CenterBHSFan;560069 wrote:As a woman, here's my guess:
She just wanted to see if you'd do it. Much like somebody else already said. Hate to break it to ya, but that's the scenario that makes the most sense.
I mean, there's no cafeteria? She couldn't order in? Brown bag? Vending machines?
So, yeah. She was sort of testing those waters.
As a nurse I can honestly say this...if you can't find someone to cover your patients then no you can't run down to the cafeteria, running to the break room IF you are able to order in might be possible. However if you have 4 to 5 patients and it is close to time to give report (she might not have the same patients for both shifts) or it is even remotely close to time to give meds (and it does take time to be in the med. room, log into the pixus, scan all the meds, scan the pts arm bad for each & every med. etc) then be ready to down your food in less than 5 mins. It is a JACHO violation to consume food and/or drink at the nurses’ station, so you can’t eat it there. Also leaving your pts when another nurse can't FULLY cover them can actually be considered abandonment which is a punishable offense. There was a case down here recently when a nurse came into work after having dental surgery. It was a mistake and she ended up getting very sick. She decided to leave maybe 20 mins into her shift. But since she had already taken report she was mandated to stay until an oncall replacement could be called in to take her place. Because she didn't, in thinking that the other nurses would cover her, she was sanctioned and received a several thousand dollar fine and had her license suspended for abandonment .
Had she already known she was going to have to work a double? If not she might not have planned a head of time to have extra food with her. Also, even if she got a break, not all hospital cafeterias are open past 7 or 8 pm. Does she work 12s or 8s? I'd hate to think of her working 24 hours straight....not safe. I mean it might have just came down to this; she was there taking care of other people for several hours (her job yes, but not an easy one), she was tired, hungry and maybe was just hoping that someone could be nice and do something for her. I'm that way with my Hubby, I don't mind going out of my way to be nice. Before we moved when he worked an hour away and forgot his lunch at home...I took it to him without him having to ask. Very pregnant, loaded the other wee ones up in the car took it to him, let the kids see him for 10 mins or so and then came home. Sometimes there is nothing wrong with putting other people's needs first. I mean what is an extra couple of hours or so out of your day when it is not something you do every day, once a week, heck once a month even.
