Eating the patients' food?

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  1. Do you eat the patients' food/snacks supplied by the facility?

    • 12
      No, never...it's stealing
    • 12
      No, but I know a lot of people who do
    • 47
      Sometimes I eat crackers, if I'm feeling sick because I'm starving
    • 12
      Yes, I do, and I feel guilty about it sometimes
    • 61
      Yes I do and I don't care. I'm working hard and need food to keep going

143 members have participated

What do you think about staff, family members of patients, and/or anyone else other than patients, eating the snacks in the nutrition room designated for patients? Have you ever done it or seen anyone else? Do you think it's stealing, if your facility doesn't offer them to you, patient's families, etc. Do you think staff should be able to have them if their not able to take a formal lunch break?

This might be off topic but this thread reminds me of a situation at the hospital where I previously worked. Any nurse who did a double shift was given a meal coupon to use in the hospital cafeteria. Some of the nurses who routinely pulled doubles would save up their meal tickets and treat their kids to pizza night in the hospital cafeteria.

The Pumps-and-Pearls crowd got wind of this and stopped giving the meal tickets because they were being "abused". They didn't stop to think that those double shifts saved them a pile of money on agency staff and translated to a lot of meals the nurses weren't having with their families. If their idea of a family night out is pizza in the hospital cafeteria, how do you begrudge them? I thought it was the epitome of pettiness from the people who keep bankers' hours.

Moreover, I don't understand what was abused. What was the supposed net loss?

I like to position myself so that it's difficult for petty fault to be found, so I'm not touching anyone's Lorna Doones with a ten foot pole. If those days are over, they're over and I will abide accordingly.

Things like this have made me completely rethink employer relationships, though, and that is something I don't feel guilty about. It is a natural consequence of choices others made to benefit their interests, which is why I now hold certain positions that I do, evidenced elsewhere. I certainly preferred when things were more easily give-and-take, and a lot of nurses have given a great deal out of natural desire.

Now? I don't steal anyone's 1-cent crackers, and also don't give a hoot about anything work-related other than patients.

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
What did they ( The P and P crowd, great title) say when you mentioned this to them?

I didn't get the opportunity to mention it. I never worked doubles and I never heard about this from a manager directly, but through other channels. Bummer, because I would have been waiting with both barrels. Although, I was usually in enough trouble over the other ridiculous issues that I did speak up about.

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.
I had no idea that chocolate milk was banned on the cardiac floors! It can't possibly have THAT much caffeine!

No chocolate and no cola. The xanthine in chocolate and caffeine interferes with doing Myoview cardiac stress tests.

We always brought our own coffee from home to brew. And on pot luck days we shared with some patients and families. I feel like that balanced out my intake of graham crackers and peanut butter. Did you ever notice how the graham crackers break into the perfect size to scoop out the peanut butter.

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At least everyone is being honest. If i'm starving and the patient won't eat the food, i guess i'll eat it. ITS GOING in the Trash, so someone should eat it (it would be a shame). Give that food to the homeless or the 'poor workers' who work their a** off for low wages.

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Pulease, if the patient is not going to eat them... I will mow them down. Standing up on my 12 hour shift without a break.

P.S. Those turkey sandwiches are nasty.

Why do you think the patients aren't eating the turkey sandwiches?

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Pulease, if the patient is not going to eat them... I will mow them down. Standing up on my 12 hour shift without a break.

P.S. Those turkey sandwiches are nasty.

Why do you think the patients aren't eating the turkey sandwiches?

LMAO @ mow them down

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

I have 10 lbs of graham crackers and peanut butter making up one buttcheek

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I would say, I have never touched any food from the nutrition room or patient trays. I definitely find it gross and food must be thrown away once it comes back from patients room. You definitely do not know what happened with them. The only food I have consumed in the units are the ones reserved for the nurses, i.e. donuts/cupcakes given by either fellow nurses, student nurses, family members, etc. Though I even try to be one of the first to take a piece since you never know if somebody forgot to wash their hands and start touching all the other food.

Do I consider it as stealing? Never really thought about it. Just that for myself, I am not touching those food in order to avoid placing myself in an uncomfortable situation if ever somebody from management complains about it.

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