eating at the desk

vermonthiker · Mar 3, 2005

Okay, so hospitals expect the following:

Nurses are allowed no breaks

Nurses are not allowed to eat or drink at the desk, only during breaks in the cafeteria

But there are no breaks, so nurses do not eat or drink, and work their butts off while starving and dehydrated for up to 12 hours.

Hmm wonder why there are soooo many staff nursing jobs posted :uhoh3:

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Mar 3, 2005

What happens if you need to use the rest room, though if you are all in renal failure because you are dehydrated, nobody will need to pee!!

KRVRN, BSN, RN · Mar 3, 2005

I can see not having uncovered drinks or food at the desk and in pt care areas. Things can spill, attract flies, etc. I've always personally believed that we should be allowed bottled drinks that can be closed, though. It's too easy to completely forget to drink any fluid all day long if you can't have something right near you, and a lot of times it's too hard to get away to go have a drink anyway.

apaisRN, RN, CRNA · Mar 3, 2005

If I didn't have my styrofoam cup of ice water water with lid at the desk, I would keel over from dehydration. My unit is pretty good about getting meal breaks, so I could tolerate it if we weren't allowed food at the desk. But drinks are not negotiable! We are allowed to have whatever.

Nurse Hatchett · Mar 3, 2005

We aren't allowed to have any food or drinks on our unit, ever. They say this is a state regulation. As many of you have voiced, it's not very often that we get our breaks in a 12.5 hr shift. One of our supervisors even tried to write up a CNA on the hall when she was drinking a glass of water from the med pitcher, stating it was unsanitary. But they sit in their offices and drink/eat their little hearts out!! :madface:

NoCrumping · Mar 3, 2005

We aren't allowed to have any food or drinks on our unit, ever. They say this is a state regulation. As many of you have voiced, it's not very often that we get our breaks in a 12.5 hr shift. One of our supervisors even tried to write up a CNA on the hall when she was drinking a glass of water from the med pitcher, stating it was unsanitary. But they sit in their offices and drink/eat their little hearts out!!

This thread reminds me of something..... remember when nurses and docs were allowed to SMOKE at the nsg desk!!!!! I see occasional Quincy episodes and see this, and remember when I was a little girl visiting my grandmother, I saw this.so funny, huh?:uhoh21:

prmenrs, RN · Mar 3, 2005

It is (and always has been) a BIG infection control issue--Hepatitis outbreaks were well documented a few years ago. Some of the reasons for those outbreaks (poor handwashing, not wearing gloves as much as we do now) don't exist. Be that as it may, we shouldn't have to eat/drink @ the nurses' station.

Maybe we could sit down w/the NMs, and possibly your infection control person, find out what the JCAHO rules are, try to come to an amicable compromise. Like a cupboard [closed] you can stow CLOSED, COVERED containers of beverages for consumption, preferrably out of view of pts and visitors. If that can be done, everyone should agree to follow the rules!

If the problem is staffing, that is a different problem.

NoCrumping · Mar 3, 2005

would LOVE to clock out "no lunch" and at least get paid for my time, however, we are salaried, so no punching in and out. in order to get OT when you stay late, we have to email the asst.mgr. and request it. then watch your check to be sure we got it. how likely do you think it is that i go through all that every time i leave 10-15 min late? right! not at all! but that time adds up, and we all are required to stay through shift change (7am-3:30pm) to make up the time for the lunch none of us EVER get! so, even though we aren't supposed to eat at the desk either, you damn well better bet i do. i think that the normal rules of OT, lunches just don't apply to real world nursing...

Nurses have to just not accept this. I, and everybody else on my unit, barring a natural disaster take breaks AND full lunches, all the time, no exceptions. And I work in a neaonatal ICU. Busy from the time you walk in, til the time you leave. There is always someone to cover, no matter how inconvenient. It's just not acceptable to have to sacrafice that, besides, its the LAW. We might take it a lil late, but we take it. JUST REFUSE TO BE DENIED.

zenman · Mar 3, 2005

Is it a JCAHO rule or OSHA rule? I hardly ever observe many rules as they are for people who are not creative :chuckle

DidiRN · Mar 3, 2005

I was thinking you were allowed to have drinks at the desk, as long as they had a lid on them. That's what they started doing right before JCAHO where I worked at...provided us with lids for coffee and pop. Everything had to be covered up.

MissPiggy · Mar 3, 2005

Naturally, those who dont' work the floor have no trouble at all passing these regulations. They don't have to deal as we do.

That is exactly my point; the all-too obvious ignorance of those who like to think they know better than the rest of us, be that JCAH, OSHA, or even worse, our own administrators. I understand the health hazard and don't especially like it either, but that is better than no lunch break at all!

dkarlin · Mar 3, 2005

I have looked at the JCAHO, OSHA, CDC websites and can find nothing to support the no drinking at the desk rule. Does anyone know where I can find where this rule is in writing?