do you skip your lunch break routinely?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Do you routinely skip your lunch breaks/other break times while at work?

If so, do you think this is a good practice?? why or why not?

Also, do you stay after your shift to finish up work routinely? how long? (minutes or hours)

What type of work setting are you currently working in?

I work in home health and almost always have time for lunch and other breaks during a typical eight hour shift. It was definitely a different story when I worked in long term care. Only occasionally will I do a bit of paperwork at home; eight hours is long enough to do most everything required for my patient and get my paperwork done too. This is one of the advantages of home health over traditional nursing jobs where one never has enough time to get a good percentage of their tasks done.

Rarely get lunch break. And most nurses, for some STUPID reason, think its a luxury to break the rule of eating in the break room, instead to eat out at the nurses station. WHY?? No idea.

I bet the smokers are all getting their breaks.

Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.

I definitely get my lunch break and a regular break.

When I worked in ICU we had a fab staff and we all got a 1 hour break (unless our patient was coding or some emergency). I work in psych now and all staff gets their breaks (we do two 15 min and and 30 min break for 8 hour shift).

Specializes in LTC.

I have skipped many a lunch break while in LTC but I will not skip a bathroom break. If I have to go, I will.

Specializes in Med-Surg.

I work in a busy med-surg floor, and it is a lucky day if I get to have a bit or two. 99% of times my lunch, if I get to have one, is 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

The hospital deduct 30 minutes/day from my paycheck to cover my lunch hours, even if I don't get to use that 30 minutes. Like someone said ealier, if you request to be paid for your missing lunch, they say I need to have better time management skills! Having 6 to 7 patients, discharge and admission in back to back, and lack of assistance from the supporting staff, it is impossible to sit down for a meal. I don't even have time to go pee!

I envy those of you have a good team work and supportive management!

Specializes in OR Hearts 10.
I bet the smokers are all getting their breaks.

When I smoked my breaks were outside now they are in the break room. Why does this ALWAYS come up? :smokin: If someone is entitled to a break and can get their pts covered what does it matter what they do on their break???

Yes, somedays are crazy and no one gets a break, but I get tired of hearing the martyrs say they are so important that no one else can watch their pts for a few minutes. Maybe I just worked on a good floor when I worked M/S. If for some reason I didn't get lunch I sure as heck got paid for it. I will not get docked for 30 minutes if I didn't get at least a good 20 minutes of uninterupted time, no phones etc.

Lunches are actually harder to cover in the OR since there has to be an RN in every OR, might get it a little late but we always get one unless the day is winding down and it's time to leave or give a lunch break then leave.

By the time you relize you are thirsty that means you are already slightly dehydrated, which means your thought processes are impaired. We all need breaks, snacks, to use the restroom, etc....

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

there's very little that cannot wait for thirty minutes while i get my lunch break. so no, i don't skip it.

by the way, "text speak" is not very professional.

Specializes in Mother Baby & pre-hospital EMS.

I do not skip my lunch breaks. I don't think skipping lunch breaks is a good idea for me personally. I get very irritable when I eat lunch too late, and I am more likely to make mistakes. That is not good for the patients or anyone else I am around. I usually take my "lunch" anywhere between 1:30 to 2:30. Occasionally, it might be a little later, depending on how busy the day is. But I like taking mine around that time.

Sometimes I will stay after my shift to finish up things that did not get done (mostly charting). I might stay anywhere from 10-20 minutes later, on average. Currently, I work on stroke/medical floor.

Specializes in School Nursing and Sports Medicine.

Do you routinely skip your lunch breaks/other break times while at work? I usually just postpone my lunch breaks.

If so, do you think this is a good practice?? why or why not? No, I know the consequences of not eating on time. Right now I'm taking antacids for my hyper-acidity.

Also, do you stay after your shift to finish up work routinely? how long? (minutes or hours) No but we have overtimes for school activities.

What type of work setting are you currently working in? School Nurse. :)

I work rehab therapy/LTC. There are times when I do get lunch breaks and other times that they are not the reality. I've learned that the coworkers who get smoke breaks :smokin: often get lunches in. But in times when I eat standing it is horrible because I just have may well not eaten. And in the times that I do not eat it is often made up later by overeating at some other meal.

Experience has taught me that even if you do not eat you need to take the break away from the floor. This provides you a mental rest if nothing else.:twocents:

And I never stay off the clock to somplete work, my education cost me so my time is very valuable in addition it takes time from my kids and that is invaluable. So I try to often have all of my things done by the end of my shift. I know that sometimes emergencies arise and must be handled so those of course are the exception.

All the time. There is a code we can enter when we clock out if we were not able to take lunch so we are compensated but its brutal. Would rather have a break and forgo the money.

+ Add a Comment