Wanted to pose this question here for more experienced nurses to answer.
We as orientees were invited out to a pharmaceutical dinner by our manager/master preceptor. We were doing night shift, but they decided to have us show up for dinner at 7 and the plan was to go into work after dinner. A nice deviation from orientation and just sort of a perk they offered us.
Well, it was a very fancy steak dinner place and when we walked in, everyone was offered a glass of red or white wine before dinner by the wait staff. I accepted a glass of red wine, carried it to my table, sipped from it slowly before dinner, didn't even FINISH it, drank water with my meal and had a cup of coffee afterwards. I probably consumed less than 2 oz of wine and had it with an enormous 2 lb steak and potato.
After dinner I was actually wired and alert from the coffee and doing fine. I am totally used to having a glass of wine with dinner, especially with such an upscale meal.
But my manager just totally got on me during a routine meeting going over my weekly evals. I mean -- she was ALL over me, saying HER license was at risk, that I could have been "impaired" from drinking during dinner, etc. and that I should not have accepted it.
I see her point, but I just again, feel like my character has been denigrated. I am a 44 year old mother of 3, the most safe and responsible person on earth -- I wouldn't DREAM of getting buzzed before work, know my limits, etc. It was a glass of wine, not a whisky double for God's sake!!
I told her it would have been better if they had perhaps given us a gentle reminder that it would not be wise to drink since we were expected at work that night -- that THEY invited us to this before a worknight and that wine was available at this event and if they didn't want us to drink, they should have given us a gentle reminder.
I don't know -- again, I just work my behind off at work, do a good job, yet I'm chastised for such a small offense over which nothing happened and no one got hurt. In looking back she was saying something about it at dinner, but was very indirect about it and I just paid no attention to it.
Any thoughts? Was I totally inappropriate to accept a drink before going on shift 2-3 hours later. I guess I was, but was there a better way to handle this on their part?
I haven't been "drunk" in probably over 10 years. I don't get drunk. I hate to even be drunk. I do like my wine with dinner when I go out because it compliments the meal. I suppose I was wrong, but I'm having a hard time dealing with this for some reason.
To me, especially after living in Europe for over 6 years, to drink wine with a meal is like having table water. You just drink it. I guess my values and my ideas are different -- maybe I was being irresponsible and showing poor judgement -- but it's a tough pill to swallow and hard to be scolded over it.
It is not a good idea to be ingesting ethanol before going in to a workplace where various toys and drugs are given to people that could potentially result in the dude having a premature meeting with Jesus. No matter how small of the amount was consumed. Trial lawyers would have a field day with this.
Oh definately....no ETHANOL before work! TeHe..couldn't resist.
Poor girl? Poor patients for having a nurse who's judgement would rationalize that it is okay to drink before work no matter how small of an amount. She asked a question and got an honest answer. Would you want a school bus driver to drink 2oz before work and then drive your kids to school????
Good grief, no actually, I wouldn't care if a school bus driver had 2 oz of wine before driving my kids. I also think that the OP is a reasonable person and what she did was not the end of the world.
I see nurses come to work severely hung over from the day before, or emotionally distraught from personal problems. I see night nurses who thought it okay to stay up most the day doing errands instead of sleeping. I see nurses coming to work sick.
So, the OP made the mistake of sipping a little wine with a meal, which was most likely out of her system by the time she got to work, and she did it in front of her boss. Her boss failed to remind attendants at the time (she could have done so in a general way) the rules of wine drinking before work, but instead let it slide and but used it in an evaluation much later, which yes, does seem after the fact considering she was present during the drunken orgy.
No drinking before work-of any kind-even if offered. You have to have personal responsibility for you own actions-you don't need a 'gentle reminder' to not accept a drink at a function before work.
A 3-11 nurse had a glass of wine for lunch. Came to work and people could smell it and she was reported to the BON and caught hell and had to defend her license.
You were in no way impaired and I think your manager was in poor form to allow her staff working that night to go to a function where alcohol was served without a warning.
Chalk it up to a lesson learned.
P.S. If you're tired of this thread, or feel your being slammed we will close at your request, but so far no Terms of Service violations that I can see. Just use the report function.
Please don't close it. I think it's educational for all who are interested and I hope it helps someone in a similar situation someday.
I'm enjoying the responses and it's given me a lot to chew on. I don't feel slammed.
I am entirely remorseful for what I did and get the point that managers have to look out for patients and are responsible for a nurse if she/he becomes impaired.
That being said, I do feel it would not have been too hard for them to offer a general reminder to all attending not to imbibe in absolutely any alcohol before going on shift. My spouse is in the military and has received similar reminders from his superiors for the same thing before flying helicopters, which he did a while back.
If they didn't want us to drink, perhaps they should not have invited us to an upscale steak restaraunt which had the waitstaff offering glasses of wine on trays as we walked in the door -- the choices were "red" or "white."
I get how I could have said, "Neither." But I didn't.
Anyway, next time I'll know. But it's certainly and entirely soured me on socializing with my managers outside of work. No way. No more. And yes, plenty of doctors who work directly in our area were there as well. I didn't notice what they were drinking -- maybe a few were drinking beers. Not sure. Not sure if they also were on call that night or what.
Had I been the manager, I would have whispered very directly into the ear of the offender: "Hey, so and so -- I know they offer wine here, but could you ask the waiter to remove your glass? Remember, we're going on shift here in a couple of hours -- drinking before work is a big no no. I know it' s only a glass of wine, but it's probably a good idea to order a coke instead, OK?"
Whatever. Lesson learned and I'm definitely going to be very careful around my managers again for just about anything and everything from now on -- no more blind trust.
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I know that as nurses, we have to be accountable for our own actions. No drinking before going to work-I believe that most of us know that. But, the manager also arranged for an event where obtaining a drink was an option. It is like the pot calling the kettle black. We also don't know what people really do before they come to work. Maybe a small luncheon at the job would have been more appropriate and the actions by this manager wouldn't have been so contradictory.
I assume there were people in attendance who were NOT scheduled to work that night. Assuming that was the case, then I don't see why those people should not have had a choice of beverage. Therefore, I see no reason why alcohol should not have been offered.
As for the responsibility for policing and warning people at the event ... I assume you were all adults and should be able to police yourself. Over the years, I have been to many social functions with my coworkers -- official unit parties, holiday functions, educational events with food, weddings, bridal showers, picnics, etc.. There are always some people scheduled to work the next shift. The only way to avoid that is not to invite everyone. It's not reasonable to expect the manager to "play mommy" and keep track of who is scheduled to work soon and who is not and provide private reminders to those that are. Everyone is an adult and should know not to drink before going in to work.
A glass of wine has the same amount of alcohol as a beer or a shot of whiskey. It doesn't matter that you didn't finish it or consumed food with it.
If you went back to work and something had happened and you got sued...you wouldn't be able to say you didn't drink before your shift.
ANY alcohol before your shift, to me, is unacceptable (and I am a drinker, but if it reduces my judgement by 1%, then I don't want to take that chance).
You should have graciously thanked the rep for the offer and not accepted the wine.
A 3-11 nurse had a glass of wine for lunch. Came to work and people could smell it and she was reported to the BON and caught hell and had to defend her license.
You were in no way impaired and I think your manager was in poor form to allow her staff working that night to go to a function where alcohol was served without a warning.
Chalk it up to a lesson learned.
P.S. If you're tired of this thread, or feel your being slammed we will close at your request, but so far no Terms of Service violations that I can see. Just use the report function.
Sorry for the double post...but if people were in scrubs and some were consuming alcohol...imagine what other guests in the restaurant must have thought...especially if the hospital was close by.
Sorry for the double post...but if people were in scrubs and some were consuming alcohol...imagine what other guests in the restaurant must have thought...especially if the hospital was close by
We were absolutely not in scrubs. We were in business attire at a place that probably what was a 4-5 star restaurant.
Miss Mab
414 Posts
[quote=northwestwind;2880778]In aviation, the rule is no alcohol "12 hours bottle to throttle." Same for us. quote]
Just an ironic aside, and maybe take the heat off a little from OP :)
When I was a flight attendant oh not so long ago, the rule for FA's was 12 hours and the rule for pilots was 8!
(I believe it is/was at company discretion and now the 12 may be F.A.R. or fed. aviation rule for the non-flyers)
Now sure, your flight attendant is first and foremost a 'safety professional' but WTH???
Always had a little fun with that one......or at least the flightdeck did.