Lunch breaks

Nurses Safety

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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?

What do you think?

The issue here was not that the nursewanted to leave the premises during her break but that she insisted on leaving there and then. Yes we are all entitled to breaks, paid or unpaid, (whether we get them is another story! )but breaks are taken when it's convienient. If the ward is busy then you wait 'till it's less busy. If your break time is your priority then you have the wrong attitude for the job! I work with people with this same attitude and it leaves certain people doing more than their fair share while others put their feet up !!!

Specializes in NICU.

Last place I worked they changed our hours to give us a half hour lunch break on nights. We were told it was federal law that we get a break, and not be responsible for our patients for that 30 minutes. LOL

In California, you cannot smoke in public buildings-hospitals, offices, restaurants, bars, an outside area may be provided. Our hospital has one area for smokers, away from the public entrance. As we only have one smoker out of about 30 in our area on nights, this has not been a problem, but we can always tell if she has been on a smoke break when she comes through. Sounds so different in the rest of the country!

We do what we want. Basically, it depends of the coverage. If my staff is quite senior then it is freedom. When it is more junior you hang around to make sure in case of emergency. Of course, that is when you are lucky enough to get your lunch or enough time to go anywhere..... :-)

a lunch break? what is that? We usually take a minute to run down to the cafeteria to get food and then sit at the nurses station and eat as we are answering call lights. I work on a general surgical floor. For istance, the other night, we had 5 patients with central lines and all had TPN going. We had 3 confused patients (1 was a wanderer and she was on every 15 minute checks per hospital policy) and a schizo that was screaming at the top of her lungs and not to mention 2 with chest tubes. Only 2 RN's on the floor. We did not even have a nursing assistant. So, how are we supposed to take a lunch break? ha ha ha What a joke! Had 14 patients on the floor and then they called us 2 more admissions. We did not even have a ward clerk so therefore we even had to put the whole chart together. :(

For my facility I am looking at the problem of missed lunch breaks. Our Cafeteria is open from 11:15 AM till 1:00pm and 5:15 to 7:00pm. They will save a tray for pick up after that time. Someone posted 5 hours into a shift as cut off for the 30 minute unpaid break. Is it than acceptable to relieve someone from 5:15 pm to 8:30 pm if shift time starts at 3:30 pm? If I give you a 15 min break between 5 and 6 pm could we run later on the 30 min break?

If you are not paid for your lunch, then you have the right to do whatever, as long as you return on time. If you are expected to be "available" in case of emergencies, then you are in essence "on-call", and should get paid the on-call rate for that break.

Hospitals count on their nurses to do this; it's just another way for them to get work on the cheap.

WHAT LUNCH BREAK?!?!?! Lately @ our LTC our florr has been isolated d/t flu and URI's...for the last 3 days I've beem on the floor alone......we're supposed to get a 20 min lunch ..but it doesn't always happen......

Why Why Why as nursing professionals have we allowed ourselves to be treated less than common ordinary workers with less than professional training.?? Why have we deteriorated into a profession that does not allow common ordinary needs to be met??? I will never understand this.. I went to college for 5 years and have never held a common job that did not allow bathroom breaks and meal breaks. We well be treated as we allow ourselves to be treated.

Interesting tidbit:

Until 1998, there was no federally mandated right to a bathroom break, at work.

Just an update-

I would like everyone to know that after 2 1/2 years I still cannot go to the cafeteria to eat lunch, if I get a break at all in my 12 hour shift.

How many of you are still working without your breaks?

Specializes in NICU.

Our lunch breaks are sporadic, but never in the letter of the law. We are supposed to have a 30 min break when we are not responsible for our patients. If no-one is able to come in and cover our patients, it's hard to leave the unit for that length of time.

If I have had time to eat, but it's been broken up by alarms going off, etc. I charge for my break. We are never paid the penalty that is part of the CA labor law.

I think they will.....eventually.

Thanks for the note about your lunch break problems. We have a 15 minute break early in the shift and late in the shift plus our lunch 30 min break. My problem as supervisor is getting everyone a 30 min break over the lunch hour. This does not happen often but enough that I do not like it. Nurses need the 30 min break to get away from the floor. I have met with the nursing union reps here and have proposed that if I have too many people to relieve for breaks I will give a 15 min break during the lunch hour to some of the staff so they can eat quick or at least get food. Then I will relieve them or floor staff will relieve them for a 30 min break later in the shift. So far it is working. :p

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