The most expensive, silly or cheap gifts you received from your hospital

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I am not sure if there is any other thread similar to this one but I am just curious what is the most expensive, silly and /or least expensive gifts/ freebies you ever received from your hospital??

The most expensive gifts I ever got for my hospital is a bag with the hospital logo on it and the least expensive is those plastic fruits....they were just promoting health and well ness....I just wished they would give us lots of pen!!!

Specializes in ICU,PCU,ER, TELE,SNIFF, STEP DOWN PCT.
Nice :)

I was one who worked through that horrid blizzard back in 90's. Stuck at work for a week. DON announced that the hospital would provide us any food or drink, and if we left the facility, we'd be fired on the spot. She had a virtual mutiny on her hands, and backed down rather quickly on the food and drink issue, but continued to say we couldn't leave. Once the roads cleared enough in my neighborhood that I could reach my house, I went home. My manager warned that I was risking getting fired, but I told her after working double shifts for a week, I WAS going home.

Our nurses worked their butts off, and managed to keep the floor staffed throughout this crisis, but administration never so much as thanked us for what we did.

ThAT IS AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in Onc/Hem, School/Community.
Nice :)

I was one who worked through that horrid blizzard back in 90's. Stuck at work for a week. DON announced that the hospital would provide us any food or drink, and if we left the facility, we'd be fired on the spot. She had a virtual mutiny on her hands, and backed down rather quickly on the food and drink issue, but continued to say we couldn't leave. Once the roads cleared enough in my neighborhood that I could reach my house, I went home. My manager warned that I was risking getting fired, but I told her after working double shifts for a week, I WAS going home.

Our nurses worked their butts off, and managed to keep the floor staffed throughout this crisis, but administration never so much as thanked us for what we did.

Similar situation happened to me while working LTC. Roads were all snowed in and the DON told all of us who were stuck working a double shifts at half staff ratio, that we would be paid double overtime for making an effort to arrive before the storm hit. It was the night from hell. Pipes froze and burst. The roof caved in from the heavy snow. Nobody with maintanance would answer their cell phones, etc. Well, eventually, I went home. Well, my paycheck came in with no overtime on it. I asked the DON what happened and she informed me that the corporation that owned the facility issued a statement announcing that since the Governer had not declared a state of emergency, the offer of double time was no longer available. The month prior, they d/c the education reimbursement program as soon as I handed in my paperwork, so this place had a habit of making false promises, so, I picked up my check, my purse, and my coat and told her that I was quitting. That was the only job I ever quit on the spot.

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On most occasions I get nothing, which is about as cheap as you can get.

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

When it was a county hospital they gave us a full turkey dinner in the cafeteria...all you could eat and a 2 hour lunch break. For nurses' week usually a lunch bag, or a messenger bag or some such.On year it was a blue and white really good umbrella I still have. The year the cafeteria was renovated we got a $50 grocery gift card.

I got a Seiko watch with a leather band for my 20th year. That was the best. My 15th I got a pen and pencil set that neirther worked.

After they went private and merged with two other hospitals I got a shoelace lanyard with the hospital group name on it. I left fairly soon after that and now I understand they no longer give the dinner or nurses week gifts.

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When I first started at this hospital as an RN, the CEO had been a nurse. He was also a party animal LOL.

The hospital was medium-sized, 6 floors, around 450-500 beds. I swear that man knew everyone's name. He always had a lunch with each group of new hires, sitting there shooting the breeze and getting to know them.

He came in to work very early. He made it a point to go through once a month ~5-6 am, pushing this big cart and leave HUGE baskets of goodies for every department in the hospital. Fruit baskets, boxes of fresh bagels or sticky buns, whatever.

For Christmas AND Thanksgiving every year we got a big ol' turkey (at least 15 pounds). We also got a bonus check at Christmas.

Every year, we had a summer picnic and a 'formal' winter dance. The picnics were like nothing I'd ever seen before or since. Chicken, BBQ, hamburgers, hotdogs... pretty much everything but steaks. You name it, they served it. Including free beer LOL (2 drink max). Volleyball, softball, sack races, a kids playground, bingo tent giving away NICE prizes (TVs, appliances, bikes...).

The winter dance was a blast. He'd rent a ballroom at the Marriott and hire a band. Free drinks, a mountain of food. He also arranged for employees to stay at the hotel for some ridiculously low price if they decided they wanted to tie one on (something like $25-30 for the rooms).

All in all, he really took care of us.

When Columbia took over, corporate fired him; replaced him with this dour old man who never set foot on the units, who put a stop to the winter dance and turned the annual picnic into a joke. No more turkeys. No bonuses. Nada.

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Specializes in Recovery (PACU)-11 yrs, General-13yrs.

Is the new management trying to figure out what went wrong with the workforce since they took over?

I bet your first CEO got much more co-operation and work, less sick days, more accommodating re shift changes etc etc, from everyone than the dour old man could even dream of.

If only they knew how much their attitudes affected everyone in the building, if they don't want to know us, we sure as heck don't want to know them. The first DON at this hospital knew your name the second day you worked there, ate in the staff dining room etc etc, and as I said in a previous post, a later CEO didn't know me after she'd been there 4 years, she announced her resignation later that day, but I don't think it was because she didn't know who I was!

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Is the new management trying to figure out what went wrong with the workforce since they took over?

I bet your first CEO got much more co-operation and work, less sick days, more accommodating re shift changes etc etc, from everyone than the dour old man could even dream of.

If only they knew how much their attitudes affected everyone in the building, if they don't want to know us, we sure as heck don't want to know them. The first DON at this hospital knew your name the second day you worked there, ate in the staff dining room etc etc, and as I said in a previous post, a later CEO didn't know me after she'd been there 4 years, she announced her resignation later that day, but I don't think it was because she didn't know who I was!

Exactly. When he was CEO, it was THE place to work. Sure, it was busy and even crazy at times, but we knew we were appreciated. It wasn't the parties and picnics... It was knowing that our bosses cared and appreciated our hard work. Like I said, he knew our names and where we worked. He was visible and available and had a real open-door policy. He stood up for his staff (made the ADONs work our floor once when we were understaffed lol).

Morale was good. Staff retention was amazing--- no revolving door. Even with the Evil DON (she really was nuts), he kept her in check and didn't allow her to run roughshod over the staff.

I'll never forget, one of our CNAs had a massive brain hemorrhage while driving in one night; she died the next morning. CEO had the flag put at half-mast, and held a hospital-wide memorial. When people complained that the half-mast was being done "inappropriately" he in so many words told them to kiss his ass. Under the new admin, we lost staff too. But nothing was said or done beyond what occurred on the individual units.

The administration that followed completely decimated the place. The DON went wild, and people began quitting left and right. I hardly recognize anyone working there anymore; only a handful remain.

They did that man dirty. He was an excellent leader, inspired loyalty and hard work, and he was thrown out without so much as a 'kiss my butt'.

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The worst gift I ever received was the one never given. It was my birthday, and while I have never made a big deal of it I always appreciate when people say, "Happy Birthday." Where I work there were a number of people celebrating birthdays this particular month. Cards were passed around at various times to sign and write a little note. Different people brought in a cake, a dessert, something on that person's birthday in an attempt to make it a good day for them.

My birthday came and went without so much as a mention of it. All those cards that were passed around to sign apparently weren't meant for me. No card, no cake, no dessert, no mention. All of my family is in another state. I did receive a call from my parents and my younger sister wishing me a happy day, which of course I missed. I called them back but they didn't answer. My older sister and her husband didn't even call to wish me well. I usually spend my birthday with my sweetie, but this birthday no sweetie was to be had so I kind of kept to myself. I was starting to wonder if maybe the private, quiet, walled-off way I carry on through life was starting to catch up with me, if people thought that I just didn't care about certain things. I decided to get out of the house for a bit.

The best gift I ever received came next.

I went to the gym that night with a lot on my mind. I was replaying all these events in my head, thinking about all my personal mistakes I've made in my recent past and how I needed to quit shutting myself off all the time and should start opening up more. I thought about how I didn't even know how to do this, where to start. This was heavy stuff. I handed my gym membership card to the trainer who scanned it in the computer. He handed it back to me with the usual, "Have a good workout." I just nodded 'thanks' and sheepishly put my head down and started walking toward the locker room, back to the thoughts that were consuming me. After a few seconds I hear someone say, in a surprised voice, "Oh, and happy birthday." It was the person who had just scanned my card. A total stranger. It was the only live voice I heard wish me a happy birthday that day.

I pretended not to hear him and just kept my head down while walking away. It didn't cost him much, and probably seems kind of silly to some people that something so simple could mean so much from someone you don't even know. It was a great gift and was very much appreciated. Thank you.

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omg, greg, you have me balling me eyes out.

"happy, happy birthday!!!!", a thousand times over.:balloons::balloons::balloons:

and pick that head up.

gentle hugs, my friend.

leslie

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I work in LTC. About 80 beds. We're pretty much all like family. Usually once a summer the employee relations committee has a big free BBQ for all the staff.

The kicker is, they come in on night shift and BBQ a fresh batch just for the night shift. It's really neat.:balloons:

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The best : a backpack , drink bottle , and nice pen with the hospital logo on it , given to all new employees on orientation, and a $25 gift card for christmas ....but I got to work Christmas that year.

The worst , a stupid pin that said "excellence " on it , for nurse's day .

and in appreciation for tenur, a pin with the number of years I had been at the hospital on it ....oh , no ..sorry ..that would have been a wall clock , with the hospital logo on it (like I want THAT in my living room !!)

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