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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Nurses eating on shift...

575 replies

PatsyAndEddy · 12/07/2013 20:44

Just back from hospital visiting a friend who had her tonsils out today. She had to fast from 10 pm last night and didn't get taken for her op until 2pm, that's a long time without food for anyone!

She missed dinner on the ward but they got her a sandwich but she's really sore and hungry!

On the ward her bed is right next to the nurses station. She said they were sitting munching on a large bag of kettle chips in front of her between the three of them. She commented on how she thought that was a but mean, they snapped back saying 'well we have to eat' at which point my friend reminded them that's what they're breaks were for.

I don't think she's flavour of the month in the ward! She can be a bit of a grump at the best of times but starving, sore and groggy I think she reached her limit!

We're the nurses being unreasonable, eating on shift?

OP posts:
float62 · 12/07/2013 23:09

But vintage isn't it better to put up with those hardships (labelling, bullying, difficulties finding a similar job) than put up with doing a bad job and harming/killing someone because the working conditions are so inhumane? Hard choice yes, but take your pick, complicit or conscience?

Xmasbaby11 · 12/07/2013 23:10

YABU! It must have been hard to watch people - anyone- eating when she was hungry, but nurses work hard and often odd hours so may need to /want to snack in between breaks - if they get them at all!

What you have to remember about nurses is that they are pretty much always visible. It's not like in other jobs where you could quickly check your email, make a personal call, make a cup of tea. They are only human.

Mimishimi · 12/07/2013 23:12

They don't get many breaks at all.

And it's "their" and "Were".

NutcrackerFairy · 12/07/2013 23:13

float that's one of the reasons I got out.

JackNoneReacher · 12/07/2013 23:13

Eating kettle chips in front of someone who hasn't eaten for 18 hours and is starving...

we're talking about nurses here and if even they lack the most fundamental empathy to step outside to stuff their faces what hope is there.

Twattybollocks · 12/07/2013 23:17

I have 2 sisters, one a nurse and one a midwife. I hear firsthand from them just how understaffed their wards are, and just how little chance of a break they have most days. I also used to volunteer as a bf supporter on the postnatal ward and it was normal staffing to have 3 midwives covering 8 postnatal bays with 4 beds each, and 8 side rooms, and the 2 antenatal bays, with 6 beds each. The staff on that ward didn't know what day of the bloody week it was let alone what time of the day they were so busy. Of course the thing with maternity wards is that some days the bays would only be half full, and the workload was almost manageable, but other days when they were packed it was a nightmare. Often times I had to mention to the mw that I thought the baby in bed x was looking a bit poor and could she go have a look (poor as in jittery, screechy low blood sugar cry) because I might be the only person with even a slight degree of experience of tiny babies who had seen the baby awake all day. My sister frequently suffers from Uti because she goes an entire 12 hour shift without having time to go to the toilet. My other sister has passed out on the ward due to lack of food/water.
I'm not making this up, this is the state of play in many hospitals up and down the country.

Mimishimi · 12/07/2013 23:28

Jack They are probably not allowed to eat anywhere but the nurses station for hygiene reasons.

cardibach · 12/07/2013 23:29

I find the terminology used about eating on this site really annoying - 'munching on' 'stuffing their faces' etc. There are other examples on this thread. It is as though eating at all is an activity to be frowned upon.

OP YABU. Your friend couldn't eat for 16 hours. Big deal. The nurses were busy and some crisps were available. No problem. Whoever mentioned Ramadan has a pint - except the students in my class doing it start their fast at 2am and finish at 8pm. Every day for the month.

AnyFucker · 12/07/2013 23:36

Yes, those dirty, greedy bastard nurses eating some crisps, eh

Sack the fucking lot of 'em.....

ZingWidge · 12/07/2013 23:39

whatever next!

ZingWidge · 12/07/2013 23:42

and I wish the nurse had handed some crisps to your friend OP.

perfect snack after a tonsillectomy!

your friend is BU.
she needs to chill

Plus3 · 12/07/2013 23:43

I have the expertise to run a certain bit of kit in Intensive care. I have worked 13 hour shifts as the only person qualified to do this & have had the parents go to the kitchen to make me cups of tea because I can't leave the room. I am sure they don't in anyway resent me for this.

DizzyPurple · 12/07/2013 23:45

It's all been said but hey, give us a break! Nurses work really hard. A busy day on the ward can be hell. Constant pressure to be somewhere doing something, helping others, doing the drugs, trying to support students and junior staff, giving the patients a little time to talk while your doing their drugs, changing their dressings, rushing to theatre, CT, ultrasound, ....
A 12.5 hour shift is often a 13+ hour shift, short snatched breaks. If you sit for more than about 10 minutes you get a guilt complex and feel like you should be back out there helping the others. Breaks are frequently interrupted. Many days you enter the ward at say 7.15 am then don't set foot outside the door until 9 pm. Is this just where I work? I don't think so. And we're all lazy??? What planet are you lot on?!

susiedaisy · 12/07/2013 23:48

I've just finished a very busy shift with no break and had to eat half a cheese sandwich stood behind the office door so patients wouldn't see me and feel they needed to complain, otherwise go nearly 12 hours with no food, I'm absolutely shattered after that shift working in 25 degrees of heat, no break and eating half a sandwich and a drink of water in about 30 seconds flat. I think your friend is being unreasonable. Hth

DizzyPurple · 12/07/2013 23:51

That was quite therapeutic thanks. Currently having a bit of crisis of confidence and it has crossed my mind several times lately to give up nursing but actually reading this thread has been helpful!

There are lots of great hardworking unappreciated nurses out there and the odd lazy one. Before you sit and tar us all with the same brush, just think what we really do and try and show a bit more compassion. We're doing our best for you. Sorry if that's not good enough but so much is out of our control. And yes it's a vocation. It's very hard work but we (mostly) love it despite the negatives to us. I may just stay!

susiedaisy · 12/07/2013 23:51

Oh and shut up JackNoneTheReacher, your talking crap!

Butterflywgs · 12/07/2013 23:54

YANBU OP - that is utterly disgraceful. Nasty. Not to mention unhygienic, eating on a ward with sick people around, probably getting crumbs everywhere ffs. I feel so sorry for your friend being treated like that when she was vulnerable OP. People who have been through 'minor' surgery often don't understand the impact it has. I've had my tonsils out and had various other minor surgeries and it is not trivial. If nurses had done that to me they'd be lucky if I didn't slap them Angry
As were the nurses who during one recent hospital stay left me to puke everything up and when there was nothing left, retch miserably. I was so dehydrated I knew I had to drink water, but it didn't stay down. Guess what these angels did? Removed my water. And denied me anti-emetic meds. I ended up on a drip to rehydrate. Sad
Sounds like they were sitting around chatting and sharing a bag of crisps, you have your own time to do that in ffs.
Good comments from marriedinwhiteagain.
From my experiences hospitals are not understaffed at all and while there are some good staff, most are rude, lazy and uninterested. Stop using 'under-resourced' as an excuse.
And if you don't enjoy being a nurse, get another job. Don't take it out on vulnerable people.

AnyFucker · 13/07/2013 00:02

Yes, physically attack nurses if they dare to eat crisps within 12 feet of you

That'll reach the disrespectful bitches,, yeah

AnyFucker · 13/07/2013 00:05

Slap the fuckers silly

That'll teach 'em to need some food on a 12 hour shift

sweetestcup · 13/07/2013 00:05

From my experiences hospitals are not understaffed at all and while there are some good staff, most are rude, lazy and uninterested. Stop using 'under-resourced' as an excuse

Hospitals are understaffed as posts are not being filled when people leave, thats a fact. There is no way you can claim "MOST" staff are rude, lazy and uninterested, that is a complete lie.

vintagecakeisstillnice · 13/07/2013 00:07

float62, there are many many reason why I left.

A totally fucked up back that never got a chance to recover from one injury before getting another

Persistent systemic infections mainly due to stress.

No outside life as we were constantly short staffed and as I worked in a specialist area there was a small pool of staff, so knowing if I refused to cover I was potentially putting both my friends/peers and patients at risk. And as I was the only one at that time with no children I knew that my colleague would also have the hassle of sorting child care.
I missed 8 Christmas in a row with my family.

After 16 years of this my OH sat me down and said this is silly, you're either going to end up in CCU, an Acute Mental Health Unit or the Morgue.

It still took 6 months till I left, because I finally realised that as long as I was there to be blackmailed in to covering every short shift they would never recruit any more staff.

The day I handed in my notice I was told it was probably for the best as 'everyone' knew I was a trouble maker. I was told my 'card' had been marked after I kicked off about students been included in the staffing numbers and pulled the university in. (This had happened 7-8 years earlier) So basically I would never have been allowed get to a position where I could have had real influence.

Sometimes you cant be the kid with the finger in the dam, sometimes you have to be the one to let the leak happen and alert the others. Which is what I do now. I protest and campaign for decent staffing levels and I advocate for Nurses and patients.

whois · 13/07/2013 00:07

Your friend sounds like a right grumpy cow. Nurses totally not U to eat something on their shift.

smallfaces · 13/07/2013 00:11

It's was only crisps for fucks sake. It's not like they were going up to her taunting her with them. I'm a student nurse and when I'm on the wards even I'm lucky to get a break never mind the qualified nurses! Your friend sounds an absolute treat ...

DizzyPurple · 13/07/2013 00:16

There are quite a few of you on here seem to be rather grumpy and extremely happy to have a go at the nurses! Why? Do you think our job is really easy? Could you do it?? With no breaks of course. And all the unsocial hours and yes missing Christmas, Easter, numerous special occasions with family and friends and feeling guilty at work and home because of it. Yes, it's so easy. How dare we want to sit down occasionally. Or eat, or just chill out for a few minutes. Totally unreasonable.

2much2young · 13/07/2013 00:18

Are you fucking kidding me? NO they were NBU AT ALL. Nurses barely get a moment to take a piss let alone take a designated break. FFS!

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