So do you actually take your breaks?

[purse]

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...

[reeveslpn]

No, I never get a chance to take a break, if I did that would put me so far behind. Sometimes I might take a 15 just to eat a snack or to call home. Most of my coworkers only take the 30 or should I say 20 to get something to eat.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

We are supposed to get an hour and a half on a 12 hour shift. Right. The other day, I was lucky to take 45 minutes.

[R*Star*RN, BSN, RN]

Yes, I take my breaks. Nurses cover for each other with a "buddy system" that is assigned at the beginning of the shift. Usually ACLS nurses are paired but only one of the two is on Blue Team so that it will be covered when you are on lunch.

I've found the way that works best for me is to find a time of day when things are a bit calmer. If you work dayshift maybe this is when all the patients are eating lunch, or if you have a med pass at lunch time right after the med pass is done. I go around to all my patient's rooms and ask them if they need anything, and tell them that I will be gone for 30 minutes to lunch. I tell them "I have another nurse that will come and assist you should an emergency arise". 99.9% of the time they never even call during that 30 minutes unless they are confused.

Before leaving on my lunch break I also announce to everyone at the nurses station (usually charge nurse and HUC) that I am going on my lunch and "___________" is covering for me. I then find the nurse that is covering for me and give her my phone. The lounge has a phone in it so I can be reached if an emergency come up.

In order to get you breaks you have do plan them into your day, or you will never get a break. You also have to plan to relieve your bladder and to stop for sips of water. It took me a long time to learn to take care of myself, but its much easier to get through the day if you do.

[marythenurse]

I work in LTC. When I started, I would come to the end of the day and realize that I hadn't eaten! Now that I have been a nurse a whole 2 years :) I am able to at least get a lunch. It is really important for me and my work to eat something and rest a few minutes. I usually bring a novel to read and don't talk to anyone during lunch. If I don't do this, I get anxious and have trouble focusing on my work. I have had the nurse on the next shift send me down to get food before I chart- she being so much wiser than this new nurse.

[cbreuklander]

It's basically an administrative attitude. I work a busy med-surg floor. I am an RN. The hospital I worked at previously, we took our breaks and the charge nurse would remind us to go on break. He/she would offer to cover for us to make sure that we had time. If our 30 minute meal break was interrupted for any reason, we got the whole 30 minutes paid at time and a half, even if it did not put us into overtime. The hospital I currently work at....well if you suggest that you are going to go off the floor for a 30 minute break you are looked at as uncaring and unprofessional. Co-workers let you know that it is a huge inconvenience to them to cover for you when they don't actually leave the floor for their breaks. Meals are consumed in bits and pieces...a few moments here and there. Our 30 minutes is unpaid. We don't actually clock out, but it is automatically deducted from our time each shift. It just feels wrong:(

[jrbl77, RN]

i have worked without a break or a limited break for more years than I want to think about. However recently I was involoved in a settlement of a labor board audit done at a hospital that I worked at in the past. I recieved back pay of about $50.00 to make up for working through meals and not being compansated. I had nothing to do with the claim, but was compansated just because I worked at that facility during the involved years. At my current job, as long as I can sit and eat- it may be only 10 mins I consider that lunch. But when I have to eat on the run or stuff food in and run, I will clock out no lunch. It is interesting to note that there is a notice by all the time clocks at my prior employer that says did you work through a meal, if so make sure to clock out no meal.

[sunrock]

This is true, and management told me that they cannot come and the floor to relieve, the older nurses do not take breaks, if and when i did then i was behind with documentation, because they was so many prn meds to give, then report, then management want you to come on time and leave on time, otherwise it would appear that you are creating overtime, WHAT.

[bell1962]

Nope. no breaks. I work as a school nurse in an over crowded facility. We don't have a staff room. The only way to get a break is to sit in your car or to leave. There is no one to cover for me so I can't do that. God forbid, someone may need a bandaid when I'm gone! Seriously though, i am the only nurse and must be around in case of emergencies. Also I don't have a 30 minute window where a student does not require a med or something. The teachers determine the best time for the students to come for meds, the least disruptive time for them (within the alloted hour med time frame.) so it is very rare for me to get a half hour uninterrupted duty free time. I do eat though.. at my desk .. in spurts.. in between students.

[RNKPCE]

The best gift a nurse can give herself this upcoming Nurse's day is to take his/her breaks. If not then you should be compensated for this time. This attitude of everyone looks at me like I am not caring if I take my breaks or I will have overtime at the end of my shift and my manager will be mad is insane. If even 50% of nurses in this country took all her breaks and got paid for all her overtime for one month maybe people could pull themselves out of this martyr attitude and management might start to value us more.

The work will never end that is why nursing care is given around the clock. You can't tie everything up with a bow and present it to the off going shift. What you can do is prioritize well and give a thorough hand off to the next shift.

[renge1]

Wow! Break?! I rarely get a break......there is so much to do and so many needs to take care of. I am lucky If i get to pee once in an 8hr shift and maybe twice in a 12 hour. I eat on the run, grab a bag of chips an keep it moving! It would be nice if there was a system in place to make sure we get our breaks. I use to work retail and there was a relief person who would go around and cover while you take your break....that was there assignment for the day to be the relief person to each department.....

[ninaricci]

Now, I know what lunch is...I think it's that bag of M&Ms in my pocket...but breaks? you would have to define that term for me...though it does ring a bell from a VERY loooooooong time ago!!!! LOL

[OgopogoLPN, LPN, RN]

Yes. Always. In 2.5 years of nursing, there have been maybe only a dozen shifts in total (both LTC and acute care) that I have missed a break. In that case, I fill out a form and get paid for that missed break (at double time). So my 1/2 hour missed break is paid to me for an hour.

If I miss a break due to my own poor time management, I don't put in a form (only happend once). If I miss a break due to a crushing workload/pt acuity/shortstaffed etc, you bet my employer will be compensating it for me!

I'm only human and need to eat/use the washroom/phone my family/put my feet up for 20 minutes/go for a walk in the fresh air.

Makes me a a better nurse to my patients when I am back.

Yes, I'm in a union and this is one instance when I am very happy to have a unionized work environment!!!