Drinks in the nurses station...

[mcknis]

Hey all,

Are you allowed to keep drinkin your nurses station at work? If so, any mandates around it? I am pushing to be allowed to have drinks in the station and need some info on how to do so.

We have been told continuously by our NMs that JCAHO says no-no to this practice, but I have not been able to find any info regarding this at all. Closest place we can keep our drink is at the other end of the unit in a staff meeting room (about 200' from nurses station). If you can pass on a little bit more advice, please do so.

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Little background on why I am pushing for this...

The other day I assisted the security staff in restraining a combative pt. I felt fine running down to help and even during the whole situation, but I vagaled down after the incident was over. I went to the ER and to our Occ Health specialist, but of whom confirmed the I just vagaled down and had a near-syncopal episode. They mentioned the reason why i probably went down was because I needed to push more fluids and just did not have enough on board.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Joint Commission doesn't care about drinks in the nurse's station as long as their covered. If anyone says no, it's OSHA, and we're allowed them. Management will use Joint Commission as the excuse for any rule they come up with.

[rn undisclosed name]

We've also been told the same thing. In 1 1/2 years we've only heard about this issue once and this is supposively because a doc complained about the drinks and spilling something on his nice new expensive suit and he didn't have a lab jacket on.

Anyways, I think the docs are the worst culprits. They are the ones with coffee and no lid on their cup. From what I've seen it is the nurses who have their coffee (with a lid on the cup) or a water bottle. They're not making me give up my water bottle. I need to stay hydrated and drink just like anybody else.

[littlepeach]

We are lucky enough to have a small kitchen area actually in our nursery. We eat in there, but we are allowed to have drinks in our work area as long as they are covered. No problems. Came up one time by admnistration, but noone actually paid attention to it.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

Just keep it covered.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

we were never allowed to have drinks at the nurses station for the very simple reason that when they get spilled, lids or no lids, they create a problem. if you have computer equipment (or, in our case, ekg monitors) you don't want water getting into them. if you have papers on the desk, water tends to ruin them. if the drink has any kind of syrup in it, then the stickiness is stuck in the crevices forever.

from my knowledge, dehydration is a problem that takes more than a couple of hours of not drinking fluids to achieve. if you were dehydrated after restraining a combative patient, you just didn't have enough fluids in you to begin with before you even got to work. dehydration isn't cured with one large drink.

[RNperdiem, RN]

If we can't keep our break room clean, why should I want to work in a nursing station littered with cold half-drunk coffee cups, forgotten-from-last-shift water bottles, and sticky mystery spills sticking to my paperwork?

One of our computers is out from a drink spill.

When I see some of my coworkers, I am reminded of toddlers and their sippy cups.

My drink bottle stays in the breakroom fridge.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

there should be no drinks at the nurses station

where everyone can be seen drinking

like seeing a cop at Krispy Kreme donuts

very unprofessional

doesnt look good at all

[nurz2be]

The hospital I do my clinicals in does not allow drinks at the nurses station. The NM said to me the reason is that there are too many little piggies who don't like to clean up after themselves, only to expect housekeeping, who are already overloaded with work, to clean up their messes. Unacceptable, she said. If you want a drink take a 5 minute refresher break, as nurses are used to eating and drinking on the go, then report back to the floor.

[anonymurse]

there should be no drinks at the nurses station

where everyone can be seen drinking

like seeing a cop at Krispy Kreme donuts

very unprofessional

doesnt look good at all

Tom, it's our workplace, not a corporate showcase. Anyway, I'd like to at least see some evidence just for entertainment value before I say no, I'm going to swill my bottled green tea as freely as I would at any other work site I've ever worked.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

there should be no drinks at the nurses station

where everyone can be seen drinking...doesnt look good at all

Goodness knows, we don't want patients to start thinking we're human and need to actually consume water during the 12+ hours we're at work!

Perhaps we should be modeling self-care behaviors for our patients instead of being martyrs.

[nursemary9, BSN, RN]

We were told it's an OSHA thing.

Our NM & Shift Supervisors don't really care much until it's time for Joint Commission.

That is as long as we don't spill & murder a computerr!!