Angry Nurse here!

[beeker]

Last night a float pool tech ate my lunch and threw away my tupperware containers when he was done. I didn't know about it until it was too late, but I had homemade soup, yogurt, homemade cookies, and a drink tied in a bag in the work fridge. His excuse " there was no name on it". Now I did not catch him or see him personally, if I did I probably would have been fired. I was that mad. I am pregnant, and the cafeteria was closed. A coworker saw him eating it and the charge nurse questioned him. I heard today he does this on every floor he goes to. Don't you think this should be a fireable offense? I mean it is stealing right? He did not seem bothered at all, just said sorry didn't know it was yours. I am livid.

1. Who does that?

2. How could anyone think it is ok?

3. What if it was old?

4. Who does that?

5. It does not matter whose name is on the bag, if you did not bring it, then it is not yours.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

I would get an insulated bag with a cold pack and put everything in your locked locker. Which is so sad that one has to concern themselves with people not touching their food. OR if you live close to your place of work, perhaps your husband can come have dinner with you and bring you a plate?? Sad and I am the first one to say, if I have extra, I will share it--and give it to you myself. Don't however, touch my food.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Hmmmm "there wasn't a name on it". INCLUDING HIS!! What an jerk!

[DoGoodThenGo]

Stealing should always be a fireable offense, IMHO

In many places it usually is, however the growth of service or other unions representing aides/techs has meant it can often be a long dragged out process without any certain outcome. Sometimes the best you can hope for is the person being transferred off your floor/unit and or moved to another union represented facility.

Even then unless you have documented and eyewitness evidence it is very hard to prove these sort of cases. I mean who is to say where that Twinkie came from? Just because I happen to have one in my hand and am in the breakroom and *you* are missing one from your lunch bag does not automatically prove anything. *LOL*

[Garethaus]

He'll do it again. Guaranteed. Without punishment why would he ever stop?

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I'd say this is a common offense... common enough for there to be an entire episode of Friends about it, at least:

I saw stuff like this happen quite often when I worked in the hospital. If you didn't label your food with your name AND date, it was a safe bet that it'd be gone when you went looking to eat it. I saw several people who forgot their meals go searching in the fridge/freezer for something that didn't have a name on it. I also had relatively expensive tupperware thrown away several times at work... complaining to my manager would have done no good since I'm pretty sure she was the one who threw them away. Horrible me... I thought tending to my patients was more important than washing my tupperware out immediately. Ten minutes later, it was all gone.

[Luvbuble]

Make sure you make some delicious Chinese food and mix some Ex-Lax in it and don't label your lunch box. Also take out the bathroom tissue before he uses the bathroom.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

My mom was a nurse and lived in the dorm during school. She said there was alwys food being swiped, so she put a container of urine in the fridge, labeled it apple juice and put her name on it. The next day it was gone and no food was ever swiped again. Gross? For sure, but so is stealing

[Leonardo Del Toro, RN]

My advice, find him and then bring him lunch the next time.

[07302003, ASN, RN]

This guy is a sociopath, who would want him as a co-worker, but for the big picture....

would you want someone with this LACK of morals or honor to be taking care of your mother or father in a healthcare setting?

That's what makes me puke....

[Beautiful Mind RN]

That is my one pet peeve, stealing other people's food. Not only is it immoral, but it is disrespectful. Plus, you stated that this person had done it several times before. It is a pattern...it might be harmless now, but what if it evolves into something worse? Like thieving of hospital supplies? Or even personal belongings of other coworkers? I would most definitely raise this concern to your superiors. Even better, try and track down anyone else that this might have happened to and have them report it as well.

[ComeTogether, LPN]

Last night a float pool tech ate my lunch and threw away my tupperware containers when he was done. I didn't know about it until it was too late, but I had homemade soup, yogurt, homemade cookies, and a drink tied in a bag in the work fridge. His excuse " there was no name on it". Now I did not catch him or see him personally, if I did I probably would have been fired. I was that mad. I am pregnant, and the cafeteria was closed. A coworker saw him eating it and the charge nurse questioned him. I heard today he does this on every floor he goes to. Don't you think this should be a fireable offense? I mean it is stealing right? He did not seem bothered at all, just said sorry didn't know it was yours. I am livid.

1. Who does that?

2. How could anyone think it is ok?

3. What if it was old?

4. Who does that?

5. It does not matter whose name is on the bag, if you did not bring it, then it is not yours.

Someone needs to bring an unlabked lunch with som ex-lax in it!!! Seriously, what a tool!

[Riseupandnurse]

Many years ago I was chatting with an RN I knew who worked OR in a different facility. She said she couldn't stand one of the doctors and a big reason was that he felt free to take anyone's food out of the fridge in the OR break room. She said he would come straight out of surgery without washing his hands and paw through the lunch bags. I thought she had to be mistaken but her OR nurse friend was nodding her head "yes" while she was talking.