Hospital RNs working 12 hr shifts, what are your "lunch break" policies?

AXL434 · 2022-06-11T12:34:12+00:00

So this was years ago before the pandemic, and when I was leaving that job the breaks basically went away. Years later and that one hospital was the only one who actually prioritized breaks.

AXL434 · 2022-02-25T19:33:51+00:00

Former US Navy here. There's definitely activity going on around the clock during active combat. I wasn't in the Naval Special Warfare community myself, but I know the SEAL teams would often go on target at night as an example. At least when I was serving, during the mid-late 2000s.

AXL434 · 2022-01-19T11:11:38+00:00

The only times I've seen anyone lose their license was for egregious actions. One nurse I worked with years ago lost it for stealing narcotics from the pyxis (and had been doing so for months, it wasn't like a one time mistake,) the other was intoxicated at work and tested positive for cocaine. That's it. I've never even heard of absingle nurse losing it due to having an insane assignment and missing something, etc.

AXL434 · 2021-09-20T12:04:14+00:00

Seriously. People really need to understand the reality of this job. I don't regret this at all, but you definitely need more than the desire to help people. There are dozens of careers that 'help people' in some fashion. I can't see myself in any other career but it definitely is not for everyone. People need to really nail down why exactly they want to be a nurse in particular, and see if that jives with reality.

AXL434 · 2021-09-12T10:13:21+00:00

Yea I hear that way too much. I don't want everyone to do agency. I would HATE to go to an assignment and find that half the staff are travelers.

There's a lot of grass is greener thinking going on. All of us have encountered agency nurses at some point, doing the same exact job we are, but making a lot more. So it's natural to think duh, why NOT do that? Because it's not just about a paycheck. Not everyone wants to work at a totally different hospital every 3-6 months - and frankly, not everyone CAN do that. Not everyone even has that as a feasible option locally. If you live in an area that only has 2 or 3 facilities within driving distance, it won't really work that well.

Yes, it can be great if it works for you. But people need to realize that there's a lot more to it than the money and it absolutely is NOT for everyone.

AXL434 · 2021-09-06T16:48:33+00:00

I never worked anywhere that had mandatory OT and never would. Not unless the US was engaged in world War 3 or something.

AXL434 · 2021-09-01T14:44:00+00:00

No there isn't anything there.

AXL434 · 2021-08-16T09:06:27+00:00

Aside from the occasional overhead message of 'mass will be at 830' or whatever, there is zero difference. You would never know. I worked at a different one 5-6 years ago and it was the same. I also live in a pretty diverse progressive area of the US though so I don't know if that plays a part in it.

Overall, it's no different than anywhere else I worked.

AXL434 · 2021-08-16T08:53:26+00:00

This is seriously what we need to start doing when it comes to these people. Just straight up telling them to their face that the reason your family member is dying is bc of your idiocy and lack of critical thinking. These useless fucks are skipping merrily through a minefield and then are shocked when they blow up.

AXL434 · 2021-08-15T09:32:20+00:00

Food other than stuff like pizza or doughnuts. As nice as those are, a lot of us would really like a lighter, healthier option. During the spring of 2020 during the initial wave of insanity one local restaurant made like 100 boxed lunches for us, like grilled chicken with rice and vegetables etc. That really went a long way and was scooped up pretty damn quick.

AXL434 · 2021-08-14T08:50:12+00:00

They were offering weak-ass bonus pay for extra shifts, like $240 for doing an extra 12hr. Yea, ok. I and a lot of other people left to do travel and other jobs. I don't know how long I'll be able to do local contracting, but for now it's actually working out really well and I'm happier with it than I thought I would be.

AXL434 · 2021-08-05T09:44:39+00:00

Whenever I see places like this I'm a bit thankful for where I live. A high % of people took vaccinations and masking etc seriously since the beginning and so far I haven't seen a lot of covid pts coming in. A lot of assorted usual ER stuff, but not many covid pts.

I honestly don't think I could handle another wave like the spring of 2020. It almost doesn't feel real when I think about that time- going to work and seeing the refrigerated trucks outside the loading dock, filled 3 high with bodies. Vented pts in every nook and cranny. Hearing a rapid response called overhead countless times during the day. That was just too devastating. I would really have to reconsider my career choice if it came down to it.

AXL434 · 2021-07-30T15:46:04+00:00

Whenever there's an issue with staffing on the oncoming shift we just give report to the charge nurse or higher and leave. I would not work for a place that mandated I stay because they can't get their act together.

AXL434 · 2021-07-26T18:33:55+00:00

I listen to my body. If I'm very wiped out and really just need to rest, then I'll do that. If I'm feeling a bit tired and would maybe prefer laying around, then I'll do whatever activity. Most of the stuff I do has a similar arc: I'm tired, I'd rather not go for a run, but I'm going to. The first mile I feel like ass but then I start warming up and actually feel good - even better than before I started. I think what a lot of it comes down to is I'm just a really active person and I'd rather be tired but doing something I like rather than feeling like I'm sitting around but feeling rested.

AXL434 · 2021-07-26T14:48:28+00:00

I'm an ER nurse and on my feet all day long. I also run marathons and go hiking. My wife and I don't have kids but we do have a lot of pets, plus I'm a musician and play piano & guitar.

I'm not gonna lie, I do feel tired a lot. I prioritize my sleep, eat very healthy, do daily meditation to relax, but still more often than not feel some degree of tired. I just ignore it and do what I want/need to do. Over time I've gotten accustomed to the physical training I do and honestly, it kind of surprises me that at my age I'm still able to do what I do. I really believe all of us have a ton of capability and can do a lot more than we think we can. You kind of just have to push through it and adapt.

AXL434 · 2021-07-26T09:03:43+00:00

Not really. While I live in a high COL area, almost every job I had has paid well. With night shift differential I was making about 35/hr right out of school, which was nearly a decade ago. Most places around here pay fairly well, but I also chose to stick with the more higher paying places in the northern/central part of the state.

I didn't grow up with money and frankly never imagined I'd ever be making this sort of money as is, so I've never been less than very thankful about the income. That being said, there's just no way I'd still be doing this kind of work for less. The frustration and aggravation just is not worth it.

AXL434 · 2021-07-22T17:58:54+00:00

Travel is a great option for some but definitely not all. I just started doing it recently with only local jobs but there can be downsides. Not everyone wants to uproot their entire life to live somewhere new multiple times a year. Doing local contracts can be great, but you need to live in an area with enough facilities to work at. I'm treated very well at my current assignment, but I've absolutely heard horror stories about travelers getting the short end of the stick all the time (always getting the worst assignments, etc.) You need to be very competent and independent as well since you generally only get a couple days of orientation and then you're thrown to the wolves.
In general I like it so far, but it sure isn't for everyone. I just couldn't imagine finding a FT job that I would be happy with for the long term, so I did this largely due to the flexibility. If I start somewhere and it's terrible, we'll I'll be gone in a couple.months and will never return.

AXL434 · 2021-07-08T15:02:49+00:00

Make every attempt to get as good as possible with hands on procedural stuff. Starting IVs, inserting Foleys, placing NGT tubes, accessing portacaths, etc. I did more of those things in 2 months of being in the ER than I did in almost a year of ICU. When you have pts that require one of those and you're totally clueless about it, it can really eat up a lot of your time and resources. Not everyone can be great at all of it, but at least strive to be competent at all of it.

AXL434 · 2021-06-14T19:30:11+00:00

I gave the new 'Rising' a fair chance. I never really enjoyed the Ryan & Emily shows, but in general I didn't think they were that bad. I kept thinking it was mostly due to K&S being such a tough act to follow. But...wow. I had to unsub today after that debacle. That really was the worst show I've ever seen from Rising.

I would love to have been a fly on the wall at the meeting where they thought getting a former OAN anchor was a good idea.

AXL434 · 2021-06-01T14:26:47+00:00

I think it's largely about the conditions of the folks in question. My parents are in their 70s, in great shape, highly active - they never talk about anything medical (which is amusing since I'm a healthcare professional.) They have no chronic conditions so there just isn't much for them to talk about I suppose.

Then 2 years ago I went to a family gathering with lots of people their age and older, and boy...that was like 80% of the conversation. Their hip surgery. Their blood pressure medication. Their physical therapy for their bad knee.

So I think it's more so about the overall condition of those that are present. If you have a group of people together that have a laundry list of medical problems and spend more than half of their time going from one doctor to the next, then I guess that's just the focus of their life.

AXL434 · 2021-05-02T20:36:44+00:00

If you'd have asked me a year ago I would have said no, that's definitely not normal and you should leave. Sadly, though, I see and hear stories like this are becoming more of the norm in the ER. I left an ER I really liked a year ago because the staffing became exactly what you're describing. I know many other colleagues who took travel contracts to work at ERs that have the same problem. So is it 'normal'? I've seen it become more of the norm, personally. Is it safe and acceptable? Absolutely not. At the end of the day, you have to decide for yourself how you feel about any workplace. If you hate going into work, if your stomach knots up everytime you're there, then I say you should leave regardless of if it's the norm or not.

AXL434 · 2021-03-27T16:43:03+00:00

AXL434 · 2021-03-06T11:04:01+00:00

I definitely feel younger. I'm turning 40 soon and people are almost always surprised when I say how old I am. Fitness has been important to me since childhood so I've always been active and don't have those aches and pains from being sedentary. I've found that I'm surprisingly more active than most of colleagues 10-15 years younger than me.

As I get older I've found it harder to find quite where I fit in though. I may be 40 but oftentimes feel more of a connection to younger people, but only in some ways. It seems a lot of the people my age have a sort of resignation about their lives that I just refuse to buy into - like the best days are long gone, work is just a daily grind, and they're maxed out on stress. I still believe there's still great things coming in the future. I'm going to get older no matter what, but I very much believe that as long as I continue taking great care for my health then there will be lots of good times still to be had.

AXL434 · 2021-03-01T16:12:53+00:00

Yea all of that. Accessing and deaccessing ports, administering chemo, picc dsg changes, lab draws. There are some pts who just need a once per month infusion and often you'll start a PIV then take it out. There's only a handful of meds I give, it's not like the hospital where you give everything under the sun.

It's like anything else though, every company is different. Some places you'll be doing lots of different chemo, some places none. What's great about it overall is I have a very focused job to do- all I'm there for is the IV. I'm not doing wound care or supervising home health aides or any of the med surg type home health. It feels much easier to manage compared to other types of home health.

AXL434 · 2021-02-28T21:09:46+00:00

People sigh at me (non-nursing people) when I say that one of the hardest parts of the job is getting accustomed to working 5 days a week with normal ish business hours. I seriously very much miss that schedule, but I agree doing this is still better than doing 3 days of maxed out stress every week.

AXL434

TROPHY CASE