You’re entitled to unpaid meal breaks according to the table below (where “x” represents the number of hours in your workday).
Meal breaks should be off-duty (and thus unpaid). However, if your facility requires you to work during your meal break for the sake of patient care or safety, then you must have prior written and signed approval from your supervisor for each meal break for which you are working.
State Specific Requirements:
In California your first meal period must be taken before you work more than five hours in a workday, and a second meal period must be taken before working more than ten hours in a workday, if applicable. Employees in healthcare are permitted to voluntarily waive one of their two 30-minute meal periods on shifts when they work more than ten hours. They are also committing to taking the remaining meal period before they work more than ten hours in a workday.
In Washington, your first meal period must be taken no less than two hours nor more than five hours from the beginning of the shift, and a second meal period must be taken within five hours of the first meal period, if applicable. Further, if you work three or more hours longer than your normal shift you are entitled to an additional meal period prior to or during the overtime period. Under Washington law, you may choose to waive one of your meal periods. The applicable timing requirements may be waived for meal and rest periods, so long as the meal period starts no earlier than the third hour worked and no later than the second to last hour scheduled.
In Minnesota, you must take an uninterrupted 30-minute meal break for every six (6) or more consecutive hours worked. If you are completely relieved of all duties during this 30-minute window, the break is unpaid. If you are required to remain “on call” or perform any work during the required 30 minutes, the break must be paid.
If working at New York Presbyterian, the facility requires 1 hour meal breaks which may affect the total hours worked in a week. Please contact your Advocate for further information when working at this facility to ensure requirements are met.