Lunch breaks

[stervets]

Hi everybody, I have a question regarding lunch breaks. I'm an RN currently working PRN in a hospital and full time in a Long term care facility. In long term, I work nights 8 hour shifts from 10-6am. I'm the only Nurse on my unit at night and I have never taken breaks as well as other night shift nurses that work on my unit when I'm off. We have only 3 nurses(sometimes I'm the only RN in the building) and about 120 residents. It seems like clocking out and leaving the facility for 30 min, while leaving 120 residents with 2 nurses is not a very safe/legal idea. Also I like the idea of getting extra 30 minutes to my paycheck.

Recently due to the economy our company, as probably most other ones started desperately trying to reduce all their expenses, sometimes to they point of ridiculousness.

A few days ago we had a meeting with the administration and we were told that everybody had to take 30min breaks now. I asked them how I am supposed to take a break when 2 other nurses will have to share 120 residents, plus the fact that sometimes they both are LPNs. Is it safe for residents? Is it even legal? All they could say to me was "Well you know it is the law that everyone has to take breaks" I tried searching for some federal regulations and it appears that it is not a requirement. I have been working there for almost 3 years without taking breaks and all of sudden "That is the law" I told them that they didn't have to be concerned with me making overtime since I only work about 75-76 hrs without taking 30 min breaks, but they again assured me that it wasn't about overtime, but about laws. I do take breaks in a hospital, but that is completely different environment there. There is plenty of nurses, ratio is not 40 to 1, and instead of 8hrs, you work the entire 12. However even in a hospital I can skip a break and get paid for it. So my question is what laws are the talking about? I suspect it is a complete BS, but want to make sure before starting to try to change that.

Any info would be appreciated as well as your thoughts/opinions?

Victor

[coolpeach]

I work in a major hospital and we are supposed to get one 30 minute meal break and two 10 minutes rest breaks. No one ever takes the 10 minute rest breaks. I often do not even get a meal break, and the times that I do I certainly cannot leave the floor. I am in the break room with my phone, pager etc, and very seldom am I not called away in the middle of eating to attend to some aspect of nursing care.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

It's a way to save money for the company. It's probably illegal. Contact the Labor Relations Board. Find out what your rights are. Then you have to decide what you're going to do with that information.

Companies/hospitals don't like it when the staff goes over their heads and reports questionable practices.

[Jenni811, RN]

it's the law they have to OFFER you breaks, but if you don't take one they have to pay you for your 30 minute time of not taking a break.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Please tell me what you state you live in and is your hospital hiring?? lol. We work 6p-630a and are lucky get 15 minutes to eat on our floor in the hospital. They take 30 minutes out for a lunch but VERY rarely are we ever on any break or uninterrupted by our pager and have to stop eating to go take a pt to the bathroom, give pain meds etc. People that work days are more likely to take a full break but I know it doesn't always happen for them either.

I'm jealous....lol

I'm a Canadian nurse, lol. That is standard for us. We are hiring. Did you want to move?

[TrafalgarRN]

Not to brag but i get a full 1 hour break for my 8 hour NOC shift . I get to clock out and in that 1 hour i can't be interrupted; will run to Starbucks, grab some food and sometimes sleep for the hour. If i would work 12 hrs i am entitled to an extra 15 minutes(non-clocked) break.

[RNKPCE]

I am so fortunate where I work. We almost always get our breaks and are free to leave the facility. If for some reason we don't get our breaks or they are interrupted the break starts over or "no break" is filled out. Thank god I don't plan to ever leave my facility because I couldn't work in places that some of the above poster described. Such as "can't leave the floor and have to carry my phone but get 30 minutes taken out of your pay" It just blows me away to hear this. I follow the rules and standards of care and expect my employers to do the same.

[nitronymph]

We do not get a meal break. While the medical floor, surgery, and rehab get to actually go to the cafeteria and eat, we are unable to leave ICU. Our manager does not relieve us. STILL, in spite of this, we are DOCKED pay for meal breaks. Doesn't seem right or legal. I work in Alabama.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

I recently made a career change from hospital ICU to a new facility. For the first time in my career, we are given a 30 minute lunch (and docked for it), which is no different, but at this place they actually insist you take it. The few times I have tried to come back early because I knew things were really hairy with one less nurse, I got a lot of flack for it. Not flack in a bad way, but flack in that you are entitled to this, you are not being paid for that 30 minutes regardless, so TAKE it.

It's really nice, even though I also pay for it later when the next nurse takes her lunch. Now that I've experienced that 30 minutes break to have a bite, and more importantly, to take a breather from the work environment, I'm loving it. I've also learned that the later I take my lunch, the better about it I feel, as the pace tends to slow just a tad later in the lunch cycle, so I don't feel I'm leaving my colleagues so much in the lurch.

[Trekfan]

I have heard both you have to take a break it's the law and youcan not be in the billding without your boss . But one day when I and two others showed during a snow storm I found that was not true .