Solutions for Drinks at Nursing Station?

[ImNicoEh]

Drinks at the nursing station is most definitely a heated topic. Has anyone found a solution to this issue that both nurses and management are happy with?

At the hospital i'm at, we have kind of a decent sized backroom at the nursing stations; a lot like this picture

For closed drinks; what about putting the drinks in a stackable sealed container like this?

Stackable so they can be kept neatly on the side or corner of the back room and this way the drinking bottles themselves will never come in direct contact with anything "contaminated." If management is worried about the inside of the containers becoming contaminated through communal/repeated use, the solution for that could be using the disinfection wipes before a nurse puts her/his drink in there at the start of their shift.

Thoughts? Other ideas?

[Brandidrn]

You know when I started in the nursing field we didn't even have gloves! We ate and drank right on the unit and no one thought a thing of it so now having been exposed to things with no name yet and nothing so far including MRSA or TB which while pregnant I got to care for a patient with an untreatable case and the doctors didn't feel that was important enough to put on his chart, so I drink when I am thirsty if they wanna fire me then OK.

[dec2007]

WORD!

I miss night shift!

[CHESSIE]

I get a Styrofoam cup of ice water from the unit ice dispenser whenever the heck I feel like it. Same cups, same H2O that the pts get; if it's clean enough for pts, mgmt can't really claim an infection risk if I drink it. I do usually take a dinner break, but that isn't enough water for the whole shift. I also get very nauseated and anxious when I'm dehydrated, so if they want me to work I'm going to drink. Plus, the air is dry and my mouth will get dry enough that speaking is difficult.

I do try to respect the no outside drink rule though, because my manager has had consequences for the unit's noncompliance. She's an awesome manager who is VERY supportive of her staff, encourages us to have disruptive visitors removed, and has only mentioned The Golden Survey once (and that was to encourage us to advocate for pain control; our neurosurg team tends to undertreat.) I felt really bad that our drinks cost her a raise.

Your manager is awesome, I hope that she is able to stay as your manager. I worked with a manger just like yours who was, also, very supportive of her staff, and would pitch in when we were "slammed." Unfortunately she lost her job, since she did not attend every unnecessary meeting that management 'required,' and felt that her job was to support her staff and not management. She left the nursing field, which was a loss for the profession, but a gain for the teaching profession where she is now employed.

[APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP]

You know when I started in the nursing field we didn't even have gloves! We ate and drank right on the unit and no one thought a thing of it so now having been exposed to things with no name yet and nothing so far including MRSA or TB which while pregnant I got to care for a patient with an untreatable case and the doctors didn't feel that was important enough to put on his chart, so I drink when I am thirsty if they wanna fire me then OK.

Yup. - that's when "orange sticks" were popular. (As if anyone has the time to give patients a manicure now-a-days). They came in handy to get the poop out from underneath your nails before it was time to grab a snack!

[dec2007]

Like squared.

Like cubed!

[cassiead]

Joint Commission enforces all standards by all governing bodies. It is actually a OSHA standard for your protection. The standard simple says that there should be no eating, drinking or applying of lip balm (Ha, it does say that) in an area where one can be exposed to things that have been in the patients rooms (to keep it simple). A hydration station for just that is fine.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Well, I quit the job that wouldn't allow me to have water outside the break room.

Since then, I mention to Occupational Health when I'm hired that I need access to water at all times, and can provide a physicians note if necessary. Its a stupid rule.