So do you actually take your breaks?

melsch · Mar 26, 2011

I am not saying it is right but I feel your pain. I can say NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER do I take a break I am totally guilty of this. It is not to say that anyone who chooses should not. I am completely in support of my fellow nurses and if you feel you need a break take one and don't worry about anyone else. Where the problem comes in is the people who are so quick to take breaks, take lunches and walk out the door precisely on time even though you sometimes know it is physically impossible that they have completed the things that needed to be done.

I don't understand this, if the other staff are leaving for their break who is covering for their patients? If it is you then when they get back you need to say okay it is my turn and they can cover for you. You need your break and have every right to take it as your coworkers.

If there is work still that needs to be done it will be waiting for you when you get back, and if you can't get it done in your shift, leave it for the next shift, and ignore their complaining, nursing is a 24 hour job and maybe some of the baths and dressings need to be left to the next shift, or the next day. Don't feel guilty for not getting everything done, sometimes it is impossible and we should be working as a team with the goal to provide the best care for our patients. These should not be my patients and your patients they should be our patients and we can help each other - and insure we don't allow anyone to burnout.

If you don't take a break and just keep plowing through, you will burn out and management doesn't care if it is you or someone else doing the job. They will just assume that you are able to handle the workload now so they will give you more to do. Look after yourself first, so you can look after your patients with all the energy and compassion that they deserve and in the end you will be a better nurse for it.

harleypinkno15 · Mar 26, 2011

Even in the different areas I have worked, I tried very hard to get my break. my not have always been the whole 30 mins, but I need to eat..get cranky and I need to sit down away form the main stream of action. When worked as supervisor I always made sure my staff got their breaks unless we had a crisis.
I have missed breaks sometimes and I do not know how anyone can stay mentally sharp without a break. But them no matter what I was doing for 8-12 hrs.. I would need a break.
I think I have worked with some nurses who preferred to be martyrs and say they just were too busy to have a break.. Those who I knew needed to improve their time management skills.. Not saying posters on here in some units could get a break anytime.. understaffed and overworked and break would be first thing to go..

I have to be honest please never call me a martyr. I also have been a supervisor. Yes breaks r wonderful and in a perfect world I have never had a time management problem but I have a hard time believing in and unexpected field where things really are never predictable that anyone has time for a legit break. This is not to say we shouldn't have a break it is to say it is pretty hard to walk away from anything when your in the middle of it.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2011

You have to try to hand off to your coworkers. Then you help them in return. If there is someone to cover, I would take a break. Otherwise you burn out.

anotherone, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2011

At my job, we work 8 1/2 hr shifts.. so were suppose to get 2 15 min and a 30 min lunch. The 2 15 min are paid, but the 30 minute isnt.. none of my other coworkers take breaks at all... And when i ask to take my 30 miunte unpaid lunch they make me feel guitly about it! Why would I work when Im not getting paid!!?? Is this unreasonable?? Im wondering how many other people take their breaks? Also, Im the only PCA on the floor, so while im on lunch noone else is there to 'cover' my break, so the PCA on the other floor would have to watch over it while still watching her floor...

The cnas sure take their breaks even when there is only one. The nurse is responsible for his/her pts anyway and the aides know it................For the most part the nurses DO NOT EVER TAKE 30 min BREAKS. some do and will ask for antoher nurse to "watch" thier pts for a few minutes on day shift to go to the cafeteria or so. On day shift some people take breaks but it is pretty hard to do even if you had time(which you never do on my unit) because there is no one to cover for you so your patient's are not bieng monitored properly and if they need something someone will come get you in the breakroom or the pt will have to wait and might become upset at that. On nights no one takes a 30 minute break AWAY from pts or the floor. I worked many 16 hour shifts without a break away from the floor AT ALL. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

anotherone, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2011

I always take my break, which is 1 hour paid. All my coworkers take there breaks as well ( RN's and mental health workers). If I was unable to take my break, I would make sure my union heard about it. I do not work without a break, it's as simple as that.

You are able to do it because there is someone to cover your patients, right? What if there wasn't? What if the other nurses said no? What if they were too busy with their own patients to "watch" yours? The breaks people take in my unit involve them walking out to smoke for 10 minutes or eating in the break room/going to the bathroom in 10 minutes. ugh

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2011

In Aust at all the hospitals I have worked at - public and private - you MUST take your break, no matter how busy it is. Sometimes we get interrupted when something happens. When I'm charge nurse, I rarely get my 30 min break because I always say 'Come get me if you need something', and the carers/NAs will always come in and ask something so I get used to it.

You NEED your breaks. I would say speak to your NUM about it or ask everyone else you need a system where everyone gets their breaks.

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2011

The only person who gets a break where I work is the PCA. She takes her breaks and pretty much ours too since she has to walk off campus to smoke. Each of her breaks is at least 25 minutes long and she takes at least 3 in an 8 hour shift, not including her lunch. Meanwhile, we have to cover her. Lunch is at our desks but unfortunately for me my desk is in a "no food" area. If I'm lucky I get 10 minutes for lunch. My first break this past tuesday occurred 2 1/2 hours after my shift was supposed to have ended and consisted of me walking in the door to my house and eating cold left-over pizza straight from the box I found on the stove... while standing there still in my coat...crying because I was so happy it was there.

You poor thing!! I'm a bit like that - no-one was at home to cook my meals or anything, so I've come home sometimes, eaten raw food from the fridge with a dip or toast or something, and then fallen into bed.

10 minues isn't good enough. Don't you have any legislation saying you must have a proper break?If you do who is supposed to enforce it?

chorkle · Mar 26, 2011

In my experience (several years E.D.,

Thirty minutes for lunch? LTC--yes, most of the time. E.D., no--& no one cares. No one cares that you are working, hypoglycemic, making errors because of that, 12.5 hours, without a single break of any kind. Not the charge nurse, not management, not anyone.

And the young folks? Creativity! They know how to be clocked out for only 30 minutes for lunch, but be gone for 45 minutes (LTC) or 90 minutes (E.D.).

harleypinkno15 · Mar 26, 2011

The only person who gets a break where I work is the PCA. She takes her breaks and pretty much ours too since she has to walk off campus to smoke. Each of her breaks is at least 25 minutes long and she takes at least 3 in an 8 hour shift, not including her lunch. Meanwhile, we have to cover her. Lunch is at our desks but unfortunately for me my desk is in a "no food" area. If I'm lucky I get 10 minutes for lunch. My first break this past tuesday occurred 2 1/2 hours after my shift was supposed to have ended and consisted of me walking in the door to my house and eating cold left-over pizza straight from the box I found on the stove... while standing there still in my coat...crying because I was so happy it was there.

I really understand how you feel this is really very frustrating. I saw a nurse leave in the middle of a med pass to go for a smoke break, when she returned she did get in trouble and was told this was unexceptable and to never do it again. I hate to see rights taken away from anyone but I have heard some medical facilities are stopping this and so it must be a problem. . .

sunnycalifRN · Mar 26, 2011

We usually always get our breaks and lunch, unless it's really busy. If we don't get them, when it's busy, we get "comp" time. If you are offered your break and you decline, no "comp" time. I wouldn't want to work at a place where you never can take your breaks or lunch.

Bezoars · Mar 26, 2011

I never take my 15 min breaks (kind of makes you want to take up smoking to get one). I can't remember the last time I took a full "lunch" break. Again, I'm in the float pool and different floors treat lunch breaks differently. For me, I'm always in the outer circle of those who get people to cover them, etc., to take breaks so I usually tell them I'm going down to the cafe to get some food to bring back up and I keep my phone on me. I usually sit in the break room and eat what I can before my phone starts ringing. I try to go back to it from time to time and finish my meal but it doesn't always work.

I also have this guilt about going to lunch, that these are my patiients and I know what's going on with them, so I hate turning them over to other people that don't have "report" on them. I just feel too responsible for them for my entire shift.

BrookeeLou_RN · Mar 26, 2011

I have to be honest please never call me a martyr. I also have been a supervisor. Yes breaks r wonderful and in a perfect world I have never had a time management problem but I have a hard time believing in and unexpected field where things really are never predictable that anyone has time for a legit break. This is not to say we shouldn't have a break it is to say it is pretty hard to walk away from anything when your in the middle of it.

I did not call you a martyr..I specifically said some nurses I have worked with.. choose not to take breaks..even if they had coverage. Yes there are exceptions....many times a crisis or just patients needing extra help and no one would have time for breaks. :nurse: