Is it okay to have snacks in my pockets for clinical?

WonderousIvy, BSN · Sep 20, 2015

yes! stuff almonds or something in there. patients hate hangry (hungry+angry) nurses

Emergent, RN · Sep 20, 2015

How often do you need to eat? When I went to nursing school, we had 8 hr clinicals, and got a lunch time and breaks.

I, personally, would never carry food in my scrub pockets, sounds gross to me. How bout keeping your snacks in your backpack? Since you're a guest at the hospital you have no business snacking at the nurses station, you should be on your best behavior.

cracklingkraken, ASN, RN · Sep 20, 2015

I never put snacks in my pocket. We had a separate break room for the nurses that we could temporarily occupy during our breaks. I kept snacks in my lunch bag and ate them on break.

FlyingScot, RN · Sep 20, 2015

Food is not allowed in patient care areas per OSHA. This includes the nurses station. If your friends had to "sneak" in food then what they were doing was wrong. Students are guests of the facility. Don't break their rules.

Mumto4 · Sep 20, 2015

Yep OSHA doesn't allow due to potential contamination. Also some states have laws against it. Plus it's usually against hospital policy--do you really want to potentially risk biting the hand that feeds you?

Sneaking snacks just doesn't seem like a smart move to me. Besides, it's for your safety as well. If you can't manage more than a couple of hours without something, then find a good time to excuse yourself to the break room where you can grab a handful of nuts or something quickly. Some hospitals do have a centralized conference room where food and/drink may be kept.

quiltynurse56, LPN, LVN · Sep 20, 2015

It is not okay to have snacks in your pockets. Most nursing schools will tell you that you may not chew gum or suck on hard candy. With all that you will need in your pockets, you won't have room for snacks in them either. That is what breaks are for, to eat and to have a snack. Also, you will be in an environment where there are all sorts of nasty germs floating around. Why would you want to risk the food in your pocket being contaminated.

What you may have and do and what you may not have and do will be gone over with you either before you start your clinical or at your clinical orientation.

Editorial Team / Admin · Sep 20, 2015

You shouldn't be eating on the floor or at the nursing station- Joint Commission doesn't like and most facility policies don't allow it. Not to mention just the "EW" factor- keeping something in your pocket while performing patient care? No thanks!

Where will you be keeping your belongings while you are at clinical? You can always keep a snack like a granola bar with your belongings and eat it in the break room if permitted in there or somewhere off the floor. As a nursing student, you should pretty much be guaranteed a lunch break. Is there a reason you think you'll need snacks in addition to that?

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Sep 21, 2015

That too is an OSHA regulation.

It is not okay to have snacks in your pockets. Most nursing schools will tell you that you may not chew gum or suck on hard candy. With all that you will need in your pockets, you won't have room for snacks in them either. That is what breaks are for, to eat and to have a snack. Also, you will be in an environment where there are all sorts of nasty germs floating around. Why would you want to risk the food in your pocket being contaminated.
What you may have and do and what you may not have and do will be gone over with you either before you start your clinical or at your clinical orientation.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Sep 21, 2015

No, it is not ok. It is against policy of OSHA, the hospital, the school.... Policies are put in place for reasons, not to be mean and deprive hungry people of food. There will be a breakroom where you will be. All snacks and drinks go in there. If you are absolutely starving or thirsty, you can go in there. We always got an hour lunch break and if we were in the hospital setting, we would go to the cafeteria and eat. I have never once been told I could not grab a drink or a quick snack if we were there for a long shift, like 12 hours or something. If it was less like 7-8 hours my lunch sufficed except for the quick drink here and there and again was never denied that either.

It's honestly disgusting and unsanitary that people would do that.

Golfer87 · Sep 21, 2015

While driving to the clinical site, eat an Oatmega bar or niibar bar. Keep an extra one for lunch break.

secondlifenurse, MSN, RN · Sep 21, 2015

Beyond OSHA, Joint Commission, and the hospital's policy, once you are in the clinical setting, you're likely going to realize you don't *want* to carry the snack in your pocket and/or eat that snack at the nurse's station or anywhere beyond the cafeteria/break room. Do take a snack (or several) with you; just plan on taking that quiet moment in the break room. Were I you, I'd also take a refillable water bottle; hospital air can be really, really dry, so you'll want to stay hydrated :)