Eating at the nurses' station

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Hey my fellow nurses,

I work in the ER and we very seldom get our "30 minute" lunch breaks. Well, one day, I was working day shift and around 2pm, no lunch break and I was starving!! I had a team of 4 patients and all the orders were done, I just had to chart....so I went to the back to get my lunch heated, brought it out, and ate it while I was charting in one of the back corners!! Does anybody else do this??

Brandie

Specializes in Psych and Substance Abuse.

I think there are times when some don't get their allowed breaks, but every day? I work with a guy who has not taken his lunch break in the 6 or 7 years he's been there. Some people are just like that I think. Not me, I'm not working for free! :D

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How about eating at the front of fetal monitor at the nurses station..nothing can beat that,well maybe talking on the cell phone at front of the patient lying in the bed....hey it is all good to me,better that than eating your young

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Specializes in ER.

For heaven's sake, patients eat in patient care areas, docs eat at the station and they are all alive and kicking. This whole issue is an example of JCAHO coming up with a rule and a subset of nurses jumping on it as gospel, but leaving the rest of us out in the cold. If you are uncomfortable eating at the station you are welcome to go elsewhere for your break- go for it. If someone else wants to keep a cup of coffee or water available they have just as strong an argument to do so. In a perfect world we would have regular breaks we could depend on, and never break into a sweat lifting, or spend a few hours in a room with a LOL who is cold and needs the heat at 90, plus blankets. Waiting a couple hours for a drink seems pretty clamped down to me.

If someone is taking over the desk wiith their meal, speak to them personally, but don't make a blanket rule. Short staffing, cafeteria closings, and unexpected emergencies happen. I've worked too many shifts without a break, AND as the only nurse on the floor for 12 hours, to think this new rule is anything but useless JCAHO paper pushing.

This feels like a variation of eating young to me. If I don't comply or agree with someone else's and opinions I am not automatically wrong. We all work in different situations and under different conditions.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

It may be easier said than done to be able to take breaks (or full ones), depending on how many staff members are present as well as unit activity. To be honest, sometimes, I have eaten in places I was not supposed to (like sneaking into an empty and eating my breakfast bar), but I try to avoid that because it is a Joint Commission as well as an Infection Control no-no. It is true that you don't know what you are exposing yourself to.

I think the best way to solve this if you cannot take a full break is to inform your collagues, excuse yourself for about 15-20 minutes and eat. You do need the nourishment to survive the day.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

I will sometimes snack at the desk, like if my blood sugar is getting low but I can't take my full break yet. I can always tell when my BS is taking a nose dive because I get shaky, feel hot and flushed, and get cranky as he##. At times like that, I'll grab some OJ and crackers from the pantry and snack while I chart. However, I will take a full meal break away from the nurse's station. I believe that if you are on break, you need to be off the unit ; either in the break room, or completely off the floor. Otherwise, it's not a break.

In my old career, we got paid for our meal breaks because we could not stop working to take a break. We had to find a slow time during the shift to eat a meal while still on duty.

If you cannot stop working to take your meal break, then the facility has to pay you for that time.

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I will sometimes snack at the desk, like if my blood sugar is getting low but I can't take my full break yet. I can always tell when my BS is taking a nose dive because I get shaky, feel hot and flushed, and get cranky as he##. At times like that, I'll grab some OJ and crackers from the pantry and snack while I chart. However, I will take a full meal break away from the nurse's station. I believe that if you are on break, you need to be off the unit ; either in the break room, or completely off the floor. Otherwise, it's not a break.

In my old career, we got paid for our meal breaks because we could not stop working to take a break. We had to find a slow time during the shift to eat a meal while still on duty.

If you cannot stop working to take your meal break, then the facility has to pay you for that time.

I'm really confused,I thought you had no time to go to the bathroom...well anyway this is what I gathered from your other posts...

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I always take my breaks and, when I am a new grad RN, will continue to take my breaks. It's so important to have that time-out to recoup and recollect. I have never understood feeling the need to work straight-through, unless there is an emergency situation or an unstable patient that needs to be dealt with.

I also think it is a violation to have food at the workstation.

Thank you,any job that dont allow you to use bathroom non to eat,breath whatever is not worth keeping,excuse me but I am the one who at the end have to take care of my body and I'm not getting sick nor I wont develop UTI for no one..and I really find it hillarious when someone believes that by eating at the nursing station one spreads the germs,oh please are those that are so quick to judge wash their hands all the time???

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Some of the night nurses do eat at the desk, and I have on occasion... but I'm trying to get better about taking my break to the back room. Sometimes it does feel like it's impossible but you have to make the time if you can.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

We recently got a new manager and she banned all eating and drinking at the nurses station. We've adjusted fine, but I miss having my coffee close by.

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Specializes in peds critical care, peds GI, peds ED.

In 15 years of nursing (all areas from ED to critical care) I have never eaten in a break room. I don't have a problem with those that do (you all probably have a much healthier digestive tract), but I always feel I am putting an extra burden with my pod mates, especially if I have a busy assignment or vice versa.

Take your break, but don't make a fuss if you don't get it when everyone else around you does not either. Keeps good Karma.

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I've noticed at work that the nurses who work the night shift tend to eat more at the nurses station than those who work in the day time.

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Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.

I don't have a problem with anyone eating at the nurses station as long as they aren't taking up space that is needed for others to do their work and they give the desk a wipe when they are done. I can't understand why people here seem so horrified by the sight of someone eating food, are they smearing it everywhere?

In the OR we wouldn't bring a sandwich in or anything like that but we stash lollies and drinks even though we're not meant to. As someone said on this thread and I 100% agree with, I'm not getting a UTI for anyone. My work doesn't have a drinks fountain anywhere near our working area and we have to leave the department to get to one. So until this is addressed I'm going to keep hiding my water bottle.

Our union laws are that meal breaks are not regarded as working time. If the meal break is interrupted then the remainder of the break is to be resumed as soon as practicable. If for some reason such as an emergency etc we cannot finish that break then we receive overtime pay for the time worked.

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