Eating the patients' food?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

  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?

Specializes in 911 critical care ambulance nurse.

I will only eat food that is individually wrapped, like a sandwich, and only if the patient has been discharged and kitchen sent up a tray by mistake. I scarf that puppy down in an empty room in about 15 seconds. I never eat food after it's been in a patient room.... you never know if they touch it with Typhoid Mary fingers.

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Because it doesn't belong to you. No different from making a copy on the copy machine for yourself, using a bandaid, or taking home the MRI machine,

Well, maybe different in scale, but not in principle.

Seriously? A band aid? If I get a paper cut at work I'm using a band aid. That's not stealing, that's protecting my patients from my possibly infectious blood.

I eat our snacks occasionally. I try not to because none of them are healthy, but I'll eat an ice cream or drink a milk with my peanut butter crackers. I can't lower myself to the turkey sandwiches though. I'll go without.

I've taken a blanket from the warmer and used in one night when the a/c was cranked up too high and I was shivering from the cold.

I have used plenty of Kleenex.

I have even "gasp" taken a toothbrush and toothpaste from our supply room after I vomited from my patient's seeping wound that stunk like rotting flesh and was dripping god knows what ALL OVER THE PLACE. I also used one of our green vomit bags to catch said vomit.

Yes I have stolen and no I am not ashamed.

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

Can't say I've ever eaten food that was labeled for a specific patient. Our nutrition department has spies everywhere and will tell even if the food is going to be wasted and thrown out.

As a diabetic who sometimes plans poorly - I have been known to grab a Granola bar from the snack cupboard on occasion.

Hppy

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Specializes in Pedi.
And, in answer to the question- I steal food regularly without a second thought. Not because I think I am entitled to it because I work hard, take no breaks, etc. I just steal it fair and square.

Same. I have literally never felt any qualms about taking food or drink from the communal kitchen on the floor. That's what it's there for. It's not stealing, it's food for the floor. There's no rule saying that staff cannot eat the ice cream, jello, pudding, popsicles, crackers or drink the juice, coffee or tea. At my last job, I was an outside liaison at the hospital I was previously employed at. I had no qualms about taking tea bags out of the communal kitchen on any of the floors I was seeing patients on or anything either. This is a hospital with a multi-billion dollar endowment. I'll take as many tea bags as I want. At my current job, I have meetings weekly at an office I don't work at. Don't have any problem taking their tea either. That's why it's there.

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Specializes in Pedi.
Because it doesn't belong to you. No different from making a copy on the copy machine for yourself, using a bandaid, or taking home the MRI machine,

Well, maybe different in scale, but not in principle.

I don't feel bad about any of those things either. If I need to copy something or print something, hell yeah I'm doing it at work.

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The only thing that ever bothered me was in long-term care: there was one CNA I worked with that would take wrapped desserts off the assist-to-feed's tray, put it to the side, and eat it later. Most of the patients lived off their nightly dessert and a few protein shakes. That was stealing food from the elderly: they paid for that food. I called her out on it when I saw it, something like "Hey, Ms. Doe didn't want her lemon bar? She always eats her desert for me, hand it here and I bet can get her to eat it!".

But snacks out of the nutrition room? Those are the calories that fuel the machine of healthcare!

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I worked nightshift on a geri-psych floor and alot of the diabetic patients refused their sandwich boxes, turkey and cheese with a diet sprite and lorna doone cookies. Jesusss. They were so good. The hospital will throw them out anyway. Waste not, want not. :roflmao:

Amen to the lorna doone cookies!

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Because it doesn't belong to you. No different from making a copy on the copy machine for yourself, using a bandaid, or taking home the MRI machine,

Well, maybe different in scale, but not in principle.

LMAO @ MRI machine

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During my clinical experiences I have seen nurses/staff grab crackers or a drink, I personally don't see it being a big issue.. I have also had patient's family members ask for a diet coke or jello for themselves which I have also given them.. if they are going to be in the hospital with their family for hours might as well make them comfortable

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The only thing that ever bothered me was in long-term care: there was one CNA I worked with that would take wrapped desserts off the assist-to-feed's tray, put it to the side, and eat it later. Most of the patients lived off their nightly dessert and a few protein shakes. That was stealing food from the elderly: they paid for that food. I called her out on it when I saw it, something like "Hey, Ms. Doe didn't want her lemon bar? She always eats her desert for me, hand it here and I bet can get her to eat it!".

But snacks out of the nutrition room? Those are the calories that fuel the machine of healthcare!

Next time squirt the lemon bar full of lasix.

On second thought, she might not make the connection. Put 5 CCs of the hottest hot sauce you can find in the middle of the bar. Apparently this technique can be used to stop dogs from stealing food, but I don't know if it has been tested on CNAs.

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Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.

When food goes back to the kitchen, its chucked out.

As long as my patients get fed first and get as much as they want, i dont have an issue with food being consumed by staff

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Next time squirt the lemon bar full of lasix.

On second thought, she might not make the connection. Put 5 CCs of the hottest hot sauce you can find in the middle of the bar. Apparently this technique can be used to stop dogs from stealing food, but I don't know if it has been tested on CNAs.

:roflmao:

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