Breakroom Pet Peeves

Nurses General Nursing

Updated:   Published

what-are-breakroom-pet-peeves.jpg.18f8cedb37d1a98770765761246200f5.jpg

What are your breakroom or break time pet peeves? I bet stealing people's food is on top, but there is way more. I'll give mine to start:

1. There are a few chairs, to begin with, in the tiny breakroom. Your Target backpack DOES NOT require a chair. Put it on the floor or leave it in the car.

2. Headphones were invented I think in the 80s. I don't want to listen to your phone calls, music, or Youtube videos. Read or buy some headphones for 99 cents.

3. If you see me with my headphones or my face in a book that is a clear clue.

Specializes in Travel, Home Health, Med-Surg.
23 hours ago, Davey Do said:

And now, Wlaurie, you can do as the child in the old TV commercial suggested: "We could go to Burger Doodle and eat in the car!"

I started eating in my car when I worked HH. After I went back to the hospital I avoided the breakroom at all costs and went out to my private sanctuary (my car) where it was nice and peaceful.

 

20 hours ago, TriciaJ said:

If you hear yourself saying "She's in the break room" maybe that's a clue she's trying to get a BREAK.

Right?! This really used to get under my skin. What part of 'they are on a break' was too difficult to comprehend!

2 hours ago, amoLucia said:

So we decided to create equal time for us by taking 'fresh air breaks"

Wish I had thought of that one!!

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×
4 hours ago, kbrn2002 said:

To this day I attribute the lack of an uninterrupted break in the break room as a reason I refuse to quit smoking. At least the smokers get to leave the building and actually get a break without being interrupted by the tons of questions and little tasks that could certainly wait.  

 Funny you should say this, I have never smoked but I used to take smoke breaks because it seems like the only people that got them were smokers. They'd be like "you don't smoke", and I would reply "pretend like I do". ?

4
Up Vote Up Vote ×
On 5/9/2021 at 1:53 PM, Davey Do said:

 "We could go to Burger Doodle and eat in the car!"

I started eating in my car for my breaks. I have Sirius Xm so I can listen to forensic files and other stuff. I don't do it too much cause I work nights and unsavory people like to linger around hospitals.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
9 hours ago, amoLucia said:

, but I do remember the day waaaay back when smoking was allowed indoors.

I remember when high schools had smoking areas.

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.
9 hours ago, DesiDani said:

I remember when high schools had smoking areas.

Me too. Also everywhere else. There were still ashtrays on the counters built in by every teller at my bank for a few years after inside smoking was banned, it took them awhile to remodel.  If you fly there are still plenty of planes in service with the flip out ashtray on the arm of the seat, they don't open but they are there. 

Not to mention the Hospital...I am old enough when I had my daughter I was in one of the last smoking rooms. Take a moment to let that sink in. I was smoking, in the hospital, while pregnant. Nobody though twice about it health wise. Heck my OB told me I should drink a glass of red wine every night during my pregnancy. I didn't, the smell of alcohol turned my stomach during pregnancy but I did smoke all the way through it.

Sorry for going so off topic. You brought back some memories!

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×

Patients forget too. I know of two that got a (shall we say) a lovely hair and peel removal treatment due to their urges. Just them, their O2, and Marlboro is all they needed.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

Do not bring your leftover fish and nuke it in the microwave! Room smells like fish the rest of the day!

During Covid, we only had 2 chairs in the room for social distancing. Don't put your back pack on one of the two chairs! 

Please clean up after yourself. I honestly would love to see what some of these people's homes look like

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in retired LTC.
16 hours ago, DesiDani said:

I remember when high schools had smoking areas.

Wow! I'd forgotten that. We had 2 ramps to walk into the school bldg. The back ramp was designated for smoking.

 

5 hours ago, mmc51264 said:

Please clean up after yourself. I honestly would love to see what some of these people's homes look like

I actually did visit 1 nurse's home. It was like a small hurricane blew thru. she had to like 'straighten up' things just so we all could sit down and have some coffee. Nice gal at work, but her med cart & pt rooms were always disheveled 'disaster zones'.  

Another breakroom pet peeve is when someone makes the room like their own personal home closet/dressing room. Stuff that really should be in a locker (a luxury at some places). And they leave stringy hair in the BR sink! Would GROSS ME OUT!

4
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
On 5/9/2021 at 4:43 PM, TriciaJ said:

He probably power-tripped on the idea of nurses tiptoeing around him.  I can't believe (well, yes I can) that your coworkers went along with that.  And we wonder why we get rocks for Nurses' Week.

well stated!

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
32 minutes ago, amoLucia said:

Nice gal at work, but her med cart & pt rooms were always disheveled 'disaster zones'. 

Some of us are comfortable in chaos. My medical nurse wife Belinda likes to keep a neat house, but is very tolerant of my disaster zone art room.

Remember the Peanuts character Pig Pen? No matter where he would go, a cloud of dirt and dust followed him. That's me.

While working as a nurse, I was always clean and well-groomed. My hands were always clean and my nails trimmed. Since I've retired, I still bathe & shave almost everyday, but my nails are stained by various liquids from working with art materials, metals, and mechanical contrivances.

I no longer have to wear gloves to protect my hands from stains or scrub my nails until they sparkle.

I can now revel in my rat's nest life!

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
On 5/9/2021 at 6:43 PM, TriciaJ said:

  I can't believe (well, yes I can)

I'm like that, also, TriciaJ. (No, you're not)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

Ulcerative  colitis means you never have enough time to find another bathroom, and if  you're in ICU you can't leave the  unit without finding someone to watch your patients while you're gone.  I may not LIKE  poop in the break room bathroom, but I understand it.

My personal pet  peeve is feet on the chairs.  So you've been in and out of isolation rooms all day, and now you put your C. diff infested shoes up on  the break room chairs?  NO, no, no, no, no!

6
Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment