On another board someone mentioned that they were solicited to provide a financial tip after a hospital stay. This is so far out of my experience. I don’t think I’ve ever worked anywhere that even allowed tipping. A plate or box of cookies, ok, but where I work accepting money or something of significant ($5 up eg.) is grounds for termination. So I was wondering if it’s a regional thing.
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I’ve been in medicine, both office and hospital-based for over 25 years, and I’ve never seen any actual tipping occur. I had exactly one patient (a foreigner new to the West) offer me a monetary tip so far in my career. I declined.
I’ve gotten my share of cards, and when I worked in a more traditional office, cookies and cupcakes. But that’s been it.
Specialists used to send lots and lots of gift bags at holiday times if our office referred to them a lot.
This kind of behavior is now generally discouraged.
I’ve never heard of that happened outside of Eastern Europe. My Mom (who works home health & hospice) is constantly getting stuff like cards, baked goods, crafts, baskets, etc. from patients or their families, but she never solicits anything. She once even got jars of sauce from one of her patient’s wives (an Italian women who also insisted on feeding her & everyone who set foot in her house), but never cash.
I work in medicine as well, and I assure you that I do NOT expect any sort of “tip”. Someone actually was asked to tip at the hospital? If this happened in America, I am baffled. Where did this happen, and what kind of worker was asking for a tip? I am guessing that maybe a worker with questionable ethics decided independently to do that.
As Q mentioned, patients do sometimes bring a token of appreciation like cookies or candy, especially around Christmas time. I do appreciate the intention of the gesture, but if I could I’d tell the patients that sort of thing is not really necessary. Just having a patient be considerate and polite is enough of a “thanks”.
Plus, as you mention, accepting a gift that has a notable monetary value can create ethical problems/conflict of interest issues. It is always very awkward to have to decline a gift.
Never heard of actual tipping or solicitation of tips. I work in the clinic part of a large medical center.
I have received small gifts or cards occasionally from patients who have appreciated my kindness and assistance, and many clinics will receive things like boxes of cookies at the winter holidays.
I haven’t volunteered in a hospital (or anywhere else) for about 16 years, but back when I volunteered in a hospital we were specifically told NOT to accept tips, and if someone insisted we should send them to the volunteer office (which was itself a registered charity) and they would happily accept donations.
At the bottom of our path reports, it says:
“If you liked your biopsy results, a gratuity of 15% is customary.”
Well not really, but the idea has a certain appeal.
Not in my neck of the woods. I spend thousands sending Christmas gifts to primary care docs to thank them for the referrals. Who is discouraging that?
The closest I have received is a gift card for dinner out. But a cash tip would seem odd. The staff loves bagels, fruit and other goodies from patients and it is always a very nice thing to do if you want to thank them for caring for you or a loved one.
Absolutely not. Chocolates and pastries are sometimes given to the ward as a whole by way of saying ‘thank you’ but money - never. Not ever.
When my husband was a private duty nurse he was put in the position - several times - of having to politely decline a monetary gift. It’s not considered ethical.
On two occasions, after the death of long-term catastropic care patients, he received gifts from the families of the patient. They were mementos, not cash.
I remember when my mother was having a mastectomy, she was wheeled into surgery with a gift bag between her legs. She had an antique Royal Nippon chocolate pot for Bonnie, her surgeon. She knew Bonnie collected Nippon and wanted to give her this piece. She wanted to watch Bonnie open it, to see the expression on her face.
After surgery, when Bonnie came to talk to the family, she said “are you sure she wants me to have this? It’s so much better than any piece I have!”. We assured her that Mother would love to give something to someone who would appreciate it. Mother wanted her to open it while she watch because she was worried if she died on the table, Bonnie wouldn’t be comfortable taking it.
StG
What a great story, st. Germain. You r mom sounds like a character.
I worked in hospitals in Detroit, and never heard of tipping. IMHO, if it doesn’t happen there, it doesn’t happen anywhere in the US.
I’ve never heard of that either. When my friends are in the hospital, I will bring food for the nursing staff. They never seem to “expect” it. I mean, they are gracious while accepting my gifts, but they don’t seem to think that its what I should do, just that it was nice of me to do it.
I’ve nver considered offering money, and I’m the sort of person who tips the garbage collectors when I’ve left 700 bags of leaves and yard trash out for them.
We often have goodies - things like donuts or chocolate - from the patients at the station on my unit. No one expects it, but it sure is appreciated. Every now and then we have families that bring coffee for all the nurses - it’s a lovely gesture, particularly for those of us on the night shift! I’ve never heard of tipping, though.
The only people I’ve ever seen get tipped at the medical center are the valet parking guys, and they’re not even technically our employees. OP, where was the person from who wrote about this?
It’s expressly forbidden here, and receiving a gift is grounds for termination. I think that we can accept gives valued up to $10 or something like that.
Back when I was in nursing school it was expressly forbidden to accept cash. It was not out of the ordinary for the nursing staff or a ward to receive baskets/donuts/bagels/pizza from former patients.
Same story at my hospital. Not that anyone ever gives gifts to the lab, but if anyone tried, we’d have to decline. I don’t think anyone would enforce that “grounds for termination” rule if it was something like cookies, though.
My mother was a nurse’s aide, and later an RN, at our local hospital for 40 years. She recently went in there for observation for a couple nights after she complained about chest pains. (Everything turned out to be OK.)
When she was being discharged, I was surprised when she asked me for $5.00 to tip the nurse’s aide who had been helping her. (I believe she was an acquaintance back when my mother was a nurse at the hospital.) So at least my mother though it was the thing to do for a nurse’s aide. I don’t think she would do it for a doctor or nurse.