Just out of curiosity I am wondering how many nurses get an assigned lunch break and how many actually take it.
I work in a small community hospital, a ten bed ICU. It can be somewhat busy some days but then there are days when if lunch were assigned and my co-workers could organize themselves, we could all have a 30 minute break on our 12 hour days. Instead everyone decides at the last minute they are going to "run and get something" (our cafeteria closes at 1pm) they then bring it back to the station and eat while answering call lights, the phone, charting and letting visitors in.
When I am in charge I post a lunch break schedule for people to fill in the time they would like to go, based on what they feel may come their way during the shift. It is my attempt to get them organized. There are many days when others are in charge that no lunch break is even thought of till almost 12:30 or 1pm. I then ask if anyone has thought of lunch and I get a "roll of the eyes." People seem pretty content to eat on the run but I feel like an outcast because I need a few minutes to decompress during my shift. Another "no-no", is that if I am not assigned lunch and I have no opportunity to take 30 minutes, I put in for "no lunch", to get paid for it. In reality we should get three 15 min. breaks and a 30 min lunch. (We sign in 15min before our shift and out 15min after because we do not get a paid lunch break) Thoughts?
