I always say that I get the patients who sue, not the ones that send gift baskets and Sees Candies.
I try to put a positive spin on this fact though because I have zero will power and if sweet treats were in front of me at every shift I would have to spend way more time at the gym. I would rather exercise than diet any day.
But this depends what kind of nursing you do. For example, if you are an emergency nurse or Labor and Delivery nurse, exercise is built into your shift. One ED nurse at my hospital wore a pedometer one day and clocked almost eight miles! That warrants a donut here, a cookie there, a salty potato chip indulgence…you get the idea.
However, I have friends who work in an outpatient infusion type center and every single day they have lunch brought in for them and patients bring them delicious treats. Almost all of those nurses pack on the “Newbie Fifteen” when they start working there. If only we could find a way to burn calories by using our minds!!
Think of it, burn a 100 calories every time you do some med-math, fifty when you hang a new IV bag, 500 when you save a MDs booty by catching his or her mistake. Oh, if only! Then we could indulge every craving!!!