I am interested in knowing if any facilities allow a person to leave the facility for their lunch break. In my facility it is sort of an unwritten rule that you hang around at least in the building where you can be reachable by phone. (The phone system doesn't work in all parts of the building either). Particularly interested in cardiac units who tend to be a bit more critical with fewer staff.
My personal belief, I would love to leave the facility to have lunch somewhere else. (if you get a lunch) But I also believe and know that it adds extra stress to the nurse that now has twice as many patients to cover for?
We're not allowed to have sex in the whirlpool, Even if it is our lunch break. Big no-no. Grounds for getting fired here, but if your spouse comes and begs you may be able to get job back.:roll :roll :roll
Why do nurses only get 30 minute lunch breaks? That's not enough time for working 12 hours. That's barbaric. If you work 10/4 instead of 12/3, do you get 1 hour lunch breaks?
I get a headache if I don't eat at least every 4-5 hours. I am NOT a volunteer and I DO take my breaks. 12 hours is just too long to go with only a 30 minute break. Studies have documented that breaks refresh the mind and relax the body. Let's not burn ourselves out by volunteering our time and sacrificing our breaks.
For years the nurses in my ICU didn't charge for missed lunch breaks. Now we are getting tough. Title 22 in California cleary states that the staffing ratio is 2:1 at all the time, not 4:1 during lunch time. If someone can't come up and relieve us of all of our pt. care duties for 30 minutes we charge them 1/2 hour overtime. State of Cal has also passed the no lunch break or break penalty law that state if any hourly paid worker misses their lunch or 2 breaks the facility will pay them an hour of straight time wages for missed lunch and an hour of straight time wages for missed breaks. This is on top of the 1/2 hour of time and a half for no lunch. It's amazing when you stand up for yourself and money is involved how know we get a lunch break about 95% of the time.
We get 2 15 min breaks and a 30 min unpaid lunch. I do use my 15 min breaks to smoke. As far as I am concerned the others can take their 15 min to get off the floor and do whatever they wish. For sake of your sanity you should take a break.
We must be a bit lucky, we have a Nurse's union that is fighting on the nurses behalf, if we do not get our 1/2 hour break (uninterrupted I might add) we get paid time and a half. Occasionally if the ward is extremely busy we might miss out, but when the ward is slow we are able to leave early or have extended meal/smoko breaks.
I never take a break, b/c I want to get all my work done so I can get out on time to put my kids on their buses. I am not even going near the smoking issue. As long as my pot of coffee is working and I can have caffeine while I work I am happy. I lied I think I had a break in Jan of 2001.....I was working sick and had to get off the floor, and I am not kidding about the date of the last break. I get paid for all 8 hrs of work, and I give my pts all 8 hrs. Maybe I am wrong in doing that. I don't know if we can leave since our company changed to paid lunch/ breaks. It doesn't matter to me anyway. Laura LPN
My aunt was L&D nurse (now in home health). She couldnt break for smokes much so she just chewed the nicotine gum, she quit smoking but still chews the gum.
i'm a charge nurse on a 48bed skilled floor where sometimes i am the only nurse on. recently the cna's who are union put up a fuss because they were being made to take breaks or have a slip signed by nurse stating they did not take a lunch-30min. so now, managment states that all nurses must take a lunch or have a good reason why not. i hardly ever get a break, and if i do its frequently interupted. i'd rather leave @ 4pm with no break than 4:30-500 with one. and what really gets me is all non nursing staff sit around for an hour or so, and don't punch out. what about them?
frann
251 Posts
We're not allowed to have sex in the whirlpool, Even if it is our lunch break. Big no-no. Grounds for getting fired here, but if your spouse comes and begs you may be able to get job back.:roll :roll :roll