Fess up: How many of you REALLY get your breaks?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

In this age of "productivity" and "the bottom line" as priorities, I'd like to know how many of you get a half-hour meal break and 2 fifteen-minute breaks in an eight-hour shift and at least another 15 minute break in a 12-hour shift.

I don't mean what you're supposed to take, or put on your timecard that you did take, but what you actually take on a regular basis.

On our unit, if it's not too busy, we combine one 15-minute break with our 30-minute meal break (even though our union and the state labor board say it is illegal) and that is all most of us take. In fact, I am the only one who takes that second break (and I only take 5-10 minutes) because I smoke (only at work and on the way to work...)

Everyone dutifully initials their timecards to indicate that they did get their breaks however. :mad:

How many other business regularly get all of this free productive time?

Specializes in Med-Surg, Long Term Care.

I try to take 15-30 minutes for a dinner break on 3-11 shift Med-Surg and like it best if I can leave the floor to sit with co-workers in the cafeteria-- Makes me feel so "human" to be away from the mayhem and to chit-chat while we eat. Much of the time, I eat alone in a conference room late in the shift when things have finally calmed down a bit, but the cafeteria's closed. (I almost always pack my own dinner because I never know if I'll be able to get off the floor.)

I never take other breaks, though. There just isn't time. However, the last time I worked with a nurse who took a number of smoking breaks, I started feeling resentful and vowed that I'd take a couple of breaks the next time we worked together, just so it'd feel more fair-- I'm not sure I'd know what to do if I took a break... :)

We joke on my floor that the only ones that get a break are ones that smoke or pump. But we do good most days to get our 30min. lunch.Then other days we sit around half the day, so it evens out. But smokers & pumpers take them no matter how busy it is.

Anti

In my ER we always are relieved to take a one hour lunch break (they combine the 30 min and two 15's) and if I work a 12 I always get my extra 15 minute break. If for some reason (which doesn't happen very often) that we don't get our break, or all of it...then by our union contract we get paid for the break time plus an additional amount for whatever we missed..ie we only get a half hour break, then we actually get paid an extra hour...I guess you could say we get paid doubletime for the missed break time...so management likes to make sure we get our breaks so they don't have to pay out the extra $$$ :)

i don't take any breaks unless i have no patients. for my break i may go sit in back section of nurses station and read or do education articles. but i wont leave my patients ,i want to make sure that i do everything i can to make everything go well

break........what is that when you wolf down a salad and lemonade between running for the lights, procedures, and trying to get charting done...........

I take my breaks. I insist on taking my breaks and make the time for them. I find that I need them to fill up on caffeine, refocus and uncloud my head. I am much more productive if I take a break. I work on such a chaotic and noisy unit (dementia ++) that it is a necessity in order to have patience.

We would always joke on those RARE quiet nights this is a night where we catch up on all that missed break time the other 364 days of the year...LOL!

Kewl, I got so I would put in for 'no lunch' too..why get docked 30 pay minutes if we can't get away??

When I did charge, I did make sure the rest of the staff who wanted/needed to could get away..I liked to chase them totally off the unit to clear their heads if they would go....I would relieve them myself rather than let them go without...part of my charge role, I figured...yes, I'm going nuts at the desk, but they are running crazy on the unit and stressing physically and mentally, so their breaks came first. :)

I know, I know, I'm sounding like a martyr...but I am really more like a ' mother hen' in person....and it does feel kinda good when my coworkers call me up and ask how I'm recuping, and ask 'when' I'm coming back....they miss their ol' mother hen...and its kinda nice to be missed...LOL!

But maybe someday I can go back.....as I do miss them too. :)

Nursing...a love hate relationship!!! :roll

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