How do you feel about this?

Published

i know how i feel about it:

oklahoma city hospital offers treat as a reward

health

buzz up!

by susan simpson

published: october 10, 2009

cookie monster would feel right at home at community hospital in southwest oklahoma city.

that’s because patients are offered fresh-baked treats each evening, as the smell of chocolate chip cookies wafts through the halls.

:icon_roll

II don't see why you guys are being so crabby. I think it's a thoughtful initiative.

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
II don't see why you guys are being so crabby. I think it's a thoughtful initiative.

Spoken by a true non-nurse. Wait until you become one and find you have no time to go to the bathroom let alone put cookies in an oven, pre-made-frozen or not. It is a nice idea, but why is the kitchen not popping these cookies in the oven after dinner while they are cleaning up to go home for the night? This is not a nursing duty. Regardless of whether or not they just take a second to pop into the oven, the public should not be led to think nurses have time to bake. We are already miss-portrayed in T.V. shows. I once had a patient say to me "when you have nothing else to do can you..." I felt like saying "well then its never going to be done because there is never 'nothing else' for me do to"..

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II don't see why you guys are being so crabby. I think it's a thoughtful initiative.

Top ten reasons why this idea that sounds so "nice" is just another example of corporate hooey:

10. Despite the inane phraseology some hospitals require ("Would you like me to fluff your pillows? I have the time."), we don't have the time.

9. Passing out chocolate chip cookies sends a mixed message to those who really shouldn't be eating them.

8. Who decides which patients should be eating them?

7. Making folks who are NPO or fighting nausea smell cookie fumes could be considered a form of torture.

6. Very effective way of communicating the lovely "nurses are nothing but over-paid waitresses" misconception that too many people already believe.

5. Cardiologists and endocrinologists might not be too happy with the hospital "endorsing" such high-sugar and high/high-fat treats.

4. Crumbs, crumbs, crumbs.

3. "Sorry I couldn't hang your antibiotics on time, Mr. Williams. Have a cookie while I fetch your amp and gent."

2. "What do you mean my visitors can't have cookies, too?"

And the number one reason why the person who came up with this should have his head examined--

1. If there aren't enough cookies for staff to partake of as well, you could have mutiny on your hands. We may not be able to dip into the narcs in the name of sharing, but there had better be enough cookies to go around!

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Well, I thought it was a pleasant idea until I got to the part about the nurses being responsible for making them. Nurses don't have enough time to do their own tasks, much less find time to do something that should be done by the food service department.

Yea I thought COOL! Until I got to that part to. In the hospital I had my daughter at they brought fresh baked cookies to everyone around 2 p.m. It was the food service workers that did it and I remember thinking it was nice and they cookies were yummy. They also gave all new moms a massage on discharge day before leaving. Was a 30 minute new mom massage and I don't remember who did those but that was the first time I had that and I thought that was pretty awesome as well.

I think some of these ideas could be great touches but the right people need to be doing them and I don't feel the nurses are those people.

It seems silly to have the nurses be responsible for them anyway, don't you need a food handlers card to cook in public settings anyway?

I should add this was in the postpartum wing I have no idea if this was a hospital wide thing.

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Specializes in CTICU.

The thing that makes me sick about this article is that it sounds like it's already happening. That means some stupid nurses actually agreed to do this, rather than putting their collective foot down. No wonder our profession never gets anywhere.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

Oh goodie! Now we get to bake cookies for the patients AND the visitors. What happens when somebody wants a loaf of fresh baked bread? *Imagines kneading the dough on the crash cart, rising it using the warmth of the outdated EKG monitor, and baking it in the autoclave*

Should we also have an official hospital cow so the patient may have fresh milk with their cookies?

I admit it, I've used a toomi to baste my holiday turkey before, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to whip up a feast of stuff every night for my patients when I already don't have time to pee or eat my own lunch.

:hrnsmlys:

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Specializes in Cardiac, Adolescent/Child Mental Health.

All I can say is that I was p***** when I read the article. One of my peeves is when people suggest that their stay at the hospital should be every bit a pleasant as if they were staying at the Hilton. Meaning, nurses and staff should be there to answer to their every wish and whim.

Um, no. It's a hospital. And although you are a lovely and special flower, you are not my only patient.

I wonder if Mr. Clemens has a background in nursing since he's not identified as an RN or LPN.

I knew this would spark some lively discussion when I posted it. I'm also glad that a few of you that are more eloquent than myself responded to the article on the NewsOK website.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

As long as hospitals are run by for-profit corporations motivated by a business/customer service/dividends to shareholders approach, and not nursing and medical professionalism, we will see this nonsense.

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Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.
Well, I thought it was a pleasant idea until I got to the part about the nurses being responsible for making them. Nurses don't have enough time to do their own tasks, much less find time to do something that should be done by the food service department.

Nurses can't even pee, let alone bake cookies. I can't stop laughing...

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Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.

Dear Mr. MoneyIsALLiWant, CEO

I am erupting from joy! This is truly from the very bottom of my heart--I just wanted to thank you for the privilege of baking cookies at our hospital! I really enjoyed the TollHouse Double Chocolate Chip recipe you emailed the staff. They are so eager to try it! I made some on the way to work just like you suggested, only I added some almond nuts. Yum, Yum!

Oh, BTW, I hope you had a little time to read some of the Risk Reports that I sent you. I just wasn't sure how to address the fire we (accidently--oops we shouldn't have trained that 90-year-old volunteer to turn on the Otis Spunkmeyer oven--she's got some sight issues after all) caused in the kitchen. Our bad!

I want to apologize for letting it get out of control; you see, we had a code going on and Suzie Hummaker, RN had to help me with compressions. You can imagine all the disappointed patients when they found out we almost burnt the cookies--they were a little hard, but still...oh so DELISH!

I would, however, like to extend our condolences to Mr. Smith's family. We are sorry we had to stop and end the code. Dr. Stevens had a feeling the patient was going to die anyway, so he stopped--well, he basically didn't start...I think he was a might overwhelmed with the smell of Peanut-Butter-Melt-In-Your-Mouth-Drop goodies. He seemed a little stressed, but we DEFINITELY had the baked items to help with that.

Um, I wasn't sure who took care of Mr. Smith's body--but I am sure everything turned out well, as I didn't receive another risk report at all for that evening. I'm just voicing my concern because of AHCA'S recent visits about those--you know--suspicious deaths. But well--it didn't matter--we baked more cookies and EVERYONE was happy!!!

I also wanted to extend my personal gratitude for getting paid $50.00 an hour to bake cookies. My friends CAN'T believe that I actually do this for a living! How about this for the next idea? Evidence Based Bread in a Basket--proof that eating and being like a business fixes everything in healthcare. Ooooh, imagine the $$$$ we'll get.....

Yours Truly,

Better C. Rocker, RN

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

The concept is OK but the cookies are so wrong! I've been doing this a while, and although I think I do a good job of care, what patients miss is the little things we used to to to make the hospital stay a little more bearable. At 2100-200 each night the staff went room to room and offered snacks, juice or coffee/tea to anyone who was allowed. For patients on restrictions(npo, nasugar, clears...) we had magazines , games, cards, as well as a pleasant visit. Patients looked forward to the evening treat cart all day. It was the one time a staff member went into the room that didn't result is something unpleasant- a new IV, a IM, labs, pills... Who wouldn't like a cookie better! With staffing the way it is, and the acuity of our patients, I'm barely able to pass my meds- let alone cookies and snacks. Patients do miss it, and even though it's been out of practice for 25yrs, I hear about it at least once a week. If they can find a way to STAFF FOR IT, and adapt it a little to accomodate all the patients, I think it's a great idea.

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WTH!! That is WRONG! Can you imagine being a poor diabetic patient or NPO and being subjected to the smell of delicious fresh baked cookies for your entire hospital stay? That is so freaking rude!! I hope that they complain!!!:angryfire

And yeah, nurses making them? We didn't go to nursing school to bake cookies. Admin really doesn't get it!:selfbonk:

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