What is your ER policy for lunch breaks?

[emergency_love]

We are constantly understaffed and I never, ever get a lunch break during my 12 hour shift. Right now we are expected to self schedule a break and ask another RN to cover our patients for 30 mins. It is considered a luxury to take any sort of break there and it's really rude to ask another nurse to cover her 5 plus your 5 rooms for a whole half hour. We aren't allowed to have food or drinks (not even covered water) at the nurses station and any time I am able to snack I have to throw it down my gullet before a manager looks up from their press ganey scores and threatens us with verbal or written action.

Not being able to step away for thirty minutes during a 12+ hour shift has really contributed to my burn out. I feel that it is expected that I not have basic human needs anymore.

Does your ER have a good lunch policy? I'd like to figure out something to bring before management.

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

You have got to make a reasonable effort to take your breaks, and if you don't get them, then document such on your time card and get paid for your time. Everyone has to do this. When people just go along with the culture, then it's much harder for one person to change anything, because then they look like the trouble maker.

If someone offers to cover you for a meal break because they feel well caught up, take the opportunity. Don't decline because you're just not ready, and then complain that you didn't get a break later on when another opportunity didn't arise.

Very few things cannot wait until you've had a chance to eat something, empty your bladder, and put your feet up for a few minutes, unless you have a vented sedated patient or someone actively bleeding, or you know, a true emergency. If your assignment consists of your average belly pain workups with normal VS, there is no reason you cannot go. Don't confuse patient desires with true patient needs. There is no call for you to be starving, dancing around with a full bladder, feeling crabby because you just want to Stop.For.One.Minute, while fetching blankets, ice water, and turkey sandwiches.

If it is too busy for you or anyone to take their legally required meal breaks, then your charge nurse or nursing supervisor needs to be made aware, and efforts to get people out on breaks need to be made.

As a last resort, contact your state's labor board. There have been successful incidents of nurses getting back pay for missed meal breaks, plus the scrutiny will make your employer very uncomfortable. You can report anonymously if you are concerned about retaliation.

[kp1987]

Sounds terrible

I get 2 hours worth of breaks for my 12 hours shift. An hour of it paid for. If there is no one to cover for my break the charge nurse does. We actually get in trouble for not taking our breaks

[PocketSize, BSN, RN]

Sounds terrible

I get 2 hours worth of breaks for my 12 hours shift. An hour of it paid for. If there is no one to cover for my break the charge nurse does. We actually get in trouble for not taking our breaks

What hospital do you work at and can I use you as a reference?! You are beyond blessed and I hope you realize that :0 We get 30min wether working 8, 10 or 12-hr shifts. Not enough I tell ya...

[AZQuik]

I'm sorry, but as a nurse I sat in a room with an attending, resident, charge, research nurse (highly experienced and respected where I work), and house manager refusing to do what was ordered. Many of you would do the same for a patient, but can't stand up for yourselves. IMO this is one of the fundamental problems with our profession. Period. No if ands or buts.

I know uneducated, unlicensed, and lessor paid people who can get more done than nurses.

If you don't get a break, and you don't get paid, IMO you deserve it. End of story. Stand up for yourselves people. Wake up!!!! You are being ABUSED!!!!

BSN GCU 2014.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

[kp1987]

What hospital do you work at and can I use you as a reference?! You are beyond blessed and I hope you realize that :0 We get 30min wether working 8, 10 or 12-hr shifts. Not enough I tell ya...

Hahaha sure, you'll have to move to canada though! I usually have my breaks at 9am,12pm,3pm and than 5pm and that's working 730-1930! I defiantly think we're blessed!

[theantichick]

I am incredibly lucky with my current ER. We have a ratio of 4:1 to start with. They staff for someone to cover lunches. We also have the ability to go pee when needed, or go get something to drink. On rare occasions if too many people call in, or things are just too insane to free someone to cover lunch, we don't get our full 30 minutes and then we fill in a sheet to have our deduction for that shift to be cancelled.

ETA: We also are supposed to get 2 15 min breaks, but those are not covered. We don't track those and most people just take 5 min here and there as they can. But overall, we don't feel put upon over it.

The ER I came from was a nightmare in comparison. Ratio 8:1, including high acuity, sometimes more. No one to cover lunches, so you're asking someone else who's equally in the weeds to watch double the patients so you can try to slip away to eat. Management hassling you if you cancel your lunch deduction too often - so lots of nurses there don't cancel the deduction even if they couldn't even get away to pee until they were going to burst.

Needless to say, I'm much happier at my current place. I believe we can give better care because we're not in the weeds all the time, and can stay hydrated (and pee) and well fed. We are also more able to help each other out when needed.

[PocketSize, BSN, RN]

Hahaha sure, you'll have to move to canada though! I usually have my breaks at 9am,12pm,3pm and than 5pm and that's working 730-1930! I defiantly think we're blessed!

Ahh!! I literally have the Canadian flag on my wall- LOVE that country :) let's hope I meet a Canadian in the future so I can move there haha.