Chewing Gum

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Do any of your hospitals ban staff from chewing gum?

I have been places where they look like they should be in the Grease movies or are auditioning to be a cow.

Looks very unprofessional, IMO.

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Specializes in pulm/cardiology pcu, surgical onc.

Haha we have a huge gum dispenser that we take turns buying on our unit. No one has ever mentioned anything offensive about this.

But I do have to remind my DH to calm down with his gum once in awhile LOL.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

"are auditioning to be a cow."

LOL! Some people just go crazy with the gum chewing.

I grew up going to private Catholic schools (taught by nuns!) and gum-chewing was strictly prohibited. To this day, I still feel guilty and expect to get detention if someone sees me. I learned to only chew it enough to release the flavor and then it doesn't get chewed any further.

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Specializes in OR, public health, dialysis, geriatrics.

I have worked at facilities that ban chewing gum in patient care areas because it can look incredibly unprofessional. Who wants a co-worker snapping his or her gum in your face?

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Specializes in pulm/cardiology pcu, surgical onc.
I have worked at facilities that ban chewing gum in patient care areas because it can look incredibly unprofessional. Who wants a co-worker snapping his or her gum in your face?

We would def say something to each other if snapping gum was an issue/unprofessional. I guess it depends who you work with?

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Specializes in PACU, OR.

Gum chewing?....ARRRGHHHH!

I HATE seeing people-and it seems mostly women-disfiguring their faces by chewing that stuff!

Understand, please, I'm not talking about tiny, dainty, sheep-like jaw movements here-I'm talking about mandible-stretching, wide-open mouth chewing!!! And then you get the bubble variety that, having been masticated to a suitably soft wad, then gets blown up into a saliva-and-plaque-impregnated balloon, which is then popped by the tongue, reintroduced into the mouth and.....eeeeeeewwwwwwww!!!!

YES! My hospital-and I think most of the hospitals in my area-have banned staff from chewing gum while on duty!

AND WITH GOOD REASON!

Eeeeeeewwwwww!

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Peds/O.R./Legal/cardiology.

I hate to see supposed professionals chewing gum! My instructors (when Moby Dick was a minnow) were mostly nuns and former Army nurses! If anyone was caught with gum, they were sent home immediately from clinicals/class. Nobody even THOUGHT about it! They would have jerked a knot in our behinds...FOR SURE!!!! :D Also, hair up off the collar, only very small stud earrings, and cleaned, pressed uniforms and spotless shoes! They MEANT it too! Calling instructors by their first names was unthinkable! It was rough, but we knew WTH we were doing when we got out. My, how things have changed...and not for the better.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

Gum chewing is expressly banned in the nursing program that I am in. They will throw you out of the program if they catch you chewing gum. I agree with the OP that gum chewing is highly unprofessional.

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Specializes in acute care med/surg, LTC, orthopedics.

I chew gum for a variety of reasons, it staves off thirst and hunger and keeps the breath minty fresh.

Ain't nobody gonna touch my Trident.

But I'm neither a cow nor a Grease gang member wannabe.

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Specializes in ER/Ortho.

We could not chew gum in my nursing program either, but that was nursing school. We also could not wear ANY jewelery at all (not stud earrings, pins, necklaces of any sort), and all tattoos had to be covered.

In the real world of nursing nurses wear jewelery, have tattoos, and chew gum. I chew gum at work, but try to be non-cow like about it. I do it because we go 12+ hours with one 30 minute break, and sometimes we do not get that. This means I do not EAT, DRINK, or otherwise nourish myself. After three shifts I honestly would be lucky to have taken in one days worth of calories (I have lost 11 pounds since starting to work). I know I am dehydrated I can feel it, and try to chug the water on the drive home.

The gum makes my mouth feel less dry, starves off a bit of the hunger, the sugar in the gum keeps my blood sugar from completely bottoming out, and I am sure it helps my 12 hour dragon breath.

Already I am going with out enough sleep, adequate food intake, fluid intake, and have to be apologetic for taking the time to pee. AND you want to take my GUM away ??? REALLY? Nope after I die of starvation, dehydration, and my overinflated bladder in dead in the car which I wrecked after being up for 19 straight hours 3 days in a row, and trying to drive home.....then you can take the gum from my dead mouth.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

LOL!! For some reason, I was thinking of this the other day. I remember teachers in school (public, not parochial) marching up to you if you were chewing gum, holding out their hands and demanding that you spit your gum into their hand!

Can you imagine any teacher today doing that?!

FWIW, I sing in my church choir, which faces the congregation. A couple of Sundays spent observing the congregation chewing their respective cuds, and I haven't chewed gum since.:lol2:

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

this thread made me remember a poem my fourth grade teacher posted on the wall.

the gum chewing student

and a cud chewing cow

are somewhat alike

yet different somehow.

the difference escapes me

i remember it now.

the intelligent look on the face of the cow!

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