Nurses eating and drinking at the nurses station

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi fellow nurses, how do you feel about nurses drinking coffee or other beverage and eating food in the nurses station on a regular basis, especially in the presence of patients, visitors and doctors. What's your hospital policy regarding this. It is forbidden on my job, but staff continues to do it, even the Head Nurse when he is stressed out is seen sipping coffee on the unit. The problem with drinking coofee, tea etc. is that especially on nights somehow staff 'accidentally' spills liguids on the computer and on patients record. What is your experience?

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

As others have indicated, it depends on the details of the situation. I don't see anything wrong with a covered cup that can be used discretely to stay hydrated. Many nurses don't have the opportunity to leave the area frequently to get a needed drink. (And as a former NICU nurse, I have spent many shifts working under radiant warmers and bili-lights that are hot and dehydrating. My health is important, too.) It can be done reasonably and it isn't necessary unprofessional.

However ... that is a far cry from munching chips etc. that get crumbs all over the place, eating full meals, having the work area cluttered with food, people talking to patients and collegues with their mouths full, etc. Employers should provide the appropriate time and the place for nurses to fulfill their nutritional needs during a shift in a reasonable way. Such unprofessional practices and appearance can be avoided with a little planning and appropriate staffing.

As with most such issues -- a little professional judgment is all that is needed to meet the needs of all involved.

Specializes in LTC.

We are humans and we need to eat/drink too. However chowing down on a big mac and fries during the middle of your shift when residents are still up and the doctor is there.. inappropriate.

But I usually have snacks(sometimes fruit in a tupperware but i keep the lid nearby if i need to walk away). And my water cup.

Obviously when the state is there I wouldn't even have the snacks there.

Specializes in LTC.

I don't see anything wrong with it as long as it is not in the presence of family, patients or doctors.

I eat a snack and have a beverage every once in a while at the nurses station. I need something to keep me going.

Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

Our station is small, no room for a ton of people to sit around, so there is no food at the station. However, management did allow us a small table in a back room connected to the station where we can put covered drinks. The food is in the break room. Many of us walking down the hall will pop in the break room, grab a bite and go.

I do have to admit having granola bars at the desk in my file cabinet for those emergency days of not getting off the floor. I will not open them or eat them with with family or pt's nearby and I inhale it in record time. It's either that or fall to the floor with hypoglycemia.

I work nights & am the only nurse my unit. I eat every night at the desk but I clear everything out of the way & wipe down the counter before & after I eat. Nothing worse than putting down your paperwork to find someone's leftover stuck to the back of it uggg.

Specializes in critical care, PCU, PACU, LTC, HHC, AFC.
I think it is sad. Sad that the nurses cannot get away for enough time to eat a meal in a much cleaner non patient care area. Sad that they do not have the time to walk away for a few minutes to take a few sips of a beverage. I have eaten at the nurses station and I hated it. I mean really you might as well eat in a patient room. The desk, computers, and chairs are probably riddled with all kinds of nasties. Not to mention the phone! yuck! We were not allowed to at my previous job but on nights we did because we never got breaks.

I agree with you, it's sad we don't always have enough time to walk away for a few minutes to sip a beverage. The whole eating at the nurses station is not allowed at my hospital, but it still happens. I personally don't feel comfortable eating at the nurses station, especially if your by a patients room who is NPO. But I have had to... some nights you just don't get a break. However we do need to take the time to feed ourselves and give ourselves something to drink. I did witness one incident where one of my co-workers, was talking to me and in the midst of sentence, her eyes started to roll to the back of her head, and she started falling down. I had to catch her, call for help, and grab a chair to set her down. She didn't go unresponsive, and wouldn't really let us assess her (you know how some nurses are lol). At that moment we just made sure she got something to eat and drink, she was fine afterwards.

I think we spend so much time taking care of other people, we sometimes forget how important it is to take care of ourselves, just the simple things (drinking, eating, and using the bathroom..yesssss we deserve a potty break too!!! lol) Even though I don't really like eating or drinking at nurse's station, I wouldn't make it an issue. My thoughts are if we don't take care of ourselves, how can we take care of someone else.

Eating& drinking doesn't bother me, not cleaning up makes me angry. Out of all people ,nurses& docs should have crystal clear tables after eating.

Specializes in Oncology.

If people are eating casually, then I think that is unprofessional. I don't necessarily think anyone drinking a cup of well covered coffee is unprofessional in any setting, don't they drink coffee in board rooms? But, most days I am forced to eat trail mix out of a baggie in my pocket because I can't stop, and need to eat or I will literally pass out. Taking a 15 minute snack break will make me leave 15 minutes later, because I usually have no down time at work. When your commute is 1 hr and you work 12 hr shifts, every minute counts and you eat while charting to survive. If this is what is happening where you work than it is a systems problem (why can't staff take breaks) that needs to be addressed and fixed. Unfortunately many hospitals don't want to have enough staff to allow for downtime, so nurses do what they have to do.

It is against hospital policy, but it is enforced at varying levels depending on the unit. When The Joint Commission was acomin' you better believe it was strictly enforced. But now that they're gone we're back to sipping our drinks at the nurses station.

How do I feel about it? I feel fine. We don't do patient care there, we wash our hands going in to and out of every patient room, and I drink drinks that don't require me to do anything with my hands near where the mouth is. I haven't heard of spilling issues, and people who get pulled from stricter areas say they like how hydrated they can stay when they work in our department.

Specializes in stepdown RN.

We were always told by our supervisor it was a OSHA(sp?) Violation and were NOT allowed.to eat at the nurses station. Our manager even started checking the trash cans in the morning to make sure NIGHT shift was not eating there. I obeyed this until I saw my manager chit chatting with day shift at the nurses station while they were all sipping on their morning coffee! grrrrrrr!

Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

I usually keep a covered cup in the nurse's lounge that I sip on all day.

The one exception: Recently had a very heavy critical care pt on contact and neutropenic precautions, with a disorder of the skin to the extent that the skin was literally shedding. Due to impaired thermoregulation, the room had to be 85 or more degrees. I did keep ice water just outside the room in a hidden cubby. Otherwise after two or three shifts, I would have been keeling over.

Specializes in CEN, CPEN, RN-BC.

What?!?! Food and drink at the nurses station?! That is so unprofessional! As nurses, we are expected to run not on food, but on spirit, unicorns, rainbows and sunshine. I mean, personally I don't mind not being able to consume any fluid for 12 hours. I really love that white crap that accumulates in the corners of my mouth.

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