How often do you take a break?

lee1 · Feb 24, 2006

Doing an assignment, interested in finding out if nurses take a break during their shift? Presuming the majority don't.

By our state laws, every 4 hours, 15 minute break and 30 minute break for meal. So 8 hours, say days, 1 break am, lunch 1 break pm but many times instead 1 break am-----45 minute lunch

lee1 · Feb 24, 2006

If you do NOT take your breaks you cannot ask for OT for that, but if you miss your meal you can

GooeyRN, ADN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN · Feb 24, 2006

Unfortunatly I never get a "real" break. I am sometimes the only nurse on the floor so I can't leave. No nurses can come from other units either, as they are the only nurse on their units. So I eat while I chart. Im glad I don't smoke, since I wouldn't get to leave to smoke. I work med/surg.

christymwinn · Feb 24, 2006

We get our breaks at the desk. There just isn't time to leave the floor unless you have to go poddy or go to a code. I work ICU.

Christy

khine2mn80 · Feb 24, 2006

r we the only career with no proper breaks..there are so many times i had no meals at all...only toliet breaks if that counts...

simbawicz · Feb 24, 2006

We get BREAKS?????

nanmad · Feb 24, 2006

Smokers take breaks. I'm not a smoker, but if I'm working and a smoker goes on break I'm expected to cover their patients. It depends on the day whether i get a break or meal or not. I've worked several times without either because of not having enough people working.

jimthorp · Feb 26, 2006

Supposedly we get a morning and afternoon break of 15 minutes but I have yet to find the time for them. They make me take my 30 minute lunch break even though I would prefer not to some days.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Feb 26, 2006

There's no law in Florida that says you get 15 minute breaks in the morning and the afternoon. If we don't get a lunch break, then they have to pay us for that time.

To answer your question, I get a lunch break sometime throughout my day, almost without fail because that's a priority for me along with patient care.

I rarely take any other breaks. Ocassionally on a good day in the afternoon things will slow down and I can sit for a while.

marymack57 · Mar 2, 2006

When I can't hold it any more. Had need to go to an urologist, new to me, and he looked at one of my x-rays and told me "you're either a teacher or a nurse". When I asked him to explain he stated that nurses and teachers tend to have over-sized bladders from "holding it". I was pretty amazed at that! And don't even really know if it could be true, the more you ask it to hold the bigger it gets? Like the stomach? Hmmmmm......

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Mar 2, 2006

I typically don't eat during my shifts (hurts my stomach running around), so I typically three breaks as time allows for about 5-10 minutes to refresh myself. The other nurses love it! That way they get their breaks faster because I take such short ones :).

Some days are more hectic and I may only get one or two...but since I am agency, I will most certainly put down that I did not get a lunch break and get paid for that! But otherwise I still count myself as getting my 30 minute meal period during an 8 hour shift.

Just depends on the day...but if I need a break...or other nurses need on during my shift..the facility is great about letting us have them! And me, I will always cover for someone that needs to step out for a while :).