Hospital Grub

RN-PA, RN · May 21, 2004

99% of the time I bring my own dinner because it's often too busy to get down to the cafeteria before it closes at 7:15 p.m. (7 p.m. on weekends). I usually eat in our staff room where there's a table, chairs, sofa, and fridge. If I can, it's so nice to get off the floor and eat the dinner I've brought in the cafeteria; it's good to have a change of scenery and especially nice if I can eat with co-workers and chat about stuff outside of work, but I'm only able to leave the unit very occassionally.

I'm not a very picky eater and the hospital cafeteria seems to have a good selection and when I've eaten there, it's been good. There are usually two hot entrees with side dishes (2 starches and two vegetables), salad bar, 2 soups, variety of desserts, grill (for burgers or cheesesteaks), and sandwich fixin's that a cafeteria worker will make up, fresh fruit, yogurts, and a variety of drinks. Associates get a discount on their meals, and volunteers get a free meal for every 4 hours they work.

Witheney · May 21, 2004

volunteers get a free meal for every 4 hours they work.

Your cafetaria's selection sounds very appetizing. Gosh, the volunteers must want to work there for hours if they can get a free meal every 4 hours. I work from 9 to 5.30 as a legal secretary and the only free refreshment is coffee, tea or water. After that, we're on our own.

RN-PA, RN · May 21, 2004

Gosh, the volunteers must want to work there for hours if they can get a free meal every 4 hours.

Yeah-- sounds like a pretty good deal. I only found out recently from a friend who volunteers there that they get a free meal. And our hospital has LOTS of volunteers; I assume that there's some sort of price limit. I'll have to ask her more about it next time we talk.

Dixiecup · May 21, 2004

Yeah-- sounds like a pretty good deal. I only found out recently from a friend who volunteers there that they get a free meal. And our hospital has LOTS of volunteers; I assume that there's some sort of price limit. I'll have to ask her more about it next time we talk.

I love hospital food or nursing home meals, whichever I am working. As long *** I don't have to cook it, it's great! I work in a prison setting also and it's an unwritten rule, you DO NOT eat prison food. Too many additives if you know what I mean!

Tweety, BSN, RN · May 22, 2004

99% of the time I bring my own food because it's healthier. Usually a meat, two veggies, and a berry fruit salad, an orange or grapefruit. Sometimes I'm in the mood for junk food and the cafe is good for that. :)

suzanne4, RN · May 23, 2004

In Bangkok, meals are provided for free for the nurses. You can also go outside any hospital and find vendors selling just about anything. Noodle soup, grilled fish or chicken, Thai curries, etc.

Tweety would go crazy here.......................and the prices are unbelievable.

About $0.50 for a full meal............. :balloons:

SmilingBluEyes · May 23, 2004

Sad to say, I would not feed our food to my dog, so I always bring my own. Besides, at night, we have no cafeteria service,so it's not a choice anyhow. But having seen and tasted the food from our food service, I still would not spend a DIME on it, period. It's the worst and actually embarasses me that patients get it on their trays. It's also the most frequent complaint we see on our patient satisfaction surveys (surprise). It's sad, because I have worked other places where the cafeteria is so good, people go there for Sunday Brunch!

As far as cost, the employees get no price break ---it can cost about $3. for this lousy meal. Bad deal all around.

galenight, BSN, RN · May 23, 2004

Our cafeteria has one entree, one or two side dishes (like bread stick and broccoli) and a pitiful salad bar. They serve only lunch from 11:30 until 1:00 and only on weekdays. Fortunately they publish a "menu" each month so you know what days you have to bring food. Some is better than others. There is no opportunity to get an evening meal and we work 7a to 7p, so I at least bring that or eat on my way home. A friend of mine does casual work at another hospital and they actually have a chef there. She says the food is great and the prices are good. Sigh... if only.....

But one nice thing is that patients order off a menu for their meals. The selection is pretty good and the food is decent I'm told. So even if we aren't fed well at least he patients are... Not too many complaints about the food itself. They can also order at the time they want it. Not when food service feels like dishing it up.

BadBird, BSN, RN · May 23, 2004

I usually bring something or else order out. The food where I work isn't fit for pigs and it is expensive, no cost reduction for employees.

purplemania, BSN, RN · May 23, 2004

our cafeteria has a "hot" line, a grill, choice of box lunches, a soup and salad bar. The menus are posted online so I can look ahead. Usually I eat in my office with 3-4 others (I have a small table) so we can talk. Often get good ideas from my coworkers while we eat, but mostly we talk about family, etc. There is an Internet cafe in the cafeteria (employees only). Also, they consider recipes and menus submitted by employees.

laurasc · May 23, 2004

Ahhh...I have fond memories of hospital food.

Breaks consisted of stale muffins and "dual purpose" coffee (coffee in the morning and heavy duty degreaser in the evening).

Mystery meat sandwiches (those crunchy bits add to the adventure) and greasy soup for lunch.

Supper was the ultimate in gastronomic delights....boiled meat, mushy veggies and sloppy mashed potatoes drowned in their patented "all purpose" gravy. Yum! On those really special days, they served little bowls of wilted lettuce and dehydrated tomatoes and cucumber salads.

The sweets they served was a delight to behold. Lumpy pudding, anemic fruit cocktail and cake with lard frosting.

And I cannot reminisce about our caffeteria delights without talking about the aroma that filled the hospital when they were busy creating their masterpieces. Words escape me when I try to describe the combination scents of boiling meats and veggies mixed in with the concentrated aroma of the "all purpose" gravy, boiled coffee and cleaning solutions. Mmmmmmm....pass a tissue please, just thinking about it is making me drool.

And no, we nurses didn't get it free...but we did pay less than visitors and other non staff. Doesn't matter....it was worth it all.