Nurses General Nursing
Published Dec 27, 2007
You are reading page 3 of Drinks in the nurses station...
GrumpyRN63, ADN, RN
833 Posts
How about installing a fully stocked bar instead?
We are not suppose to have food, drinks, anything to come in contact w/ your mouth--even lipstick,, OSHA thing, JCAHO, we all drink, only time we follow the rules are when the state or JCAHO comes then we are on our best behavior
BTW, I once dumped a lg DunkinDonut coffee down the back of the secretaries monitor..( just a couple of people knew, it was on nocs before she came in).the next day the computer was FINE!!!!
XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN
1 Article; 3,017 Posts
Eating and drinking in a ward area is a big no no. Infection control come a stick big labels on any food or drink items that are not patient specific. The rationale being that hand to hand / object / mouth is a high source of infection transmission. We are encouraged to wash then gel on entering and leaving clinical areas which reduces the risk of infection transmission, if eating and drinkning in clinical areas the risk of infection transmission is increased.
We have questioned it and been told that if you pick up a telephone you are potentially contaminated if you then go to pick up a drink or sweet you transmit that infection to yourself.
If this is restricted to staff rest areas and staff all wash and gel before leaving clinical areas, then transmission is reduced as is staff sickness levels.
teeituptom, BSN, RN
4,283 Posts
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.
Yes Its our workplace
but yes we are very visible to every pt walking the halls
every family member
every visitor
every whoever else
jackson145
598 Posts
Why would it be considered unprofessional for a nurse to be seen taking a drink of water? Do patients really believe that nurses never need a sip?
mcknis
977 Posts
Eating and drinking in a ward area is a big no no. Infection control come a stick big labels on any food or drink items that are not patient specific. The rationale being that hand to hand / object / mouth is a high source of infection transmission. We are encouraged to wash then gel on entering and leaving clinical areas which reduces the risk of infection transmission, if eating and drinkning in clinical areas the risk of infection transmission is increased.We have questioned it and been told that if you pick up a telephone you are potentially contaminated if you then go to pick up a drink or sweet you transmit that infection to yourself. If this is restricted to staff rest areas and staff all wash and gel before leaving clinical areas, then transmission is reduced as is staff sickness levels.
Is the nurses station a clinical area? Pts aren't being treated in the station, so how does it become a clinical area? Just curious...
Katnip, RN
2,904 Posts
Yes Its our workplacebut yes we are very visible to every pt walking the hallsevery family memberevery visitorevery whoever else
What if, like on my unit, there is no break room? There is a small room with a desk and a chair used by the social workers, but it's usually packed. If we're lucky when it's lunch time, nobody is in there and we can eat. Otherwise we eat standing up in a cubby area.
So yes, I'm bringing my bottled water to the nurse's station with me.
It's a psych hospital, not sure if that makes much of a difference for infection control.
EmmaG, RN
2,999 Posts
wooh, BSN, RN
1 Article; 4,383 Posts
I bet if we all wore one of these (after all, it's hands-free), pretty soon the nurses' desk would be declared a non-clinical area.
Just need to replace one of the coke cans with a bottle of rum.
chadash
1,429 Posts
I read "drinks in the nursing station" and opened this thread thinking you were suggesting installing a mini bar. Don't think it will fly, but I am all for it.
MzMouse
295 Posts
I would leave dehydrated every day if I wasn't allowed a water bottle at my station. Our policy states no food at the nurses station and beverages must be kept out of sight.
Forget mini-bar. If we're gonna dream, dream big! I was thinking a margarita machine.
Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP
4 Articles; 5,259 Posts
We aren't allowed to have drinks uncovered, and not where they would potentially come into contact with blood/body fluids. I guess you could make the argument that any place is a POTENTIAL contact point, but I have to have my water and caffeine source. I wouldn't dream of drinking a hot beverage while holding a baby, but I keep my cup o' water right outside the nsy (our nsy is set up so that you can take a quick swig and still keep an eye on the babies. Mgmt walks right past our cups all the time & never says a word.