How do you ensure everyone on your unit gets a break? I have worked for many years as a charge nurse, or supervisor and part of my duty is to ensure everyone gets a break. It seems that this would be a simple enough task by relieving one nurse every thirty minutes and in three hours six nurses will have taken their lunch break. As we all know it is never that simple.
I find there are certain people who “never get a break.” After working in a variety of hospitals, I have become opinionated about my coworkers; fair or unfair, nurses who are “never able to take a break” are categorized in my mind. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying these are “bad” nurses, but they do have a work ethic that makes getting them out for a break a challenge. I bet you work with a few of these personalities on my list.
The Poor Planner: The poor planner lacks organization. This nurse allows the circumstances of the day to control her activities, rather than planning ahead and taking control of the shift. This nurse is always harried, behind and nervous. They rarely administer medications on time, never chart until the end of the shift, and couldn’t possibly take an admission. I realize bad things happen and occasionally one extremely ill patient or demanding family member can put you off schedule, but the “poor planner” experiences this dilemma, daily. If your job is to relieve this person for a break—don’t expect a task list—they aren’t organized enough to know what needs to be done next. Just hope and pray a physician doesn’t call asking for an update, because you won’t be able to tell him anything by looking at the chart.
The Knit-Picker: This is the detail oriented nurse, the nurse who is too concerned about dating the IV tubing she just changed. Taking a break is out of the question for this type of nurse. Every little thing has to be complete and in order before this nurse is comfortable stepping out of the unit for a few minutes. Unfortunately, there is always something that needs to be done. A break for this nurse is a challenge. In fact, most of the time, this nurse eats at the desk. Coworkers literally have to kick this nurse out of the unit and insist she spend 10 minutes relaxing before coming back.
The Unlucky Nurse: These are the nurses who simply have poor karma. A little black cloud hangs over their head at every shift. They choose or are assigned the most complicated patient load. This nurse's patients have demanding families, ambiguous orders requiring a great deal of effort to clarify, or are continually incontinent and trying to get out of bed. If your job is to relieve this nurse for a break, you are viewed as a hero. This nurse is so grateful to leave for a few minutes they literally hug you when you appear and announce your intention to relieve them.
Labor law requires all employees be allowed a certain amount of time each shift for breaks. The amount and frequency differs from state to state, and may also be influenced by union contracts.
Regardless, breaks are a necessity. As healthcare professionals we all understand the importance of taking breaks—for ourselves and our patients. Breaks relieve stress, refresh and nourish our body and spirit and give us the strength to finish the shift. The demands and speed of real life, coupled with personality and work ethic make taking a break often a challenge.
What do you do to ensure every nurse takes a break?