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.
Specializes in Gyn Onc, OB, L&D, HH/Hospice/Palliative.
How about installing a fully stocked bar instead?
Here Here !!!! with "unit dose" shots --mini bar perhaps, we won't have time to sit , just a quick shot and off to the next pt, maybe with auto dispensing==a booze pyxis,they can debit my paycheck :cheers:
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!!!!
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.
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
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...
but yes we are very visible to every pt walking the halls
every family member
every visitor
every 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Forget mini-bar. If we're gonna dream, dream big! I was thinking a margarita machine.
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.
GrumpyRN63, ADN, RN
833 Posts
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!!!!