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?

Nope. I used to at my first nursing assistant job then another employee pointed out it was stealing. Effectively shamed the behavior out of me.

If I get snacky, there are vending machines 100 ft from our nursing station. I never thought of eating unused food from patient trays? Most food isn't individually packaged where I work so that would be kind of gross.

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

They are supposed to budget for our breaks so do you know how many thousands of dollars they save by us not getting them? Let's talk about theft. And then we'll talk turkey. Sandwiches.

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Snacks and food from the unit kitchen probably make up 50-75% of my nutritional intake while working mostly in the form of crackers and peanut butter, the rest comes from a Clif bar that I eat in the few seconds here and there I have to eat.

Been a nurse too long. I thought you said a "c-dif" bar.

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Specializes in Travel, Home Health, Med-Surg.
Nope. I used to at my first nursing assistant job then another employee pointed out it was stealing. Effectively shamed the behavior out of me.

If I get snacky, there are vending machines 100 ft from our nursing station. I never thought of eating unused food from patient trays? Most food isn't individually packaged where I work so that would be kind of gross.

Technically it is stealing but makes up somewhat for all the missed breaks etc. I think they mean clean unused pt trays.

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Specializes in Private Duty Pediatrics.

No, I do not steal food. Stealing is stealing, and the fact that it will be thrown out anyway has no bearing. That food does not belong to me.

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Specializes in Travel, Home Health, Med-Surg.
No, I do not steal food. Stealing is stealing, and the fact that it will be thrown out anyway has no bearing. That food does not belong to me.

I agree that stealing is wrong, but if its going to be thrown away and the facility doesn't care if you eat it then I don't think its stealing.

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Specializes in Private Duty Pediatrics.
I agree that stealing is wrong, but if its going to be thrown away and the facility doesn't care if you eat it then I don't think its stealing.

If you have permission from the facility, then it isn't stealing.

If - on the other hand - it is against policy to eat the patient's food, then it is stealing. And it could get you fired.

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I used to work as a dietary aide on a skill nursing floor and we made evening sandwiches for those residents requiring frequent snacking due to diabetes or other conditions and I remember our supervisor saying don't make more than 4 sandwiches, those night nurses will just eat it all night. And then there was the other days when the manager scolded people about no snacks being available for the residents. Apparently security was called to open up his office in the middle of the night in order to get Lona Doons and ginger ale cause somebody was so hypo. So yeah if you asked me, I would say don't touch those snacks because the residents/patients need it more than you.

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Been a nurse too long. I thought you said a "c-dif" bar.

I'm glad I wasn't eating when I read this. I would've choked. Too funny!:roflmao:

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Specializes in Med-Surg., LTC,, OB/GYN, L& D,, Office.

ANYONE disturbing or altering what is perceived as the intake of the person delivered the meal or snack is wrong, no matter the justification. (The facility labeled all prepped snacks and purchased snacks with individual ID and rm. # dates and times since they are overseen by dietician and are Rx'd for wt. loss or metabolic concern, delivered, checked and returned to dietary on regular basis). I have a broader opinion of discharged patient meals, or out for protracted appointments as long as it is not opened or placed in the patients room if given to family or newly labeled, dated and to refrigeration as it was otherwise discarded.

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
No fair! No chocolate milk (caffeine) on the cardiac floor. I'm so jealous.

I had no idea that chocolate milk was banned on the cardiac floors! It can't possibly have THAT much caffeine!

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ANYONE disturbing or altering what is perceived as the intake of the person delivered the meal or snack is wrong, no matter the justification. (The facility labeled all prepped snacks and purchased snacks with individual ID and rm. # dates and times since they are overseen by dietician and are Rx'd for wt. loss or metabolic concern, delivered, checked and returned to dietary on regular basis). I have a broader opinion of discharged patient meals, or out for protracted appointments as long as it is not opened or placed in the patients room if given to family or newly labeled, dated and to refrigeration as it was otherwise discarded.

This is a great point about patient trays and assigned snacks. My OP was about the food that is in the nutrition room as snacks for patients, if they get hungry through the night, or on day shift. So saltines, graham crackers, drinks, unassigned meal boxes etc,. I'm not sure how it is where you work. But at my facility, none of those snacks have names on them...they're all stock items if you will. Bear in mind I work in women's health, so very different from other units ofcourse. Some of the posters expressed comments on other items too.

But now you've got me thinking. Technically, the snacks in the nutrition room are informally assigned...to the patients. I'm not sure if I'll change, but it's definitely something to consider.

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