The Nurses BreakRoom: Going, going ... been gone?

We get a quick 30 minute break. Nobody takes the little 15 min breaks. In a 12 hour are required to take two 30 min break and 3 tens. We only get one 30 min break and it is constantly interrupted. As a charge nurse, getting a break at all that is uninterrupted rarely happens. It's so annoying.

klone said:

Yes, we have a break room, and it's used by pretty much everyone, every day. Everyone is required by law to receive a 30-minute lunch break as well as paid 15-minute breaks. We take that very seriously.

Yep. We do too.

I recall a conversation I had with out Admin. She stated some annoyance at me as my work phone was off during my lunch break. She wanted to have and impromptu meeting. I respectfully explained to her that state labor laws in our state emphasize that one does not have to be available during a meal break, so I was not required to be available. She backed off.

Yes we have one, and we use it nearly every shift.

I'm sick to death of the "Nurses don't get BREAKS" mentality to be honest.

Do any of you remember when you could smoke in the breakroom:smokin: Then everyone had to go outside to smoke. It usually was out the front door. Then they make everyone smoke by the garbage loading dock. Now hospital are no smoke on campus. We've always had breakroom. THey stunk of smoke and now the stink with nasty microwave meal smells LOL. I never use them. I go outside whenever I get the chance.

When we are short staffed...which is often but keeps me employed...I go into the floors break rooms only to clock in and out. It is my reality. It's nice to hear that others realities are different in that breaks are normally and consistently obtained but it's not everyone's reality.

Why is it so hard sometimes to find (or accept) the humor in truths?

Especially when I feel the premise to the OP was meant to be a light-hearted stab at the truth that often still frustrates some of us, but maybe not all.

We have one with a large sofa that cab work as a bed and a table

I use it it have lunch and to fix my bra hahaha in all seriousness sometimes I don't even sit there but others when I finish up my work I lay down to rest my feet. So it depends some shifts I don't even go there others I spend like 3 hours from my whole shft there but those are the rare times when I have only one patient or something

I'm just finishing my nursing program but every rotation I've done the nurses get their lunch breaks no problem. Most days there is a least a little down time to rest. Every unit had a break room. With lockers, refrigerator, microwave, coffee/tea machines, and decent amount of table and chair space. On most units the charge nurse would be checking in to make sure everyone has taken their lunch break. If the day has been crazy busy and the nurse hadn't stopped for lunch around 2pm the charge nurse would be helping themselves or asking someone else to help out so the nurse could get lunch. That's been my experience in clinicals at least, plan to work in the same hospital so hopefully my experience will be the same.

This is an issue that isn't "this way" or "that way" - it has evolved over time. Back when things were give-and-take, we might answer a quick call light or phone call during an official break, which might have been taken in an area where call lights and phones were heard. We were paid for breaks because of these circumstances; staffing was such that someone couldn't really leave the area entirely. Everyone kind of did their thing with no one making a federal case out of answering a call light while on break nor anyone making a federal case about paying for breaks. In fact we were told point blank by mgmt that if we needed to do anything with a patient while we were trying to have a break, we should punch out 'no lunch.'

Then it became a business sin of the highest order to pay for what was supposed to be an unpaid break - although there was the expectation that we would keep doing what we'd been doing, since it wasn't safe or very possible to leave the area.

As far as my observations this ^ turn of events is what put everyone's hair on fire about getting proper breaks.

In the meantime, it has taken an exceedingly long time to transition away from the idea that you can't just say you won't pay for breaks and everyone must take a break - - - without the requisite staffing to make it seem like a safe/comfortable option to just walk away from everything for 30 minutes. We're finally getting to a point where we generally have plans in place to make sure reasonably safe care can happen while still getting breaks.

But the fact is, there was a looooong time that things were not this way. And, the 15 minute breaks are still not too commonly taken, are they? That is something that affects people's perceptions of "working 12 hours without even being able to use the bathroom" probably just as much as anything. Thirty minutes to get food (or prepare it, if you bring it with you) and wolf it down is not a lot over the course of 12 -13 hours, and it certainly doesn't speak to the 6+ hours on either side of the lunch break in which time one may require a break.

The whole martyrdom thing is very unattractive, but so is all the rest of it that has contributed to a long trend of people not getting proper breaks. I have no doubt whatsoever that there are still plenty of places where staffs are chastised that they must take breaks, meanwhile the place is burning down most days.