a night-shifter, I don't quite understand why people on any shift wouldn't be able to figure out that they should eat before they get on the clock; 9-5'ers eat breakfast before work like responsible adults.

SydneyJo1 · Nov 29, 2011

There are people on my unit who take a LONG break every morning at about 9:00am to eat breakfast, and then take their usual 30 minute lunch break about noon. I have to say, this irritates me to no end. I don't think it is unreasonable to expect people to eat breakfast before they get to work. I usually work nights, and I certainly don't take two long meal breaks during my shift. Plus, there is an attitude of entitlement to this breakfast break, no matter what is happening on the unit or how busy it is. I don't understand it.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 29, 2011

I used to work 8-hour day shifts (6am to 2pm) several years ago and would eat something immediately after receiving report and counting narcotics. I have never been a morning person, so I would basically awaken at 5:00am, leave my house at 5:30am, arrive to work at 6:00am, and eat breakfast after relieving the night shift.

kenyacka · Nov 29, 2011

I work night shift and often I'll be at work a good 20 minutes or so late to finish charting or reporting. I've never noticed a breakfast break. In fact, most of the day shifters are in the patients rooms introducing themselves as the oncoming nurse/tech. As for what they do after that, I don't know. On night shift, we kind of nosh throughout the night. We have a 30 minute lunch break, but even then, we usually run downstairs to the cafeteria, get food, and bring it back up and eat at the nurse's station because we're shorter staffed at night, so lunch is often interrupted to answer a call light. We will snack here and there at the nurse's station throughout the night. Of course, there are rarely visitors or anything at night, so I could see why day shift wouldn't do this.... it would probably look pretty unprofessional. A donut may be consumed over the course of an hour, but if a guest sees you taking a bite, they assume you're being lazy lol.

loriangel14, RN · Nov 29, 2011

When I work 12s I get a half hour mid morning,sometimes that is breakfast if I didn't eat or sometimes it's just a snack.Then I get a 45 minute lunch, half hour afternoon break and 45 minute supper.

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Nov 29, 2011

They do it in my NICU. So much so that when we hired a couple of TJC inspectors to check out our hospital before our real survey, they walked onto the NICU one morning to find a single nurse in the room, with a couple dozen babies. Unfortunately, that nurse was in her 2nd week of orientation.

The sad part is, the mgmt made no changes based on this incident. Well, they did mention it in a unit meeting. The only thing that is different now is that some of the nurses now come dragging in at 0710 (late), tacos in hand, and sit in the lounge 20 minutes eating. Finally make it to the floor at 0730 as if they aren't nearly an hour late for report.

Some days, the nurse that relieves me in the AM will get downstairs, get breakfast, and be coming off the elevator back into the unit before I can put my gear in my locker and go pee. I always wonder "Are you really comfortable leaving the unit without even assessing your babies?" Boggles the mind.

mmm cdiff · Nov 29, 2011

Why not eat before work and not be rushed? I practically binge before a day shift AT HOME -- eggs, toast with peanut butter, yogurt, and a protein bar for my 15 minute break. There is rarely time for a lunch break, much less a breakfast.

LindaB73 · Nov 29, 2011

No, I am always to antsy to get my day started running. I would be too afraid of getting behind right off the bat.

Munch · Nov 29, 2011

I work 7am-7:30pm and I eat before I come to work because I can't stand to eat the breakfast food in the hospital and I don't bring my breakfast to work because it will get cold/soggy by the time I get to work. But there are some nurses that do hit the floor running like clockwork NO MATTER HOW CRAZY it is on the floor after morning report. I am often left alone with maybe one other nurse who doesn't like eating so early. I wouldn't mind if it was just a break to eat but they are gone for a good 45-50 minutes which really ticks the other nurse and I off...and like another poster said about their nurses...these nurses believe they are entitled to this 45 minute breakfast break after the overnight nurse signs out. I one time asked one someone to stay to help out for an hour after sign out and she pretty much read me the riot act and told me I was SOL.

I take a morning snack break after meds are handed out(we start handing out meds at 10am)...and believe me it certainly isn't over 45 minutes like everyone else likes to take after morning sign out.

sistasoul · Nov 29, 2011

There are people on my unit who take a LONG break every morning at about 9:00am to eat breakfast, and then take their usual 30 minute lunch break about noon. I have to say, this irritates me to no end. I don't think it is unreasonable to expect people to eat breakfast before they get to work. I usually work nights, and I certainly don't take two long meal breaks during my shift. Plus, there is an attitude of entitlement to this breakfast break, no matter what is happening on the unit or how busy it is. I don't understand it.

I want to work where you work. In 2.5 years I have only had about 5 breaks off of the unit. Usually all of the nurses I work with chart while they are eating- if there is a chance to sit down at all for more than a couple of minutes to call MDs.