ANGRY! There's no place to eat or drink 'round here!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

My hospital has addopted a policy of No iota of food at or near one's work station. The rule is that all of your drinks (including bottled water) and all of any snacks are to be held in the lounge and never ever be near your area of work. Not even an innocent package of gum!:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire

I agreee, having food in the hallway on counters left behind by staff from the last shift is troublesome and a nuissance when you have to spend time cleaning up other's messes. However, when the lounge is located 1/2 a football field's length from your patient's rooms, it's really quite inhumane to ask anyone to chase back and forth after an energy drink and take care of 5 patients all at the same time.

So that's basically my gripe! Not being allowed to have food or drink near your area of work!

I'll admit I've been known to hide my coffee now and then!

Specializes in Home Health.

I had a NM throw out a brand new bottle of water while it was on my clip board and there was an apple and juice bottle on the same counter for 2 days until someone tossed it. It should be okay if it is covered such as water bottle or travel mug. I miss being able to drink coffee as I get report. It is tough to get someone to cover your pts while you go on a 5-10 min break. I can't count the times I have been on my lunch break and I get called back early and still put 30 mins for lunch on my timecard because overtime is not allowed.

Specializes in ED, ICU, PACU.
Of course with a policy like this, I'm sure your hospital enforces a lunch break (or two if you're working a 12-hour shift) and a couple of mid-breaks in between for eating, yes? :rolleyes:

:lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2::

::rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

:roll:roll:roll:roll:roll:roll:

:chuckle:chuckle:

:lol_hitti:

Specializes in OBSTERTICS-POSTPARTUM,L/D AND HIGH-RISK.

I was wondering how many people have seen someone bring lab specimens up to the nurses station and label them there. I think that's what they are concerned about. Food being near where body fluids have been.:eek: HOW GROSS!

Specializes in ICU, Research, Corrections.
Of course with a policy like this, I'm sure your hospital enforces a lunch break (or two if you're working a 12-hour shift) and a couple of mid-breaks in between for eating, yes? :rolleyes:

:lol2: Yeah, it seems prisoners have it better than nurses. No breaks, no time to poop, no lunch, no water :trout: I break the rule all the time and have bottled water with me at the nurses station. They aren't going to take my water away from me too:angryfire

:lol2: Our manager is very strict about it. She throws away every drink she sees at the nurses station even if it is one of the doctors drink. On the weekends, we all have coffee mugs at the station and nobody throws it away. Then comes the week days and we're back to normal. We learned to keep track what day it is so we don't get into trouble. :smilecoffeecup:

our manager doesn't. she does it too. she reminds us all that we can't have anything sitting out when state or jcaho come. it makes sense. i'm guilty of it, but i put a lid on my cup and i put it in an empty cupboard. other nurses will put their cup without a lid under the soap dispenser. and then drink out of it. i throw those cups away - that's just gross. lots of space and they pick the grossest spot.

I was wondering how many people have seen someone bring lab specimens up to the nurses station and label them there. I think that's what they are concerned about. Food being near where body fluids have been.:eek: HOW GROSS!

that is why i always label in the pt's room. i see so many people bring a cup of poop to the nurse's station, set it down next to a computer and go get a label and bag. i take those things back with me to the pts room. i don't want to be seeing pee or poop in the nurse's station.

Specializes in ICU;CCU;Telemetry;L&D;Hospice;ER/Trauma;.

don'tcha just love it when people who have not worked at the bedside ever or in years get to make the rules for those of us who do???

If the rule is that they are concerned about contamination, ie a nurse who may have his/her hands in something patient related then passed on to his/her drink or food, then one must wonder just exactly what the REAL worry is.....because I have never in 20 years of nursing ever had a manager, or a JCAHO employee, or an OSHA employee offer a solution to "how am supposed to 1)eat, 2) pee 3)poo 4) hydrate.....

We aren't robots! We actually have kidneys and a working bowel....with REAL bowel sounds!! for crying out loud....

If I was an 'outsider' reading this thread for the first time, I would wonder if this wasn't some sort of sweatshop practice we were discussing here.....not nursing!

It's no wonder so many choose a four year degree in some other "profession".....at least they can count on having a lunch break and week-ends off!!

crni

The problem arises when those few decide to have drinks out of open cups versus closed cups/bottles. With so much activity going on at times, the chances for spills is so much the greater. Personally, it does irritate me when I see an open cup, especially near one of the computer stations.

Considering I've had my klutzy moments, I make sure that I do have a closed container.

Specializes in ICU, Research, Corrections.

My personal pet peeve is dirty dishes and bowls stacked up in the breakroom sink. Hey, I wash my hands in there and guess where my hand drainage goes........straight into those bowls. They someone rinses them off, dries them, and puts them away. Can you spell CONTAMINATED? My policy is never to drink or eat anything from the breakroom supply of dishes. If it's not on a paper plate, I am NOT eating it.

Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Medsurge.
My personal pet peeve is dirty dishes and bowls stacked up in the breakroom sink. Hey, I wash my hands in there and guess where my hand drainage goes........straight into those bowls. They someone rinses them off, dries them, and puts them away. Can you spell CONTAMINATED? My policy is never to drink or eat anything from the breakroom supply of dishes. If it's not on a paper plate, I am NOT eating it.

:barf01::barf02::barf02:Yeah that! LOL

Geez, talk about a real concern manifested! One time our hospital infection control nurse cultured the sink in the ICU break room, the ICU phone, the ICU nurses station counter. My how those cultures looked like mad science and stunk to high heaven after a few weeks on display!!!

PS Who would've guessed this thread is picking up steam-- up to FOUR pages now!!! I suppose there are those of us who are human with gastric juices that need attending to and figure walking to Eastern Mongolia (the break room) is out of line altogether!

PS PS And I know someone is going to point out, "Oh, TeleRNer, that sealed bottle of water you have near you while you chart is full of thousands upon thousands of microbes just waiting to assault your person!" Give me a break! ! !

Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

It been "the rule" ever since I've been a Nurse. My state health dept is called DHEC and they'll write the place up in a skinny minute. Do you really want to take a sip of that bright yellow substance on the counter and "assume" it's mountain dew?

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=25506

Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Medsurge.

[evil]

Of course with a policy like this, I'm sure your hospital enforces a lunch break (or two if you're working a 12-hour shift) and a couple of mid-breaks in between for eating, yes? :rolleyes:

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True, true...however sometimes I do find myself lacking in available reserve to even take a break or even a lunch break at night. You see, sometimes it is very busy and hectic at night (I know this may distroy the myth that we all sleep) and to have a cup of Joe handy to sip now and then again is a requirement. You see I'm in my fourties and my stamina may not be as strong and sturdy as some of you youngen's so please consider my walking to Eastern Mongollia and back (the break room) just to get a sip of something that keeps me awake is NUTS!!! And honestly how often do you see someone with a bleach bucket cleaning up in the nurses lounge anyway??

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