Uninterrupted breaks

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I am chair of our clinical transformation council and was told by my manager that I need to organize a system for the nurses to take uninterrupted 30 minute lunch breaks. The problem? No one is willing!!!!! The entire floor is refusing to hand off their phone for 30 minutes to another nurse and go eat. The receiving nurse wouldn't be responsible for anything except basically answering a call for pain meds or emergencies. I just don't understand why people aren't being advocates for themselves. I personally want a break, and have no problem handing off my phone AND taking someone elses phone for 30 min so that we can all regroup and relax. Why do we always have to play the martyr?? :confused:

Do any of yall get uninterrupted lunches? What are your thoughts on this? I'm just blown away that people are refusing a break!

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I don't ever take a 30 minute break, and I don't want to. I would rather take several 10 minute breaks throughout the shift. If my patient needs something, I want to know about it and take care of it.

A lot of my patients are complex enough, if they call for nausea meds, but they've already gotten everything, is my covering nurse going to call the physician? If she does, I'd be upset--what does she know about my patient? What about my patient who has a complicated pain medication schedule; it would take too long to explain it, it's too much trouble, and it's easier to do it myself.

That's why I don't want to hand off my phone. I'd rather just do it myself.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

All of the nurses on my floor take 30 minutes uninterrupted break, it is safe for our patients. I do believe that I need those 30 minutes to get off the floor and do something else. Of course, charge always ask around who wants to take the first the break and who is the last, depending on the patient load, if the nurse is getting an admission, and just like handing over a shift I think, I always feel absolutely ok to give a minireport to the nurse who will be covering me, I know it is frustrating if something happens during the break, but taking some rests is necessary for better taking care of your patients. I would rather take the break later in my shift, though, because it will make the rest of the day pass faster :)

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Specializes in pulm/cardiology pcu, surgical onc.
I am chair of our clinical transformation council and was told by my manager that I need to organize a system for the nurses to take uninterrupted 30 minute lunch breaks. The problem? No one is willing!!!!! The entire floor is refusing to hand off their phone for 30 minutes to another nurse and go eat. The receiving nurse wouldn't be responsible for anything except basically answering a call for pain meds or emergencies. I just don't understand why people aren't being advocates for themselves. I personally want a break, and have no problem handing off my phone AND taking someone elses phone for 30 min so that we can all regroup and relax. Why do we always have to play the martyr?? :confused:

Do any of yall get uninterrupted lunches? What are your thoughts on this? I'm just blown away that people are refusing a break!

Sounds like your co-workers don't get along too well and have some serious trust issues.

We combine all our breaks at night and hand off our pt's and our vocera to our 'buddy' for an hour (when possible). Of course we make sure we've rounded on our pt's 1st before hand off. That doesn't mean something serious won't come up, and in that case, one would be brought back from break to tend to their pt. I trust whomever is watching my pt's to do the right thing and medicate or help as needed. I wouldn't expect anyone to call a doc for me, if it was something serious they would come get me off break unless it was something minor that could wait.

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Specializes in Cardiology.

I'm going to agree that there are trust issues. A nurse needs to be able to trust the person who she/he is handing off the patient to. If people are refusing to take breaks, my guess would be they don't fully trust each other. Good luck getting it sorted out!

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Specializes in home health, dialysis, others.

The breaks and lunches are there for a reason, and they are mandatory.

Bluegrass, please don't be a martyr, instead, be a role model. Take your breaks! If you are too overworked to get away for 30 min, then staffing adjustments need to be made. If everyone on the floor feels the same way you do except for ONE person, then her wishes need to be honored.

Getting off the unit, even if it's just to a lounge/breakroom, is a time to breathe and regroup. And eat without gobbling, and relax for a few minutes.

Very important to take your breaks.

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I really don't think it is a matter of trust. We are really great about team work and helping out on my floor....which is why this is so baffling to me! The main reasons people have cited for not wanting to do a hand off is that it is just too big of a hassle or they dont want to burden their coworkers.

glad to hear from those of you who are taking successful uninterrupted breaks (of course with a few exceptions). Looking forward to hearing from others =)

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I don't feel overworked. I have plenty of downtime during the noc, most nocs. Enough to eat, check my email, read the paper. If I had a terrible night and needed a break, I suppose I'd take one. I don't deal with stress by solitude; I deal with it by venting to my coworkers, and I can't do that if I'm sitting in the breakroom all by myself!

And we do have people who take their breaks off the unit. I'm okay with that, as long as they carry their phone. We don't give report, so if someone calls we just call and ask them if it's okay if we can give 216 a pain pill, etc. If someone's taking their break at the desk and their patient calls, if it's something simple we'll do it for them. We work really well together as a team.

For me, I just really don't feel the need to take a break. Maybe if I worked days, where there are so many people clogging up the nurses station, and I could take a break with a coworker, that'd be different. On nights, the cafeteria is closed, there usually isn't enough staff for two or three people to take a 30 minute break at the same time, and I don't like sitting in the empty staff room at the end of the hall all by myself.

I'll also admit it's a bit of a control issue, not a trust issue. I simply want to do things for my patient. I don't mind someone hanging a new bag or toileting a patient for me; but if it's needing to address a new development, an abnormal lab or a phone call to the doc or family, I don't want someone else doing it for me. If I were on a break where I gave up my phone, then either someone else *is* doing it for me, or it's waiting until I get back. I don't see how that's good for patient care.

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it's not a trust issue with the people you work with really, it's a trust issue with the management/employer. if something goes wrong the management/employer should have your back b/c you were on break, but that just doesn't happen as much as it should, your patient, your fault.

it's a sign of bad management/employer.

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Tele jelly - we went through the same thing on my unit. Despite people putting in for overtime for not getting breaks and meals and complaining about no time to eat / bathroom etc.. when we implemented planned 30 minute breaks, most people balked. It wasn't about a lack of trust or bad management - it was just about change. People had routines they had going and a 30 minute break was a big adjustment to that routine. Also because we were a close team people did feel that they were burdening their coworkers by handing off patients.

We posted the times and names and for the first few weeks I often had to go and find the nurse who was still busy working at their break time and 'force' them to go on a break. The good news is that despite a few rough weeks adjusting I would say that by about 4-6 weeks in, it had started to become peoples routine to take a break and everyone was fine with it. They realized the concerns they had didn't really materialize and that having a break was really quite nice. On our unit even though staff were welcome to leave for their break, most took their breaks in the 'staff lounge' on the unit - really just a quiet area with computer, phone, microwave, fridge, table and chairs. That way they had a break while still feeling they were available if they were needed. Over time more and more have felt comfortable leaving the unit.

Now people complain if they don't get their break!

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dementia.

Uninterrupted breaks at my job are unheard of, but it doesn't bother me because I get plenty of downtime (most days) working in assisted living. Also, if I am waiting for a call from a doctor, etc. I would rather be the one to take it b/c I know all the details of the issue and what not.

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Specializes in pulm/cardiology pcu, surgical onc.

I also agree with the poster who said it was a control issue. I work with a good group and if I'm busy someone will medicate or hang a new bag of fluids for one of my pts. I don't mind if someone helps me because I do the same for my co-workers.

I don't know about everyone else but my 30 minute break is automatically deducted and even if I do have down time during the noc I'm still going to take whats coming to me!

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