jhuff9292

Hello all, My name is Jenna. I have been an RN for two years (yes, still a youngin'). I worked as a nurse in Syracuse, NY on a med/surg unit then transferred to a CVPCU in Florida. The two hospitals are COMPLETELY different. As some of you may know, NY is (but trying to rule out the use) using LPNs as bedside assistants to RNs. In Florida, however, LPNs do not work in hospitals. You have a CNA that is assigned to 8-10 patients. In NY I rarely had an issue taking my breaks. Could be because the demands of the floor and the extra help I got, but in Florida I find myself, along with my co-workers, RARELY taking lunch breaks. That's almost 14 hours of no eating or drinking! The system that is supposed to be "enforced" is the buddy system. Each RN is assigned to their 4-5 patients. In the morning you find out who your buddy is and communicate with them about when you'll be taking lunch. Essentially, they are responsible for your 4-5 patients.. in ADDITION to their 4-5 patients. 10 patients on a CVPCU floor?! Not too safe... especially multiple 18 hour post open heart patients. The purpose of me writing this is to reach out to all of you and learn what break systems your hospitals enforce and if they are successful. I'm looking to help make some changes on my floor to better the experience for myself and my coworkers. I would really appreciate all the help I can get!