NO LUNCH??? NO BREAKS??? Is that common in nursing?????

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi everyone!

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.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Actually MJB2010 they are making X2 from you ie. the hour of work you do and the hour of income they don't pay you .

I cannot understand why all of you continue to tolerate this and don't even think of going to an attorney , acting collectively or entertaining the idea of unionization , you are only as weak as you allow yourselves to be .

As to those who get your breaks how have you got your employers to enable you to take your breaks ?. We worked together with our union and now have break nurses to cover us when we go for a break , management has found this to be cheaper than paying the extra hours to us!!

I live in a weak state for labor laws. I work in a small clinic with few employees and most do not know what a union is. I am looking for a new job, and as soon as I find one I am out. I could use some good luck and prayers. I can't afford to quit.

By the way when complaining about the breaks I was told I'd better watch myself because if I make a mistake I could get fired. They actually threatened my job for inquiring about the breaks.

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Specializes in Psych , Peds ,Nicu.
I live in a weak state for labor laws. I work in a small clinic with few employees and most do not know what a union is. I am looking for a new job, and as soon as I find one I am out. I could use some good luck and prayers. I can't afford to quit.

By the way when complaining about the breaks I was told I'd better watch myself because if I make a mistake I could get fired. They actually threatened my job for inquiring about the breaks.[/quote

Would it not have been possible to return the threat by inferring that if you lost your job any time soon they could expect a visit from the authorities re . lack of breaks . Some times attack is the best form of defence .

Nurses have a great deal of power , if only they would use a little of it many problems in our workplaces would be resolved in our favor .

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I made an account just so I could reply to this thread. Why are so many of you so unassertive? I take the half hour break that I'm entitled to by LAW. If the management doesn't like it they can fire me. I can find work in huge array of other places. Stand up for your rights and stop letting corporate greed dictate your lives.

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Specializes in telemetry, med-surg, home health, psych.

I don't believe that we are unassertive........that is NOT the reason for no breaks......

We are conscientious (sp?) and care about our pts. and do not want to leave them unattended.

We are all understaffed !! .......there lies the problem.

No amount of complaining to admin. will get us staffing, I have been in this field for almost 30 years......

We are all replaceable.

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Specializes in M/S, Tele, Sub (stepdown), Hospice.

I'm in California & the most patients we take is 5. We do have break nurses who come in for 4 hours & break us but we don't get one everyday & this is my hospital....don't know if every hospital is like this. Sometimes I'm so busy I don't take a break....but it's my choice. I'll still clock out (bad, I know) & work through my lunch. If we don't have a break nurse, our charge will break us.

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Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

No luch/break is the usual where I work. I don't get paid for one hour a day. That's a lunch and 2 breaks.

In order to get paid for that hour, I have to hunt up the supervisor, explain why I'm behind, and ask them to sign a form that they agree I need paid. If I don't have that signature, I don't get paid. I don't care if I had 8 pts, 2 codes, one death and three admits.

Most nights I'm too tired to jump through the hoops put in place to discourage me from taking what's mine.

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Specializes in Psych , Peds ,Nicu.

i don't believe that we are unassertive........that is not the reason for no breaks......we are conscientious (sp?) and care about our pts. and do not want to leave them unattended.so are we ,but rather than drag our poor tired , underfed & watered , distracted ( what potty break ?) bodies around , we care enough for our patients that we are now able to take breaks and maintain our bodies properly so that we can maintain their health .we do not leave patients unattended , they are cared for by break nurses !, whose assignment is solely to relieve us of our patients when we are at break .

we are all understaffed !! .......there lies the problem.indeed ,but how are you addressing that problem , what have you done to point out the obvious problem and solution to management , now that would be assertive .

no amount of complaining to admin. will get us staffing, i have been in this field for almost 30 years......we are all replaceable.

too true , as an individual you will fail but if you act together with your colleagues you have a better chance of bringing about change , now that would be assertive .rather than be assertive you have abdicated professionalism for martyrdom , rationalising acceptance of lack of breaks as a mark of professionalism and that you care better for your patients than the nurses who have worked to enforce that legal responsibility upon their employers .they are the true professionals because they maintain their optimum well being whilst trying to maintain their patients well being . ,

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Specializes in SNU/SNF/MedSurg, SPCU Ortho/Neuro/Spine.

Some days I only take time to eat, some I eat while I chart, and some I have over 1 hour lunch! That's how it goes!I do however pee, 3 or 4 times!!! And I "take 5 " every 2 hours, regardless if I am behind or not!

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Specializes in BNAT instructor, ICU, Hospice,triage.

I can count on one hand the number of lunch breaks I have had in the last 20 years of being a nurse. Every job I've ever worked has been like this (med/surg, ICU, a nurse for a general surgeon, telephone triage, and lastly hospice). The worst was ICU and working for the general surgeon. At least with Hospice I can put my lunch box in my car and scarf down a bite or two between visits and phone calls, but potty breaks, they just don't happen. I always feel a lot of stress and crunched for time.

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I have read about this problem many times and watch the nurses argue over who time manages well etc... I worked on a busy med-surg unit. It was awful, and we were always promised it would get better. There was always an excuse why things where horrible today. Extra surgeries, not enough aides, someone on vacation, loa, sick call. After months and months of running 12 hour marathons, with few bathroom or water breaks. I started looking for another type of job. I would get my lunch probably once out of every four or five shifts. But I had to take my phone and come back if a patient or doctor needed me. Now I do homecare, at least I have a few minutes downtime between patients to gather my thoughts while I drive. I don't understand why we bicker among ourselves. We need to stand together if we ever want things to get better for nurses.

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I made an account just so I could reply to this thread. Why are so many of you so unassertive? I take the half hour break that I'm entitled to by LAW. If the management doesn't like it they can fire me. I can find work in huge array of other places. Stand up for your rights and stop letting corporate greed dictate your lives.

Are you a nurse?

Do you have a union?

You obviously work in a different world than the one I do.

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We are assigned a "buddy" at the start of the shift and at shift change we discuss what time we like our break...it's pretty soft schedule, I mean, if I have a patient not doing so great at 1:30, I cant go even if I said I would. I have six patients and my buddy has six, so for the time we are off the floor, we have 12 patients each. We also are pretty good about covering for everyone during that time. If our call bell attendant says a patient wants pain meds, someone will go give them.

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