Poor RN professional conduct

Specialties NICU

Published

I am new to this site. I am hoping to get some insight. I am an RN with 15 years experience. I have seen a serious decline in professional behavior at the hospital I work at. We have a no eating or drinking policy which stayed in place with little incident for years. Now, nurses who know better are blatantly doing it. Those of us who are respectful of the rules are not. Guess what? We are hungry and thirsty too. One nurse actually told me that now that I know where the snack drawer is....I have to eat from it...that way, they be sure that I won't tell on them. Yes, that is what an educated adult said to me. So guess what, the snack drawer got emptied today. The whining started. So, I told them I gave them up and if they want their stuff back they can go get it from the managers. The spineless creatures got so quiet. What is up with these people these days. Anyone else work with selfish inconsiderate "professionals"? How do you deal with the immaturity and sense of entitlement?

Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

Food and drink in pt care areas brings vermin, and enables nasty bacteria and viruses to get into your body. Nurses have acquired diseases this way, often w/very negative consequences. In addition to my 30+ years of NICU experience, I was an Infection Control Practitioner. Numerous problems are associated w/eating in pt care areas.

Some "desks" are not far enough from the pts to be a safe place for eating and drinking. Staffing and being allowed to take breaks is a whole different issue, and sneaking food in the unit enables the administration to continue the abuse. Take it up w/the union, if you have one, or state licensing agencies. You can file grievances regarding these issues. OSHA will penalize the hospital if they don't make sure you have breaks. Lawsuits have been filed and won for this--I got paid for unpaid missed breaks from one hospital.

In any case, blanket statements that younger nurses are way unprofessional, immature, etc., don't help one darn bit.

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Come work for me Omgseriously. I appreciate your ethics. I don't like my Nurses eating in the work area. For one the coffee spills on the patients charts is unprofessional. We have not addressed infection control and my Nurses get 2 15 minute breaks and a half hour lunch per 8 hrs of work. How much more grazing time does one really need?

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Specializes in Family Practice.

I have been in the NICU for 15 years and I do not waste my time snitching on nurses who share snacks at the nurses station. This is why nursing can be a challenge for new grads. You witness the back biting and tattle telling. As new nurses come into the profession they will learn to pick and choose their own battles. True, if there is a serious breach of patient safety then it must be addressed. Petty antics never go well in a unit where teamwork is essential to the care of those little tikes :-)

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Specializes in NICU, Newborn Nursery.

I have been an RN for 20 years.....and I'm so glad you aren't my coworker.....honestly.....we are here to take care of people and have empathy upon them.....we are paid to do a job that we have so much passion for.....and you are complaining against food and drink.....? We have a very stressful job....we need to rely on each other for emotional support, teamwork......honestly.....I can't understand someone who even cares about something so trivial? How many times have we missed lunch, or worked all shift without a break? We are human beings taking care of other people.....and we need to take care of ourselves.......eat, drink....laugh......whatever you need to get through the shift. The only people that have a right to complain are the patients.....yes....a patient should complain if there nurse walks in with a coke and a bag of Cheetos .......not a coworker.....who cares? Relax, have fun, don't sweat the small stuff! Unfortunately, you have mad a bed that you will now lie in...the next time you need help....you might find the nursing station pretty empty..........

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"Spineless creatures" over a drawer full of snacks? Omgseriously? Wow. I really never understood the crumbs and creepy crawly things in the hospital.....housekeepers are on all the time in my hospital. I'm not saying make a giant careless mess by any means, but I don't think a crumb or two is really going to bring in a lot of creepers that cause infection. I worked in labor and delivery and Nicu and many patients had snacks and food brought in. Not to mention the meal trays from the hospital. In the Nicu parents who stayed overnight with sometimes have snacks at the bedside.I never saw an infection that was caused by food!

Calling your coworkers names is very unprofessional indeed. And just plain mean.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

Wendy

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What would you rather happen? Your colleagues collapsing from fatigue and low blood sugars?! You need to be fair and understanding. Provided they dont eat like a herd of cows and dont create mess I would rather have members of staff who are on top form rather than on their knees!!!

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

You all realize that this thread is old and the OP has left the house?

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Specializes in NICU.

I never understand why people drag all these threads up from so long ago- years even at times.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I never understand why people drag all these threads up from so long ago- years even at times.

Because some of them are so much fun to watch!

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You all realize that this thread is old and the OP has left the house?

That does not make the subject matter not interesting. And lots of times the OP will see the resurrected thread and bring us up to date.

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[h=1]Beverage Container Left Open at Nurses Station, Three Dead as a Result[/h]Beverage Container Left Open at Nurses Station, Three Dead as a Result | GomerBlog

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