slave labor

[Uptoherern]

I work in a medium sized er. Busy place. Usually am charge rn & triage rn (if not triage, I take on full assignment-4 pts., sometimes more if we are using hall beds). It is almost impossible to be responsible for an entire ER, to know what is going on, to be asked questions everytime you turn around; when you are also trying to take care of your own assignment. the last month (at least), none of us have had a lunch break......12 hours running your a@@ off, full tilt, neck breaking pace, and no food. This is ridiculous! I actually looked up on the internet to see if there is some type of board that I could complain to, and found out that the National labor board does not mandate any type of lunch/dinner break! Certain states DO, but not mine. They staff so tight, we have no one to relieve us....we are supposed to relieve each other for breaks.

Any ideas who/what I can complain to? Don't suggest mgmt. They are well aware....... and have done nothing to change this. I thought maybe state BON? would they do anything? Board of Health? any ideas?

I worked 5 days out of the last 6, (12 hours) and got a lunch break only on my last day. I was told to send a nurse home if we could. I didn't. I sent our only tech home instead. Jerks. I'm pretty sure management gets lunch breaks every day.

burning out.............

[middlekane]

I'm not saying that you should never get a break....believe you me, I enjoy my 30 minutes as much as the next person, all I'm saying is that in the world of nursing, things happen that can not be controlled, and there is not time to take your lunch break, nor is it appropriate. When I am in charge, I always make sure that my staff gets to at least get a few minutes to sit down and regroup, but, when I have 20 people waiting to be seen, 10 to be triaged, 21 already in the back, with a pile of orders that need to be carried out, then NO, we will not have a break until things are at least partially caught up. My needs and the needs of my coworkers are important, but, we can not simply slow down the process of treating patients in the ER while we get our breaks in. Complaining to higher management is going to do no good, because you guys are right, they don't care, but honestly, they can not control the situations that we encounter day to day that sometimes prevent us from getting our breaks. Of course, they could hire more nurses, but really, is that going to make a difference? If you have high volume and high acuity patients, then you need an extra hand or two, and you're just going to have one more nurse who didn't get a break that shift. Nursing is not like most jobs where you get to a stopping point and can leisurely take a lunch, most days there is no stopping point. Sure, you can have a float nurse care for your patients while you break, but when you have an AMI patient who is unstable, are you really going to feel comfortable reporting off to another nurse and going to eat? I know I'm not......I know if I were the patient, then I wouldn't want my nurse to leave me with a different nurse who knew only what was given to her in report so she could go eat. That, in my opinion is selfish, and uncaring. We should never put our needs ahead of our patients, especially when our need is the need to eat, and our patient needs life saving measures.

If I were an acute MI, I would want a nurse that was with it. That was able to concentrate and wasn't thinking about her need to pee or her desperate need to eat because her blood sugar is 60. So yes, I would prefer having her switch off and have someone else take care of me while she grabbed a quick bite (doesn't need to be 30 minutes) and came back. The most selfish thing one can do is to believe that we are inhuman and that we can simply rise above physiological needs without affecting patient care. We might think that we can, but we are just like everybody else. We don't think clearly when we are hungry, exhausted, have to pee, or are in pain. It affects patient care adversely when we do so.

[digidog1]

:nono:I'm sorry, I don't think I mentioned ANYTHING about a small er not being busy, but was rather pointing out the distinction between a Level I and a Level III trauma center which the author of the quote was incorrect about. And though it is possible that you see over 100 pts. a day it is NOT the norm for small rural ers that fall under that level III or no designation status that I am speaking about. I am quite clear on the FACTS as I have worked in many facets of nursing and in many large and small hospitals all over the country. How old are you? 25? . Talk to me in 15 years when you have a little more experience under your belt sweetie.

Just because it is a Level III does not mean it is not a busy ER. I worked in a ER with no trauma rating and we saw around 100 patients a day as did the bigger ERs around us. Maybe you need to get your facts straight before you get on that soapbox. I hear it can be slippery up there!

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

Could we get back to discussing the topic and not having urine fights about level I vs II busyness?

There are PMs for having turf wars.

[RedERRN]

:nono:I'm sorry, I don't think I mentioned ANYTHING about a small er not being busy, but was rather pointing out the distinction between a Level I and a Level III trauma center which the author of the quote was incorrect about. And though it is possible that you see over 100 pts. a day it is NOT the norm for small rural ers that fall under that level III or no designation status that I am speaking about. I am quite clear on the FACTS as I have worked in many facets of nursing and in many large and small hospitals all over the country. How old are you? 25? . Talk to me in 15 years when you have a little more experience under your belt sweetie.

Wow. This is a perfect example of "eating your young." Great job, digidog!

[chip193]

My dear, if you're working in a level III trauma center you are NOT seeing 180-220 pts. a day!! You surely mean a level I trauma center. You are lucky to see 10 pts. a day in a level III!! Make sure you have your facts right before you get on that soapbox! It can be really slippery up there!!

Trauma designation has nothing to do with other complaints. What good is a Trauma Center if you're having an MI?

One of the busier ERs in the area is at the top-rated heart hospital in the state. They are not a trauma hospital (and it's actually kind of funny to see the reaction of the staff when a shoot or stab shaows up through triage!), do not want to be a trauma hospital, and unless things change at the top, will never be a trauma hospital (the Level I Center is a mere 2.2 miles down the street). But, they see 75-80K patients a year - right at the 180-220/day that the OP noted.

Chip

[kalbo3]

I would also look into another job. Who is going to be the first one in your department to kill a patient or lose their license because of fatigue or stress? You must take care of yourself before you can take care of others. Food for thought.

[BULLYDAWGRN, RN]

I work in a level III and partime in level II here in Ms. I know for a fact we see about 35,000 pts a yr, and the level II is more 35-40,000 per yr. The trauma center designation levels here in Ms have nothing to do with the number of pt's you see, but more with the medical care capabilities of the facility. As far as the original post, I think it's going to be hard to change administrations view of staffing. There has been times I've had to go without a meal or a break but thank god it's not everyday. There are times you have to have a break or just a walk outside to get away from all the crap..

[BULLYDAWGRN, RN]

I've just been corrected by a co-worker who just read my last message we see around 50,000 per yr at the level II, can't short cahnge anyone.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

I am 27 years old, and I have been in nursing for 7 years, and I have yet to burn out! I love my job, and I do not spend every moment complaining about every little petty thing......especially not getting a break!!! I will NEVER put my need for a break over the needs of my patients!!

Ive been doing this longer than you have even been alive.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

I would never stop in the middle of a code to take my lunch break. But the gazillion level 4 and level 5's with their colds, STD's and sore throats can SURELY wait while I eat for 30 minutes. I just don't feel THAT gallant.

When floating Ive relieved nurse in a code and sent them to lunch. Why not. And yes the others can wait 30 minutes.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

Quitting is not the answer, and neither is teeing-it-up. Stop telling people to quit and just be happy. Nurses need to fight for their rights. Man, I can't believe you just told a fellow nurse to quit instead of addressing the problem. Heck yeah she should just say no. Now lets find a legal resource for her to back it up, and hopefully not damage her reputation in the process.

Trudy- your logic is awesome. Fight the fight sister!

Erdiane: How dare they demand you sacrifice your health so they can make some bucks and continue TO NOT DO THEIR JOB AND ADDRESS STAFFING PROBLEMS. Erdiane, everytime you don't take a lunch break they get away with it and plan to do it again. Look at their faces, you can watch those wheels turn...

Sometimes quitting is the answer

And no harm ever comes from teeing it up

I was fighting for rights before you were born