Thinking about my next assignment and would like to go someplace that respects nurses who like to take an actual lunch break. Scarfing down food at my workstation and being interrupted constantly is not my idea of an actual break. I only have around 3 years of experience as an RN, but one thing I have found is that if I am able to take an actual lunch break, meaning stepping away from the floor and not answering call lights for 30 min. I come back refreshed and it makes my 13 hour shift much better. I think I am a better nurse when I am able to do this. The problem I have found is that when I say to my co workers, "hey, do you all mind if I take my lunch break"? I get a bunch of people looking at me cross eyed like I am somehow abandoning my patients. I always offer my fellow workers the time for them to go on lunch, and I encourage them to do so, but for some reason they think or prefer to just eat their food at the work stations. I personally find this nuts, since I know the benefits I get from taking a break from work. I think some of it has to do with the culture of nursing, which I find disappointing.
I know California is probably right up my ally, and I am working on that license right now, but I would like to hear about other facilities or states that would meet this criteria. I have looked at labor laws in a few other states, only a cursory search so far but it appears Washington might be a candidate. I looked at Oregon but professions such as teachers and nurses are exempt from the mandatory lunch breaks employees are guaranteed to receive. It's the same where I am currently at, Colorado. I am sure heavy union states are probably what I should be looking at.
OP stop asking if they mind. Just state that you need to take a meal break. You can schmaltz it up a little - you get faint, you grown green scales, your eyes hemorrhage - when you don't get a true break. But stop asking permission.
I agree with this, but I am asking my coworkers whom I have to spend 40 hours with every week. I don't feel I should have to ask, and I think it sounds stupid asking "hey mind if I take my 30 min. (guaranteed by law in CO according to the link Ned posted) lunch break"? Like I said earlier, I think a lot has to do with the culture of nursing, since I am the only one on the unit that seems to give a ..... about taking a break in 13 hour shift. They eat their food at the nurses station, chart, answer call lights, etc. in between trying to get some food down, I don't consider that a lunch break, I guess they do. They are also I am fairly certain not counting that time as a 'missed lunch'. The other issue is that this contract is at a critical access facility so there are only 2 nurses and 1 aide on the floor minimum most times 3 nurses, it's also nights, so no other nurses to come by and relieve me. It's actually fairly slow around 1 am 97% of time with nothing for me to do, so I don't see it as a problem that I take a lunch break, I ask that they watch my patients for me. I am more than willing to watch theirs so they can take a break, but none of them seem to care to want to, or feel it's patient abandonment, or whatever.
Who is your relief supposed to be? I am asking you)
Nobody available, but I see no reason why we can't cover each other during that time. I always offer my coworkers the chance for them to go, and I watch their patients for them, but they just refuse every time. I don't really care if they want to stick around for that 30 min. and not get paid for it, I just ask that they respect me, and my decision to take that uninterrupted 30 min. lunch break. I don't think that is asking too much.
Like I said earlier, I think a lot has to do with the culture of nursing, since I am the only one on the unit that seems to give a ..... about taking a break in 13 hour shift.
It is definitely an employee culture thing spanning many industries, but due to the nature of our work, very prevalent in nursing. It is a shame what we do to ourselves, enabling employers to exploit us and not follow reasonable laws written to protect workers (and patients).
At least in the case of your job (is this staff), you can collect a big paycheck when you leave for lost wages should you choose to file a legal case or deal with the Labor Board. You can find specialized labor lawyers on their association site:
Hey Ned, it's a 13 week contract, 4 weeks done so far. I can relate when you said " it's a shame what we do to ourselves".
I ask to take a measly 30 min. lunch break in a stressful, overworked, and often times under appreciated job, and I get the cross eyed look from my fellow employees. It is almost like the mentality is the more you suffer as a nurse, the better nurse you are. It's crazy I think. We should be advocating for ourselves and fellow employees. Our patients deserve to have a rested, well fed nurse caring for them. Not one that has been running around tired for 13 hours with no lunch break. I am sure there has to be some research out there supporting this.
There is definitely research supporting a loss of healthcare worker performance the longer they work. This is what led to restrictions on resident hours. Unfortunately for those of us who love 12 hour shifts, performance drops off after 8 hours. I've never come across a study on breaks, but I'm sure there are some, particularly as it relates to morale and productivity in other industries.
I've done two assignments in Cali. They both enforced the ratio laws as well as breaks. At the first one we each got a 30 min and a 45min break. The second we got a 15 and two 30's
Does California enforce this on a strict basis? If your lunch got cut short, could the staff nurse (or traveler) go to the nurse manager or HR and demand they be paid one hour of regular pay?
It is very strict. I am on assignment in So Cal right now. I have to go before 3pm since I came in at 7am. They make sure you get a break, I love it. However while working in other states TX, TN, and PA I would never eat at the nursing station or outside my patients room. I would cut my PHONE OFF for my break and have a peace of mind. If the world falls apart without me for 30 minutes then it was going to happen anyways. I can honestly say I have NEVER worked one shift without a LUNCH Break. Take care of your self just like putting the oxygen mask on if the plane was going down. I have to be right before I can help. I put myself before my patients because if I don't then I cannot give them the proper care...The End.
I have worked in both TX and WA. I got and get my breaks usually if I ask for them. Yes.....I also get the "look" sometimes but you are entitled to a break and we need to take care of ourselves. We nurses are our own worst enemy sometimes. No wonder the burnout rate is so high hmmm?
WA has been better for me than TX.
Currently I get 2 15s and a 30 I think. Some days I get more, some days I get less. Rounds out as far as I am concerned so I do not keep up unless I actually miss a meal or I don't get it until late. Union rep visiting the floor told me to charge for a missed meal if I get it after 2:30 or so.
Ironically a traveler would not cover me for break the other day. She ate in the lunch room without wanting to have an actual real break when she could have. I got someone else to cover me - I want a real break for my sanity. I am staff and daytime but our travelers are not treated differently. We are paid for missed lunches or interrupted lunches.
Added note - a traveler I work with seems to go on many breaks. Too many, but he still works with us.
We are working on a break nurse position - someone who is hired just to cover for that reason.
Washington is worth a visit! Many travelers love us and come back.
The problem I have with this is that usually, when you ask your buddy "Is it ok if I go to lunch" They've probably been trying to tie up their own problems with their patients so they can do exactly the same thing, they just discharged one and their new admit will be coming up in 30 minutes. Oh... exactly enough time to grab lunch, but now they get to watch yours too. Not cool and not fair. It's easier to manage your OWN patients and bring your lunch up to the floor breakroom.
Not cool and not fair. It's easier to manage your OWN patients and bring your lunch up to the floor breakroom.
Is it fair to you or safe for patients not to have a fully relieved break? Fair is employer managed breaks like a dedicated relief nurse (often a charge nurse in many hospitals), not a peer managed system. If peer managed "coops" worked on a hospital scale, there would be no point to administration.
There is ialso the small matter of labor laws. If your meal is not fully relieved, it is paid work time. In every state. You are cheating yourself and making working conditions worse for every other nurse if you take unpaid meals as you describe.
Yes, there are people who want to break at the same time you do, but there are also those who want to go earlier or later. I pre-arrange my break buddy agreement EARLY in the shift so that we have both agreed on what time we will each plan on going. Does it work all the time? Of course not. But it does help each of you tidy up your duties and meds and get out close around the agreed time. I have found this to be less stressful since there is an expectation set - and BOTH parties are happy(ish) knowing when their lunch is. Everybody is different, do what works.
I might have to try this. So far, It's been easiest for me to sneak away at 11:30 and break. Usually, it's uninterrupted, but if it is, you best believe I'll take a lengthy break with a snack in the afternoon, so... I do not at all feel wronged by my workplace. A set 1200 break with a relief nurse would be awesome and ideal, but even in med-surg, I think we can arrange our own breaks if we are decent with time management. Time management was not always easy for me either. I'm still a relatively new nurse, but I had days where I was drowning, could not get away and needed a lunch break too. I do need to take my co-workers into consideration and try to work with them on breaks. I want to keep them happy and with us!
I've only ever worked in California and the hospital I'm at now NEVER staffs adequately on the regular and I don't know how they get away with it. It's an ICU where there are only two of us ever on with no charge or float, so if the nursing supervisor can't come break us, we break the law by being the relief for the other person. The staff nurses (and I don't know why anyone would ever choose to work here permanently) just clock out and set their alarms to tell them when to clock back in then resume working. It's BS, but goes to show you we're not as safe in California as I thought we were and should be.
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DieselBurps
18 Posts
I agree with this, but I am asking my coworkers whom I have to spend 40 hours with every week. I don't feel I should have to ask, and I think it sounds stupid asking "hey mind if I take my 30 min. (guaranteed by law in CO according to the link Ned posted) lunch break"? Like I said earlier, I think a lot has to do with the culture of nursing, since I am the only one on the unit that seems to give a ..... about taking a break in 13 hour shift. They eat their food at the nurses station, chart, answer call lights, etc. in between trying to get some food down, I don't consider that a lunch break, I guess they do. They are also I am fairly certain not counting that time as a 'missed lunch'. The other issue is that this contract is at a critical access facility so there are only 2 nurses and 1 aide on the floor minimum most times 3 nurses, it's also nights, so no other nurses to come by and relieve me. It's actually fairly slow around 1 am 97% of time with nothing for me to do, so I don't see it as a problem that I take a lunch break, I ask that they watch my patients for me. I am more than willing to watch theirs so they can take a break, but none of them seem to care to want to, or feel it's patient abandonment, or whatever.
Nobody available, but I see no reason why we can't cover each other during that time. I always offer my coworkers the chance for them to go, and I watch their patients for them, but they just refuse every time. I don't really care if they want to stick around for that 30 min. and not get paid for it, I just ask that they respect me, and my decision to take that uninterrupted 30 min. lunch break. I don't think that is asking too much.