Why do we not get paid for lunch even if we never get to take one?

toomuchbaloney · Jan 5, 2015

*snort* toomuchbaloney, your name holds true, that's for sure!
Again, patients in hospitals are under much different circumstances than the nurse I worked with. She wet herself because she refused to understand that her needs mattered - she seemed to think she wasn't allowed a bathroom break because someone needed something. News flash - someone always needs something.
I stand by my statement - you are projecting. And getting your period is way different than refusing to use the bathroom despite having one available.
This coming from a person who has at time been incontinent of both bowel and bladder due to medical conditions.

So you think I am full of baloney and therefore am wrong because ALL nurses ARE capable of compassion (AEB posts on AN), and all nurses are always nice to others?

I appreciate that you prefer to double down on belittling the nurse who wet her panties.

Tagg · Jan 6, 2015

Second area hospital sued over meal breaks - FOX 26 News | MyFoxHouston

brandy1017, ASN, RN · Jan 6, 2015

I re-read the posts, and I can see how this reads, but it's not what you're picturing. As I said before, there was enough short-staffing and enough of a workload that it simply wasn't manageable to expect to take on another patient assignment (9 patients each on nights) for lunchbreaks. To call it "bullying" to say to someone "I can't manage my own load right now, I cannot possibly do anything other than PRN for you, YOU have to set everything up ahead of time or pick it up afterward" seems ridiculous to me. She WAS unpopular to work with, because what I didn't tell you was that she had no problem NOT giving meds she COULD give before she left, she just expected the others to do it for her. And that's FINE if there was enough time for all, but.....there just wasn't. You might even say she was bullying the rest into doing her work.....but I didn't go there.
In all the years I've been a nurse covering a patient load never involved passing scheduled meds, only making sure they were safe and sound and maybe giving a prn pain med. We always passed our own meds and it was up to us to give them on time or not. You could ask someone to pass meds if you were behind or someone might offer, but it was not expected to give scheduled meds on lunch break.
I agree it is up to the nurse to speak up if they don't get their lunch. I have learned to work quickly in general, usually take my break, but will get paid if I can't get my lunch break. If they staff us with 2 RN's and no PCA then I will take a no lunch unless another RN comes to break us and I tell it to the supervisor up front!
But I agree this is a common problem in too many hospitals that simply pressure the ones who speak up for not getting lunch as poor time management and give them bad evals rather than address the real problem of staffing. Why would they when they benefit by keeping the budget down and they are richly rewarded with a yearly bonus. So to the person that said your manager would stand up for you to corporate I've never seen that. The incentives run in the opposite direction. Keep the budget down and get a nice fat bonus!
Working nights it is much easier taking breaks in general, when I worked PM's I could almost never get supper before the cafeteria had closed. It was so busy with admissions, discharges, procedures, teaching etc, but I would still take my break eventually. I much prefer nights to PM's for that reason among many others. I wouldn't work days for that reason as well, also the pay cut! Why work harder for less pay!

ohiobobcat · Jan 6, 2015

Once upon a time, I was a brand new ER nurse. Once I was off orientation, I worked the 12p-12a shift. I was so excited to be an ER nurse that I never took a supper break because I though I might miss something "cool". It took me a while to figure out that by NOT taking a supper break, I was being unfair not only to myself, but also my coworkers and patients. By 8 or 9 pm, I was done. I wasn't motivated to do anything but the bare minimum. I couldn't focus. I was exhausted. In conversation one day, one of the ED techs (who I think was getting irritated with my lack of motivation) looked at me like I had no head when I mentioned I never take a supper break. Hmmmm.....

After that, I started eating supper and I (and everyone else) noticed a HUGE difference in my energy and motivation for the rest of the shift. You can't argue with physiology, folks!! Your body needs fuel to function effectively. It's sad to hear that the "no break" mentality has become so ingrained into certain floor cultures that it becomes the norm.

rnsrgr8t · Jan 6, 2015

I will always take time to eat. It is unreasonable to go 8 hours (often 10-12) without eating or drinking anything. I am salaried now (I am a PNP) and my fellow colleague that works with me (although I love her) is very disorganized and often will not eat despite my desperately trying to get her to take a break. After 10 years of working with her, I gave up. I make sure I organize my day so I can stop for a bit and make sure I eat something. I do believe, some people (NOT everyone so don't slam me) including my coworker, LIKES to be the martyr. It took years for my boss to realize that my coworker not eating lunch had NOTHING to do with my not doing my workload, being a team player etc.

I do see the flip side on the floor where staffing is atrocious and management will blame you if you state you did not have time to take a lunch. In this economy and flux of nurses, nurses know they are a dime a dozen and often hospitals have no qualm about losing someone b/c another warm body (which is all they want) is waiting in the wings.

I do not know what the answer is. We all have to do what we feel is best. For me, I eat. period. I am not going to apologize for that. I also pee. I work in Urology and know what happens (as I counsel all my patients) if you go years and do not empty your bladder regularly.