Tipped?

Specialties Emergency

Published

This was too funny ... I had a patient on Saturday who was VERY high maintenance -- literally screaming (in my ear, ouch) in pain. Screaming. My charge nurse thought she was a psych patient! In any case, I took care of her pain, and her. After she was discharged, I took her by wheelchair and helped her into her husband's truck. Then her husband followed me back to the door, pulling out his wallet as he walked after me. He pulled out a $50 and tried to hand it to me, I couldn't believe it! LOL!! I've never had anyone try to tip me before. Of course, I didn't accept it. He kept trying to hand it to me, and I explained that we couldn't accept money, but that his offering it was nice in itself. (I shoulda told him to buy us all pizza with it, but I didn't think of that until later ... oh well!)

My husband is a tattoo artist, and he gets tips all the time ... but this was the first time someone tried to tip me! :D

Specializes in Medical.

Off the top of my head, nurses refuse tips because:

- you tip service staff, not professionals

- it changes the dynamic of the patient/nurse relationship

- you can not prove the money was given voluntarily, which may be a problem if the patient is confused or vulnerable

- there may be a perception that tipping is expected or required

- patients who tip may get preferential treatment

- there may be a perception that tipping patients get preferential treatment

- patients who tip may expect preferential treatment

- did I mention that you tip service staff not professionals?

did I mention that you tip service staff not professionals

I'd take a tip over a title any day......

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
I'd take a tip over a title any day......

I wouldn't.

Specializes in ER, Trauma, ICU/CCU/NICU, EMS, Transport.
Off the top of my head, nurses refuse tips because:

- you tip service staff, not professionals

- it changes the dynamic of the patient/nurse relationship

- you can not prove the money was given voluntarily, which may be a problem if the patient is confused or vulnerable

- there may be a perception that tipping is expected or required

- patients who tip may get preferential treatment

- there may be a perception that tipping patients get preferential treatment

- patients who tip may expect preferential treatment

- did I mention that you tip service staff not professionals?

That's a great answer(s)!

Specializes in ER, Trauma, ICU/CCU/NICU, EMS, Transport.
I'd take a tip over a title any day......

Not me.

If I did feel that way, then I probably need to be looking for a job that pays better.

Nursing is good pay for a lot of people, not many places you'll make as much as a nurse with just a 2 year degree.

Okay, I understand that - but I'm challenging you guys to think deeper than "just because I was told not to"....

With the recent emphasis on "evidence based" practice, we have called to scrutiny things that we were just "taught" to do unquestioningly. Now we are starting to look at the reasons and rationales.

So back to the question, yes, you may have been taught not to accept these things, but WHY???????

Any takers?

well if you wanted the full on, philosophic (sp) discussion, you should have said so.....mostly already covered....but down and dirty, it (tipping) is a tool of manipulation....."i pay more, i expect more".....

Well, I'm not a nurse yet but I can see why it could be thought "unethical" to receive tips. I think it sets a dangerous precedent for money-based care when, in reality, nursing care should be equal among all patients, regardless of their financial status. Frankly, many patients simply cannot afford even an extra two dollars for a tip and their care could suffer based on even the perceived notion that they won't pay a tip. Nursing care needs to remain completely unbiased. Please don't take offense to this post, as I believe 99.9% of you (and me someday!) do it for the care and satisfaction of providing that care, not for the money. We all well know, however, how money can corrupt. Adding such complications as tipping (how do we track it? would tips be shared as in many restaurants? nurses need to be paid MORE, not less as they would be if tips were involved, etc.) adds dimensions of difficulty that are entirely unnecessary in an already demanding occupation. :twocents:

I am not a waitress.

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

Work that has an expectation of tips tends to be paid at or below minimum wage, because the rest of your pay is expected to be made up for by tips.

I was a restaurant hostess when I got out of high school, and got paid more than the waitressess because I was in a non-tipping position. They made up for it, and most didn't declare all of their tips (and got mad at those who did).

I expect to be paid a professional wage for professional work. I don't tip my doctor or dentist, or my vet or her techs; or the store clerk who gets a wage. I tip waitressess and hair styleists. Which group do you think nurses should be in?

Nurses are not saints, or religious martyrs (well, most of us, lol). There are some out there whom I believe would take advantage of tipping and preferential treatment. But the bottom line is, you don't tip professionals (Talaxandra said a mouthful!)

Specializes in ED, Flight.

A few years ago one of our flight crews transported a Middle Eastern potentate who had coded while partying in a certain city known for its casinos. He was now on a vent, and a nephew came to retrieve him quietly back to their country, via NYC. Our crew handled that leg of the trip.

At the handoff in NY, the potentate-nephew profferred a couple of hundred dollars tip to each crew member. They politely but insistently refused. They gave that man the same good care they try to give every patient, no matter how much or little they pay. That is how we are expected to do our jobs; and darn well should.

A few years ago one of our flight crews transported a Middle Eastern potentate who had coded while partying in a certain city known for its casinos. He was now on a vent, and a nephew came to retrieve him quietly back to their country, via NYC. Our crew handled that leg of the trip.

At the handoff in NY, the potentate-nephew profferred a couple of hundred dollars tip to each crew member. They politely but insistently refused. They gave that man the same good care they try to give every patient, no matter how much or little they pay. That is how we are expected to do our jobs; and darn well should.

you run the risk of insulting, however......perhaps a compromise of a donation to the program?

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