Not taking a break

I don't always get a 30 minute uninterrupted lunch break, but I always eat and stay hydrated and use the facilities when needed.

Easier said than done.

I don't always get a 30 minute uninterrupted lunch break, but I always eat and stay hydrated and use the facilities when needed.

Same here. An "uninterrupted" lunch break would be glorious.

I am a "older" nurse with a "few" years under my belt and have worked quite a few places. I choose to work now, where lunch is not only a "good" thing but mandatory. And I get my lunch 99 percent of the time. It's a good thing going.

I always get a lunch break in California where we have a ratio of five to one in med/surg. When I worked in another state and had eight patients along with another eight (assigned to an LVN) to cover, it rarely happened. And my "break buddy" would not have had time to watch my eight, their eight and cover 16 while I was gone.

I always get a lunch break in California where we have a ratio of five to one in med/surg. When I worked in another state and had eight patients along with another eight (assigned to an LVN) to cover, it rarely happened. And my "break buddy" would not have had time to watch my eight, their eight and cover 16 while I was gone.

I have never worked outside of California I can only imagine the stress you must have felt. Even though I work in California, I have come across a few nurses who do not take their breaks. I try to insist for them to go, but they don't. I'm glad to see in the poll so far majority do not miss their lunch. I hope other states see the benefit in having a ratio.

I make it a priority to take my lunch break- which is 1 hour and unpaid. I usually figure out what time another nurse can cover my patients and then prioritize from there, I will try and do as much of my documentation, clarification, ect prior to going on my break.

Also when I do go on break o give report to whoever is covering me and I always physically leave the building to eat so no one can come barging into the break room and annoy me.

In addition on the very rare days that I am unable to take a break I will fill out a variance for 1 hour of OT for no break, I will also fill out a variance for staying past the end of my shift if it was busy, or just got an admission at change of shift ect.

must be nice. I end up signing my people off- and I always come back to hell breaking loose. Bleeding, falling, not toileted. I dont trust anyone to watch my people. they just dont do it.And Im still liable for those pt's outcomes. Its too stressfull.Plus even if I found someone I could trust, they are now watching 12 people on an intermediate stepdown floor. Not good.

I usually make my 30 min. lunch break a priority. If I can't, or if it's interrupred, I always document it so I get paid for it. (DOL says that the unpaid break must be uninterrupted to count.) I don't typically take the 15 min breaks, although working in an ICU there is often some downtime unless the patient/s are very unstable. So after asking if my colleagues need help, if they're doing okay I might go make a cup of coffee or call home, or lots of times we socialize on the clock, so I don't feel like I'm suffering or feel like the hospital is getting free work from me.

I always drink water and pee when I need to, though. I get anxious and nauseated when dehydrated, almost to the point where it feels like working sick. So if nothing else, if pt is very unstable I'll ask the charge nurse to watch my patient for 5 minutes while I have some water.

"It is your responsibility to take your breaks and to take care of yourself. "

A fellow nurse giving me another responsibility! I already have responsibilities coming out of my ying -yang.

The ability to get a break.. depends entirely on the individual unit. I have worked on units where I got 3 breaks in 8 hours. I also worked in a float pool, and I was pulled every 4 hours to a different unit.. a break was NOT going to happen.

Please enter the real world.

I work in a unit where the culture is that everyone takes their breaks unless patients are literally coding all day. We are 2:1, which sometimes helps, but when you have two critical patients, and so do each of your team mates it can be scary to leave some times. But 98% of the time, we all take a 1 hour break (30 min paid and 30 min unpaid). Its so important. Interestingly, the culture on night shift is somewhat different and they often don't get their breaks. Morale is lower and their staffing suffers as a result.