12 and 1/2 hours with only 30 minutes for lunch

TheDudeWithTheBigDog, ADN, RN · Jul 13, 2018

HI I am in my second semester , we have clinicals in the hospital now, we have to work practically 13 hours every shift and be there at 6 15 am and leave at 7 15 or later
My instructor would not allowed us to take any brakes exception for 30 minutes for lunch. We not allowed to sit and do paperwork for more than 1 hour for entire day (we expected to stand in hallway and write on clipbord while being on lookout for bell lights)
My friends hiding in the bathroom every hour to get some rest, but it is kind of stinky there. I am not learning anything in clinicals, under huge stress and just tired. I am not joking I have really bad experience , do you have the same experience ?

Sounds like an instructor that likes having power. It's only a couple years, and then it's over, and you can be back to being part of the real world, where people sit when they get a chance. If you're getting that much downtime that it's up to standing in the hall, looking out for callbells, though, that might be something to bring up with whoever runs your program. You're there to learn in a real-life setting. You're not learning by standing in the hall. Looking out for call lights is the aid's job, that's what they're there for, and they'd rather be the one taking care of their patients. Your instructor should be busy teaching you how to be a nurse.

As for the only getting a 30 minute break, that's life in the working world, just get used to it. Once you're done school, and actually working as a nurse, you'll notice that they'll get 5 minutes of downtime and have a quick snack and things like that.

Mavrick, BSN, RN · Jul 13, 2018

And you have clinical days how many times a week??

One day a week of having to stand most of the day is not cruel or unusual punishment. Many occupations require standing (grocery clerks, toll booth operators) or being on your feet for an entire workday. But like PPs have said you are not an employee.

If you are not learning anything useful during your clinical hours then you are truly wasting your and your instructor time. Your instructor may be pushing you into the world of nursing too fast for your learning speed but I think she has the right idea. Simulations are sub-optimal in teaching clinical skills you will use on real people.

ComeTogether, LPN · Jul 13, 2018

Hate to break it to you but this doesn't get any better once you're working full time. I work 12.5 hour shifts and I am allowed to eat something but I don't leave the floor nor do I clock out because I'm the only nurse.

Every job will be different and every shift will have its quirks. Sometimes you'll get 3 10 minute breaks, sometimes you'll have to suck down an ensure while you're peeing. (kidding, kind of). Not to be all "NETY".... but, welcome to nursing.

Bonstemps, EMT-P · Jul 13, 2018

So not even a nursing student yet and I'm willing to bet you aren't "learning anything in clinicals" because you are too busy figuring out how to sit down or hide. Find a nurse and follow her/him. Ask questions, be involved. You can be right in the middle of a situation and get nothing out of it if you choose to - or you can put yourself in the middle and learn something. Sounds to me like you are too busy trying to be lazy that you are more of a problem than part of the solution.
I've started this post over a few times now trying to be nice and I just can't find the right words - I'm sorry. I just don't have any sympathy for you. Sick people come to a hospital for a reason and nurses are there to take care of them. You knew when you started school that nurses work long and hard hours. You have to be physically capable of working long shifts - so if you aren't - do something to fix that. No one cares if you are tired or hungry or haven't peed in the last 12 hours. Sick people come first. Maybe the one thing you have learned from clinicals is that you aren't cut out for the hospital environment.
Legally you are allowed breaks and lunch and all that. Truthfully it boils down to being a squeaky wheel and not having a job or sucking it up and doing your job and taking quick breaks when you can. People are trying to change the way that it works and advocate for better nursing conditions - but for now - this is the way that it is.... Like it or don't. Work in a hospital - or don't. For now - as a student if you want to graduate - it is what it is. Complaining won't get you anywhere.
You can't learn with your butt in a chair. Nothing interesting happens in the nursing station. I'm sure there are experiences to be had on your floor - do yourself a favor and find them!

Ok, listen. OP is coming to AN for advice. OP is expressing stress, exhaustion, anxiety. I know your answer is meant to be a bit of a reality check, but you are handling this in a way that is contrary to my understanding of a good clinician - or at least one that has worked in settings where there was an awareness and understanding of best self care practices. There is gray area between your analysis of this issue - OP is not saying they want to sit for the entire clinical, as you imply. There is no learning with your butt in a chair, true. But neither is there learning to be done when you are anxious, hungry, and fatigued.

OP - there is truth in this response. The field is difficult and the allowances made for your self care will vary according to where you work and with whom you work. If you have a proctor similar to this poster, you will be in for tough love, if any love at all. But if you work in settings like I have, your health is as important as the patients. That is fact. You cannot do your job without good self-care and anyone who mocks you for it is failing in their duty as a clinician.

I would recommend to move forward with a mix of all the advice you have been given. You know the context better than we do, but please evaluate your self care needs. You do not want to burn out early in the game. Communication is key - but of course, tread carefully. Some people are not understanding (see above) or willing to consider the needs and limits of others.

I wish you the best and hope you are treated well.

blenderbottle · Jul 13, 2018

Thank you for advice I have 3 more clinicals this summer and 3 more semesters to go. I have to do what i have to do, but unless i am starving to death I will not work as floor nurse after the school.

P.s I spoke to chair of nursing in my school, she told me that it is hard to believe, and maybe it is not as bad as i think. (She did not believe me ) BY away 3 hours of simulation lab gave me more knowledge than 90 hours of clinical on the floor. I am open to learn, but on the floor because we have to check on pt every hour, chart in computer than in our paper work, in addition to this we have tons of paperwork for each patient we have standart packs + we need to come up with something what we learn and write an assay for each patient . It is 7 students on the floor, as soon call light go of everyone have to drop what they are dong and walk to help patient , even if 5 people is walking every one have to go to assist, we are responsible to all 24 rooms on the floor, for assisting them with their needs. Oh and we not allowed to spend more than 20 minutes with patient, because other people might need our help.

holisticallyminded · Jul 13, 2018

Wow, bad advice to the OP. My first year as a nurse I fell for this idea that I could sacrifice my own well-being for my patients/to get the work done. That sure changed fast!! A student should be taking breaks since rest is helpful in a learning environment. Also nurses who don't wish to burn out and run themselves dry absolutely put themselves first. Barring an absolute emergency, I take breaks, eat, rest, chat with coworkers, etc. it's like any other workplace in that regard and is just as much a job as any. God I really don't get some nurses; I sure wouldn't work for free!! I'm convinced it's a generational issue. And nope, I'm not even close to millenial.

Night__Owl, BSN, RN · Jul 13, 2018

My clinical hours were horrible too. I'm sorry, but unless you are at Man's Best Hospital, the nurses have too much to do to be teaching new minds every second of the day. And nursing students have so many restrictions on what they can do that it's a huge production to even do so much as an IV start.

I felt pressured during clinical to be busy every second, even when there was nothing to do. We also had to stand pretty much all the time. I highly disagree with the elitism of the chair politics. The other day, I had a nursing student who was a solid ten years older than me scramble out of a chair when I walked over there, and I wasn't even using the chair! I told her not to let somebody disrespect her like that. If I needed to sit there to work I would expect her to let me, but only after I acted as a normal human and asked her to move. People in other fields would never dream of treating each other that way. But I digress.

My practicum hours were a million times better. I had a lot more freedom to do things, and miraculously found that with good time management on a decently staffed floor, I could catch a break once in awhile. And even on work shifts where I've been busy the whole time, it beats the heck out of standing around for 12 hours trying not to look bored or talk too loud.

NerdyKnitter, CNA · Jul 14, 2018

In the places I've worked it all depends on staffing. When we are fully staffed I take my breaks. When we are understaffed I take my breaks if possible, but the safety of the residents comes first. I've taken breaks and been pulled off them for falls and once, even and elopement. Not worth it This week I worked a 16 hour shift with one half hour break. At least the shifts go by fast.

Lipoma, BSN, RN · Jul 14, 2018

Wow.....my 12 hour clinical days include an hr lunch and a 5-minute break if we need to rehydrate or eat a snack bar. NO NURSE works continuously for 13.5 hours without being able to SIT or take a 5 minute breather. How do they chart? By sitting.

That said, in the ER I do not sit at all. I stand all day because I split my time between two nurses and their patients because there's so much to learn and do. So if my primary nurse is sitting and charting, I find me a second nurse who is doing something skills or assessment wise.

I also HATE when nursing instructors are like "I don't want to see you sitting...find something to do"...Uhm...if there's nothing nursing related, my chart is up-to-date, all meds were given, assessments done, and my nurse is sitting, and no nurse needs my help....Best beleive I'm sitting and studying for my exams. student nurses are not glorified CNAs and that's what many clinical instructor fail to realize.

elkpark · Jul 14, 2018

I also HATE when nursing instructors are like "I don't want to see you sitting...find something to do"...Uhm...if there's nothing nursing related, my chart is up-to-date, all meds were given, assessments done, and my nurse is sitting, and no nurse needs my help....Best beleive I'm sitting and studying for my exams. student nurses are not glorified CNAs and that's what many clinical instructor fail to realize.

Nursing clinical instructors "realize" a lot more than you realize Staying busy in clinical is not about being "glorified CNAs," it is about maximizing your learning opportunities during your precious clinical hours, which are far too few in the first place. Nursing is all about being a self-directed learner. If your meds and assessments are done, your charting is done, and "no nurse needs my help" (which I find hard to imagine), you can still find something constructive and educational to do. (Yes, I'm a former nursing instructor who finds studying for exams a completely inappropriate use of clinical time.)

iamalagirl · Jul 14, 2018

Wow I had a professor just like yours too. My professor was like that. I also had to drive long to get to the clinical site. So, I was so exhausted one day after my clinical and almost slept while driving on my way to home!!! It was so dangerous. Every student in the clinical group was stressed out and did not learn anything. We were not allowed to say anything. Being RN student is like a ... slave sometime. I pray for you. I am sorry to hear that.

umbdude, MSN, APRN · Jul 14, 2018

That wasn't my experience. I had 2 clinicals where I did 12 hours shifts and we could sit and chart, look things up, or just rest. Our instructors gave us 30-45 min lunch. But we were always on the unit so if someone needs help or when there are things to see we were available.

Some RNs encouraged us to sit and go to the bathroom. They told us to care for our bodies and not to skip breaks.

12 and 1/2 hours with only 30 minutes for lunch

do you required to work 13 hours shifts with just 30 minutes break?