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.
Amazing that this post is still coming up over a year later. I did reply before. What I did in my unit when I was charge is that I assigned lunches. People initally acted as if I had two heads. Now it has become very uncommon for people not to go to lunch. Even the initial nay sayers are looking for their lunch break and TAKING it. There are still the occassional couple that cannot organize themselves and we end up changing the break times. I even go for walks in the nice weather during my 30 minutes (in my twelve hour shift). What a difference it makes to take care of myself and de-stress during my shift. I usually will have something to eat while I am charting.
We use to assign lunches, but the docs come in during lunch and expect us to round. If we are with another dr, they just wait for us. When they were told that the nurse is at lunch, they usually reply "well, go get her, she can sit around and eat later!" Like I have all day to just sit around and eat or slack off! Many days now, even with supervisor assigning lunches, it isn't happening. When we suggested that a sup take our group and round with the incoming dr, we get the standard "well you know your patient, you did the assessment, yadda, yadda, yadda" Again, no lunch!
I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have not taken a lunch in the past two years that I've been a nurse. I feel so lucky when I read threads like this! The nurses and union where I work wouldn't stand for the type of treatment described here.
I am the charge nurse where I work, and have a group of patients that is equal to or more than the other patient loads! I have 7 years experience, but with the economy, the facility has cut staffing, thus increasing patient workloads. And as many of us have noticed, the acuity of the patients has increased greatly. No easy answers. I used to get my lunch, get my charting done, and out on time. Not now. Supervisors complaining about OT and having to pay for missed lunches, to which I tell them that they are welcome to come to the floor and help. Of course, they have all of those meetings to go to that will help us with our time management and patient loads
You sound just like my charge nurses. I don't know how they do it. Management does come down on these women also. It is not fair to have the charge nurses doing the work of two people and expect them to get out on time. Greed is the root of all evil.
Many take on the responsibility of doing charge thinking it will look good upon their resume , fine , but if they are not prepared to say enough is enough when they are given a patient load , expected to fulfill the charge nurse role , be unable to get a break or ensure their staff get breaks , then maybe they should not continue in the role , if they are not prepared to seek correction of that situation . All to often though these charge nurse start spouting the usual word bytes ( poor time management , lazy staff etc..).
I am sorry to be cynical but I have seen that scenario play out so many times , often with a nurse who was an excellent bedside nurse , who then finds the stress of being in charge too much .
I know some are basically forced into the role , in which case if they find the role too stressful , they should return to the manager and say I have tried to help by being charge as you requested , but am unhappy in this role and no longer wish to do charge .
This thread=the reason charts have hot sause & ranch stains. There is no way in hell I would be able to work a job without a minimum 45min lunch break. And if I'm working over 12hrs I need an additional 45mins for a nap! Without I would surely die! What about nurses who are diabetic?
Management demand that we take a lunch break, so yeah me, I take my lunch break. And when I can't, I let them know the reason why, like admit and stuff, so I get paid for it.
I take my break to the minute- no Nice girl, here. As soon as I lift a finger to help a patient, I consider myself back on the clock and let my supervisor know, so that I get paid for it.
Management intent and nursing reality...the two lines never shall cross.
In Florida,a right to work state where you can be fired without notice or reason,I NEVER just clock out leave the unit and take a 1/2 hour break...although our employer automatically clocks us out for 1/2 an hour on our time sheets to stay within the law.If I take half an hour then I am running half an hour late at the end of the shift..which goes into overtime and thats a no-no too! lets see last night I tried to take a little break and the CNA's came looking for me..so & so needs a pain pill,pharmacys here,so & so isn't looking so good and on and on..a break? whats that?!
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MedSurgeMess
985 Posts
We use to assign lunches, but the docs come in during lunch and expect us to round. If we are with another dr, they just wait for us. When they were told that the nurse is at lunch, they usually reply "well, go get her, she can sit around and eat later!" Like I have all day to just sit around and eat or slack off! Many days now, even with supervisor assigning lunches, it isn't happening. When we suggested that a sup take our group and round with the incoming dr, we get the standard "well you know your patient, you did the assessment, yadda, yadda, yadda" Again, no lunch!