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.

[rumwynnieRN]

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

That's hilarious. Disgusting and terrible (I would never do it), but hey.

[SunshineDaisy, ASN, RN]

Ugh, what a jerk! I have only had my drinks disappear, only because I haven't brought a lunch (only in clinicals). BUT, I have often wondered who takes an open drink, with a name and date on it?? Makes me shake my head and stop bringing drinks!

AND, this happened to my niece, on many occasions. She goes to beauty school, and brings her dinner every night, and at least 2 of the 4 school nights her stuff was gone..either her drink, or her entire meal. Once she brought in tamales, and whoever took it was nice enough to leave her a bite. I'm mad about her stuff going missing because I'm the one that pays for it! Her school finally wisend up and put in a camera. After the tamale incident they looked it up and this chick had been seen more than once taking stuff that wasn't hers. She's since been expelled.

[msn10]

Label something 'chocolate covered raisins'

But bring chocolate covered ants. Tee Hee

[KitkatPRN]

I'm speechless !!! Once I took someone's lunch home by accident (after my dayshift) because it was in the exact same bag as mine AND I drove 30 miles back to the facility to put it back in the fridge because I worried that someone would go hungry or worse yet eat out out of the disgusting vending machines we have at work !!!!!!!!

If you will take something obviously NOT yours ...... it's scary to think what else you would lie about !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Narcs, meds, treatments) Disgusting behavior for someone who represents the nursing profession !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[christina731]

Those sort of people drive me crazy! I know if happens all the time, no matter what kind of workplace it is, but it still makes me crazy. I would NEVER touch, let alone eat someone else's food, but I don't know what is in it or if their hands were clean when they made it. I had this problem at my current job and I have since invested in a cute insulated tote with ice packs that I lock up in my locker. Some people are just nasty:yuck: And to take food from a pregnant woman?! That's just asking for trouble. It will come back to this dude. Karma is a B----!

[violetgirl]

No-class, backwards thinking, a weird nurse, a non-human act, cheap, rude, child behavior, and a slob in my eyes! A nurse, really? Lock your lunch box next time or better yet... Set him up with a nice sandwich and a letter written between the cheese and the ham slices and tell him off! Please don't sign it!!!! Maybe he will stop eating everyones lunch? "Crumb-bum" What a mean thing to do to someone that has been working so hard all day long... Just bad matters! Get's me mad too!

[okguy]

I loved as LPN charge I could just clock someone out. Tell them to talk to the DON before coming back to work.

Only time I did it was when this aide was being LOUD while the residents were sleeping. I walked through the dining area where residents eat. She had her feet up on the table; bare feet where people eat their food from. So I talked to the LPN in charge of where she was working. The LPN went on and on about how horrible this girl was, and how she did a lackluster job.

So I said "you know what to do, clock her out." The LPN was too scared to drop the axe herself. So I said "Okay well she is going. She isnt helping us with our many tasks, and we need people that will do the right thing."

When I went to clock the girl out, she had her BARE FEET up on the charge nurse desk; our desk! So I showed her to the door. She said "oh my god, you are joking!"

I said "No Im not. It's time for you to go now. Talk to (insert DON name here) before you can come back to work. Goodbye."

Yes, it meant more work for us for that night. Yes it was more work IN ADDITION to all the extra paperwork. But the DON assigned people who were willing and able to do the job without doing disgusting things. Things which are not in the keeping of the profession which we have chosen.

[SCSTxRN]

I agree with everyone saying to report to his and your supervisor, and if that didn't stop things, I would either

a. Lace a sandwich with dye (I'm thinking PBJ with purple cake frosting dye, wilton brand) - it's food, non toxic (doesn't taste wonderful, but doesn't hurt you), which will leave purple for DAYS around his lips, teeth, and hands

or

b. Bring a nice big piece of cake with super colored frosting (again blue, red, or black transfer the worst).

Either way, you will have proof positive as it were as to who is eating your lunch.

[amygarside]

It made me so mad too! It happened to me once and I was also livid. It made me think twice in leaving food in the ref after that.

[Marshall1]

If it's known he does this on other units I wonder why he has not gotten in trouble for this - its stealing. Period.

[KelRN215, BSN, 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

This reminds me that my father once claimed that he put fecal material in a sandwich because some guy who he worked with was stealing his lunch regularly. That was probably 35 years ago so, OP, I'd say this problem is as old as the day is long.

You can certainly complain to your/his manager but I do know that at my hospital, the response would probably be "you should have put your name on it." There was a sign on the fridge that basically said if your food wasn't labeled, too bad for you.

[enchantmentdis, BSN, RN]

I risk being flamed but here goes: Reporting a male co-worker in this profession usually does not help your case.