12 hour work day. No break

[TruRiRi]

I am a nurse. If I get a meal break, which is rare, it is never 30 minutes. I am lucky to get 15. Usually we are scarfing down something as quickly as we can while we chart until we are interrupted by a call light. It is what it is. They deduct the 30 minutes without pay for a break. If you complain about them taking it out of your check you are bulls eyed for being "trouble" and counseled for poor time management. If you take your break and your work does not get done or a patient doesn't get their diet coke as fast as they want it you get in trouble for that. So we work the 12 hours and eat when we can. Our patient assignments get heavier and heavier and there IS NO ONE who has time to cover for one another. We normally work together as it is to keep the patients cared for properly.

It is frustrating some times, but I love my coworkers and we really do work as a team to keep the patients safe. The way we treat our own bodies is a shame. It is the exact example of how not to be healthy.

I do take time to pee. I have been written up once for refusing to answer my phone while on the toilet. I maintain that it is my basic human right to pee and wash my hands uninterrupted. That I will not give up no matter how much they complain.

I was planning on becoming a nurse... I'm sure it's very rewarding, but dealing with an environment like that can't be good for your health.

 

[Disney Doll]

I do take time to pee. I have been written up once for refusing to answer my phone while on the toilet. I maintain that it is my basic human right to pee and wash my hands uninterrupted. That I will not give up no matter how much they complain.

I answered the phone once while in the ladies room and it was an MD barking "Where are you?". I said "I'm in the ladies room". He was like "uh..oh..ummm" I said "I'll come talk to you as soon as I'm done".

He was no longer barking when I found him.

 

[Kona65]

Is this legal? My feet hurt.

12 hour work day......just glad I've got a job. WAM

 

[disney1990]

I was planning on becoming a nurse... I'm sure it's very rewarding, but dealing with an environment like that can't be good for your health.

Yes, it's a demanding field. But, our daughter had a calling to become a nurse. Her daughter had childhood cancer at age 8. After seeing the dedication of the nurses that treated her daughter, she decided she would become a nurse and did so when she was 33 (2-1/2 years ago). Her daughter is now a high school freshman and a 6 year cancer survivor. Meanwhile, our daughter is an ICU Cardiac Care Nurse and loves her job.

 

[dakcp2001]

I was planning on becoming a nurse... I'm sure it's very rewarding, but dealing with an environment like that can't be good for your health.

I can't recommend this field to anyone. While rewarding at times, it is deteriorating in a rapid downward spiral. Healthcare is becoming all about saving pennies and cost. Nurses go into the field because we want to care for the patients, but it is not about that at all. It is about money. It is a business. It is driven by big business and insurance companies. Patient care comes second which will break your heart. Patients are the reason we work through our "breaks". Corporate greed is the reason we don't ever get them or the appropriate staff. But that is a whole separate thread. My former locale was mostly union nurses and there was a pretty big difference in work conditions. So depends on where you live I guess, but right now, healthcare is not a good place to be as a patient or an employee. The last 3 years my income has gone down every year. The cost of benefits has increased. And the coverage gets worse. The have cut our differentials (which is a pay cut), stopped giving raises, and no longer offer overtime.

 

[DISshopkeeper]

OP here!! No I am not a nurse. God bless you nurses. I can't imagine 12 hours in a row where making mistakes could be critical.

I work in the golf industry. We routinely go 12-14 hours full tilt boogie taking care of the rich people. It's a grind. Sometimes we do this for days and days in a row. We do get to eat, often standing up. I can take a bathroom break but frequently people ask me questions thru the door. Lol.

Thanks for your answers. Ya know what? Too many of us are working too hard!!!

 

[disney1990]

I can't recommend this field to anyone. While rewarding at times, it is deteriorating in a rapid downward spiral. Healthcare is becoming all about saving pennies and cost. Nurses go into the field because we want to care for the patients, but it is not about that at all. It is about money. It is a business. It is driven by big business and insurance companies. Patient care comes second which will break your heart. Patients are the reason we work through our "breaks". Corporate greed is the reason we don't ever get them or the appropriate staff. But that is a whole separate thread. My former locale was mostly union nurses and there was a pretty big difference in work conditions. So depends on where you live I guess, but right now, healthcare is not a good place to be as a patient or an employee. The last 3 years my income has gone down every year. The cost of benefits has increased. And the coverage gets worse. The have cut our differentials (which is a pay cut), stopped giving raises, and no longer offer overtime.

I really think this depends on where you work. My daughter has worked in two different places, same hospital. One great and one, not so great.

 

[wvjules]

OP here!! No I am not a nurse. God bless you nurses. I can't imagine 12 hours in a row where making mistakes could be critical.

I work in the golf industry. We routinely go 12-14 hours full tilt boogie taking care of the rich people. It's a grind. Sometimes we do this for days and days in a row. We do get to eat, often standing up. I can take a bathroom break but frequently people ask me questions thru the door. Lol.

Thanks for your answers. Ya know what? Too many of us are working too hard!!!

So you're a caddy?

 

[Tinkh]

Respiratory therapist here and I am not sure if it is legal or not. We often miss our breaks and some days we are unable to use the restroom for hours. Too high of census with not enough staff. Hiring freezes just made things even worse. The millions our non-profit hospital made last year wasn't enough for them, so we are now working to come under budget this year.


I think the answer to your question might be that it depends on which state you are in.