New Nurse can't eat lunch

Nurses General Nursing

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I am wondering how other units handle their lunch breaks.

I work nights, and we have extremely flexible breaks during the work shift. Most of us don't really leave the floor, just get our food and eat in the conference room. We usually have enough down time in the wee hours of the morning to equal at least an hour break (if not more)

Some nurses do leave the floor, and they do it when they have caught up and only ask us to cover call lights. The other nurses are perfectly fine with that. Even though I don't choose to leave the floor, I am perfectly fine with those who do.

Anyway, this new nurse just gets off orientation and is getting really upset with the rest of us because "she's not allowed to get her break." She is having trouble with time management and still can barely get all of her stuff done that is required. We are more than happy to help her get her work done, but no one is willing to do her work for her while she goes off for an hour. For example, she will ask if I can cover her, then proceed to tell me that room 1 will need his pain medication in 15 minutes, room 2 still needs a dressing change, blah, blah, blah... I would never assume to go on break when there is still a lot of stuff to do with my own patients, especially in the middle of the night when these things should have already been done. We are trying to help her with her time management, but she will not listen to suggestions as she already knows everything there is to know about nursing!

Last night about 2 hours into her shift she asked me if she could take her break and wanted to give me report on her 5 patients. I told her I was too busy with my own 5 patients at that time and couldn't handle hers as well. She thinks I'm mean. I think if she is the only nurse on the unit that is having this problem, maybe it is a problem with her.

What do you think?

Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Supervisory, HEDIS, IT.

Anyway, this new nurse just gets off orientation and is getting really upset with the rest of us because "she's not allowed to get her break." She is having trouble with time management and still can barely get all of her stuff done that is required. We are more than happy to help her get her work done, but no one is willing to do her work for her while she goes off for an hour. For example, she will ask if I can cover her, then proceed to tell me that room 1 will need his pain medication in 15 minutes, room 2 still needs a dressing change, blah, blah, blah... I would never assume to go on break when there is still a lot of stuff to do with my own patients, especially in the middle of the night when these things should have already been done. We are trying to help her with her time management, but she will not listen to suggestions as she already knows everything there is to know about nursing!

Last night about 2 hours into her shift she asked me if she could take her break and wanted to give me report on her 5 patients. I told her I was too busy with my own 5 patients at that time and couldn't handle hers as well. She thinks I'm mean. I think if she is the only nurse on the unit that is having this problem, maybe it is a problem with her.

What do you think?

This nurse has to work on her time management skills. It is just not right to just leave her work such as giving meds and dressing changes for the nurse COVERING for her.

No, you are not being mean.

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on my unit the culture on nights is that the covering nurse will deal with iv pumps beeping, give prn meds , help to br etc. some come in and ask if it is ok to give prn med. if something needs paging almost every primary nurse wants to do it his/herself and really s/he knows the pt best and should be the one doing that. dressing change (unless a prn one if one became soiled etc), giving scheduled meds, straight caths etc, that is to be done by primary nurse even if it means the pt will wait at most 30mins. and anything else will be waiting for your return.

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Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.
I just don't get it...

Then what does it mean to you that someone is "covering" you?

When I'm being "covered" then that means essentially that the person covering me is *doing* the work that needs to be done... otherwise I'm not "covered."

But if the relief is not going to pass meds or "do anything" then what does that even mean, just walking in, making sure the patient's not actively dying, and then saying, "your nurse will be with you in a bit?"

What my comments mean is that I don't expect the nurse covering my patients to do anything that I was supposed to have done myself in the first place and remains undone and immediately due. IOW, when I take my break, my patients have been medicated on schedule and all other tasks done or can be done later by me. If they need a PRN or help to the bathroom or anything else that I don't anticipate while I am on break, that's different.

Sorry, English is my first language :p

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Specializes in PICU, Pediatrics.

Some times I think nurses are their own worse enemy. They tolerate working conditions such as working without breaks without blinking an eye. In California if you miss a 30 minute meal break you get paid one hour of pay. If you miss one or both 15 minutes breaks you get paid an extra hour. Do I put in for this if I miss a break....... heck yeah! Does it happen often...... heck no! But I always have legitmate reasons for it happening.

Also by law anytime a break is interrupted you are allowed to restart your break.

The original poster does need to speak with this new nurse but some issues lay in the unit culture and some at organization and state level.

Note to self: Apply for jobs in California upon graduation! Lol :-D

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The nurse needs to eat before she gets to work so that she doesn't impose on colleagues two hours into the shift. Also, as someone mentioned, she may be a smoker. Or maybe her significant other needs to talk to her (right now), or she needs to talk to significant other (right now).

It is not fair to ask another nurse to do dressing change/wound care because it can be time-consuming and it's the nurse's responsibility to assess his/her own patient's wound, stitches, etc., and chart.

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Specializes in Emergency.

The only time I ever ask the nurse covering my lunch to do something is if a diabetic orders their lunch while I'm away and they need their insulin.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
Note to self: Apply for jobs in California upon graduation! Lol :-D
I seriously don't think I could handle being a nurse in many other places.

There is a reason, I guess, why it's so hard to find a job in California.

I wish for all my nursing brethren and sistern success in their political and labor arenas toward attaining what's been attained by nurses in California. We should not be the exception, we should be the rule.

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she sounds pretty bold if she's willing to say "you're mean" right to your face. that kind of confrontation should be saved for really bad bullying-type behaviors, not when you patiently explain that you're too busy to take on extra work.

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Michigangirl ~ I'm still working on my B.S.N., but it is interesting to see/hear what is/is not expected of me once I find work. Btw, I am also from Michigan, but I live in Texas now. Hoping to move back once I finish up with my program. Would love to work up there and be closer to family. :-)

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Specializes in ICU/PACU.

I believe in break nurses and an allotted 30 minute break where you get to leave the unit and actually take a f'n lunch break. It really ****** me off when I work at hospitals that don't have a break nurse (I'm a traveler). I don't believe in covering for your neighbor's patients and taking on double the amount of responsibility because the hospital is too cheap to hire a relief nurse.

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How long have she been in your unit? Maybe she still needs more time to adjust!

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Specializes in Family Practice, ICU.

Asking for a break two hours into a shift is pretty early. I would say you should work a good 5 or 6 hours of a 12 hour shift before thinking about taking a lunch.

That said, there is a lot of things we passively accept about nursing as a culture that I don't agree with. Nobody should have to not take a lunch. Nobody should accept that and "go with it". Everyone should get at least a 30 minute lunch for a 12 hour shift. 12 hours is a long time, even though we are all used to it by now.

I think if you can help someone, you should. If they are earnestly trying to do their best and they need a hand, give them one. Too often we create a culture that if a nurse asks for help, they are either weak or "not cutting it". Granted, there are a few outliers that simply need to pick up the pace or organize their workflow better.

But we need to get away from being a culture that teaches people that they cannot ask for help for fear of being branded as incompetent. This can spiral into people not being willing to speak up about other things, for fear of criticism from fellow nurses (workplace violence, harassment, unsafe conditions). Nurses need to care for their patients, but they also need to care for themselves.

Some nurses SHOULD ask for help, but they don't. Even competent ones sometimes get so bogged down, but they feel that they should be able to handle it on their own. They grumble about being overwhelmed, having a crappy assignment, but then when anyone offers to help them, they turn it down.

A nurse unit that fosters helping others creates a positive work environment and will not only help retain nurses and strengthen the unit as a whole, it also carries on into better patient care.

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