This topic has been bothering me a lot lately. I would love to know your thoughts and experiences! I am a new RN working on a cardiac unit. Since I have been on this floor, I have observed and experienced first hand how many of the nurses do NOT get a break during their 8 and 12 hour shifts. If we do take a break, we have to find someone on the floor who can cover our typically 4-5 patients. Our charge nurses do NOT cover lunches and our parent shifters are not used for this, either. There have been many days when I went home after working 13 plus hours and not sitting down once or being able to use the bathroom.
Is this COMMON in the nursing profession? According to wage and hour federal laws, we are entitled to a break.
This frustrates me as I think we are all entitled to some time away and I do not feel it is our responsibility to find our own coverage.
What are you guys finding out in the nursing community? Do you swipe a "no lunch?" Is this even SAFE? Technically, this employer is violating wage and hour laws by not freeing the nurses up for a break.
Please share your thoughts and experiences with me. I think this practice is wrong and I would like to implement change...I just do not know how.
Some of the contributors from right to work states , who say they risk their jobs if they try to get legitimate breaks , should NB this point re. lack of Liability Insurance / workmans comp. coverage while working off the clock .
You may feel you are in the proverbial damned if you do ,damned if you don't position , but if you get fired at one location for taking your break at least you still have your license , so can find work elsewhere . If you were injured off the clock then unable to obtain treatment d/t lack of workers comp. you will have lost your livlihood and will not have access to the resources you need .
Please , Please , Please DO NOT work off the clock . I feel on this point I am :deadhorse ( having mentioned this in previous threads ), nurses would much rather continue to put their livlihood at risk , than get their employer to give what is legally required of them , proper break coverage .
You can be sure that your employer will indeed use this new policy as a punishment , because it has been introduced so they can document you are recieving your breaks , if the paper trail shows you are not recieving your breaks , they are at risk of , heaven forbid , actually correcting the problem . So yep if you don't clock in & out for your break , they will come after you !
The facility where I work isn't as bad as some of the others posting. I have been there for quite a while and have seen many positive changes made in the nurses/staffs favor in the past. We shall see.
It seems to be very common as of late where I work. I shouldn't be happening..but, when supervisors and managers don't care and are only concerned with numbers, then, that's what happens.SO, I've decided that I will not bust my butt anymore to appease a facility that works like a machine and treats their employees like cattle that can be replaced. It's not fair to me or my pts...SO, I do what I can, protect my license, and stand up for myself...Yes, I'm a trouble maker.
I have less than 1 year experience working on a med-surge floor. I have taken lunch once in 10 months. Even when i was orienting for the 3 lousy weeks I got I could never take a lunch. Sometimes it wa because I just could not stop for the whole shift. One thing after another would happen. Even if assessments and meds were done there would always be a patient, Doc, family member, pharmacist, PT, Rt, phlebotomist who needed my time. Not to mention admits, discharges, new stat orders, etc... Most days are like this. On the rare occassion when I was not being pulled in a million directions I would punch out for lunch and go find a secluded spot where I would manage to chart on at least one of my patients. On days like this I could ask another nurse to watch my patients so I could get off of the floor but then this would keep me at work a half an hour later and management would be breathing down my neck about OT. I know of only one nurse who can sometimes get off of the floor to take a lunch.
What types of units do nurses work on where they can actually take a lunch and still get out on time? I am not being nasty when I say this as I really want to know. I want to go to one of those units.
The units where nurses can go for their breaks ( which meet the legal definition of a break ) , are those in which the nurses as a group have stood up to management and said enough is enough , you are responsible to ensure that staff can have breaks , do it !.We did it collectively with the support of our union . Not being nasty but if nurses allow management to do things to them ( such as not taking the breaks , then the only ones who can change this are the nurses themselves , by changing the unit culture that accepts this and developing a backbone to stand up for themselves ).
The units where nurses can go for their breaks ( which meet the legal definition of a break ) , are those in which the nurses as a group have stood up to management and said enough is enough , you are responsible to ensure that staff can have breaks , do it !.We did it collectively with the support of our union . Not being nasty but if nurses allow management to do things to them ( such as not taking the breaks , then the only ones who can change this are the nurses themselves , by changing the unit culture that accepts this and developing a backbone to stand up for themselves ).
Thank you for your reply. Even with coverage for lunches are you still able to clock out on time? I find that even if I work full speed without taking lunches or breaks I still clock out late. I really need to know that such places exist like this in a hoapital setting.
Thank you for your reply. Even with coverage for lunches are you still able to clock out on time? I find that even if I work full speed without taking lunches or breaks I still clock out late. I really need to know that such places exist like this in a hoapital setting.
Yes such places do exist , but only because the staff do not allow themselves to be walked upon . Having mandatory ratios and a union certainly helps us . NB. If a late admit occurs or a code of course that takes priority , but it has to be something unexpexcted that causes any of us to be late leaving work .
I have less than 1 year experience working on a med-surge floor. I have taken lunch once in 10 months. Even when i was orienting for the 3 lousy weeks I got I could never take a lunch. Sometimes it wa because I just could not stop for the whole shift.
I would bet this is a huge reason that 1 out of 3 new nurses quit the nursing field within a year of working. It is disgusting that facilities get away with this. It is unhealthy and dangerous, IMO.
I would bet this is a huge reason that 1 out of 3 new nurses quit the nursing field within a year of working. It is disgusting that facilities get away with this. It is unhealthy and dangerous, IMO.
You are so right. I love your name by the way!!! I am really fed up with this. I feel like quitting almost every day I am there. It would not be so bad if I could just get out on time. I know I am new to this but not being able to chart one single thing until after I have given report and made walking rounds with the oncoming nurse is ludicrous. Sometimes I cannot start charting until midnight and then I am there until 2 AM. Part of it is that I still don't have my time management skills down yet but I also think part of it is that the patients are needy; never mind the Docs, families, RT, PT, pharmacy, etc needing you. Sometimes the acuity of the patient is low but most are still demanding of your time. I would like to see management work shifts and see if they can manage to get a lunch or get out on time. I keep asking the more experienced nurses to show me or explain to me a different way to become faster but so far all they say is it will get better. No one has been able to give me any concrete examples of ways of getting done faster.
I am trying to stick it out but I am really fed up with this. It is a shame too because I love the hands on bedside care of my patients. Especially my little old ladies and gents.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
you are so right. i love your name by the way!!! i am really fed up with this. i feel like quitting almost every day i am there. it would not be so bad if i could just get out on time. i know i am new to this but not being able to chart one single thing until after i have given report and made walking rounds with the oncoming nurse is ludicrous. sometimes i cannot start charting until midnight and then i am there until 2 am. part of it is that i still don't have my time management skills down yet but i also think part of it is that the patients are needy; never mind the docs, families, rt, pt, pharmacy, etc needing you. sometimes the acuity of the patient is low but most are still demanding of your time. i would like to see management work shifts and see if they can manage to get a lunch or get out on time. i keep asking the more experienced nurses to show me or explain to me a different way to become faster but so far all they say is it will get better. no one has been able to give me any concrete examples of ways of getting done faster.
i am trying to stick it out but i am really fed up with this. it is a shame too because i love the hands on bedside care of my patients. especially my little old ladies and gents.
as an experienced nurse, all i can say is it will get better. i can try to spoon feed you the information you're asking for, but until it somehow clicks for you, you just won't get it no matter how hard i try to teach you. the first year or two of nursing is hard, and that sucks. but you just have to work your way through it in order to come out on the other side.
Good Lord what kind of place are you working at that the charge nurses can't relieve you so you can go eat? Yes you have crazy days but it shouldn't be that way EVERY DAY. My advice do your time, get your experience and then find a better place to work.
nicurn001
805 Posts
Some of the contributors from right to work states , who say they risk their jobs if they try to get legitimate breaks , should NB this point re. lack of Liability Insurance / workmans comp. coverage while working off the clock .
You may feel you are in the proverbial damned if you do ,damned if you don't position , but if you get fired at one location for taking your break at least you still have your license , so can find work elsewhere . If you were injured off the clock then unable to obtain treatment d/t lack of workers comp. you will have lost your livlihood and will not have access to the resources you need .
Please , Please , Please DO NOT work off the clock . I feel on this point I am :deadhorse ( having mentioned this in previous threads ), nurses would much rather continue to put their livlihood at risk , than get their employer to give what is legally required of them , proper break coverage .