for those who work 12 hour shifts, how long is your lunch break?

Spinmass, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jan 20, 2015

This is the problem with nursing, in no other profession would it be acceptable to not take a lunch or dinner break! Demand a break, yo you work hard and deserve it, not my problem if they understaff so much that someone has to take a high patent load.
HPRN

While I entirely agree that it is important to make sure that you get a break and or get paid if you don't. Nursing certainly isn't the only profession that you may miss a break. Almost all of the public safety (both pre-hospital and in-hospital) professions suffer not getting there well deserved break.

unicoRNurse · Jan 20, 2015

30 min, unpaid.

Nonyvole, BSN, RN · Jan 20, 2015

Technically 30 minutes unpaid, plus two 15 minute breaks, all of which are supposed to be off the unit. However, that never ends up happening on my unit since there is nobody to cover. If it turns into one of those shifts where we are working constantly, then we simply say that we didn't get lunch that day. What we will do is just take a couple minutes here and there to run to the bathroom or get something to eat that we then bring back to the nurses station with us.

firstinfamily, RN · Jan 20, 2015

30 minutes unpaid dinner break, I usually eat around 4:00 am, have a snack at midnight to help carry me through and I agree with the finger foods so that I can chart at the same time. Our staff relieves each other, so the 30 minute breaks do happen!!

ComeTogether, LPN · Jan 20, 2015

30 min, unpaid. Also, in my state rest breaks are not required, so we didn't get them unless "buisness allowed".

prettymica, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN, APRN, NP · Jan 20, 2015

30 unpaid minutes.. IF you get one.

travelcrazyRN · Jan 20, 2015

lunch, what is lunch?

My work has no problem deducting 30 minutes from pay but any break time we get is by pure accident. There is a option to mark no lunch to recoup the 30 minutes but you get some negative vibes from superiors when this is done repeatedly.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Jan 20, 2015

There is a option to mark no lunch to recoup the 30 minutes but you get some negative vibes from superiors when this is done repeatedly.

You should give off some negative vibes when superiors suggest you work for free. :mad:

RNperdiem, RN · Jan 20, 2015

30 minutes here as well. Trouble is, lunch seems to coincide with the busiest part of the day.

Personally, I take 15 minutes for lunch in the middle of the day and 15min afternoon tea around 5 when the unit is usually at its slowest. Asking someone to cover your patients for a 15 minute break is usually not a problem.

most & big red · Jan 20, 2015

30 minutes, unpaid, and we work 12.5 hour shifts. So everyone gets their lunch. Sometimes, I even put my phone on silent so that I don't get bothered. Anyone who needs something will call the unit and let them know. And three 15 minute breaks through out the day, but I can usually only get my hands on one or two.

iPink, BSN, RN · Jan 20, 2015

Luckily where I work you MUST take your 30 mins. I had done that in the past in my old unit and gotten spoken to by management when they saw I didn't take my 30 mins.

I now take an hour. I just combine my 30 mins and two 15 minutes. I work on a unit where that is possible.

AdobeRN · Jan 20, 2015

30 minutes - unpaid; and two 15 minute breaks - which never seem to get. If we were having a really busy day and the unit manager had to get involved to help out - she would over ride and allow us to be paid that 30 minutes.