Can-Nurses-accept-Money-from-Patients

Nursing is not an easy job to do. It becomes more complicated when patients want to give money to their caretakers as a gift. Under these circumstances, nurses are confused and ask their seniors can nurses accept money from patients? The short answer is “Yes” and “No” at the same time.

For the “yes,” they can accept gifts and food items from their patients because nurses have the right to be recognized and receive appreciation for their excellent job. They can enjoy inexpensive gifts from their patients and their families. 

For the answer “No,” there is also a reason. In his report, Andrew Caddel, a medical student at Dalhousie University, mentioned this. “Taking a huge amount of money or expensive gifts as a nurse is unethical according to the National Library of Medicine.”

3 Rules on accepting Gifts from Patients: 

Well, it is not good to accept expensive gifts from your patients. But in some cases, it is not as rigid as we are terrified. it is ethically correct to accept gifts from patients so they can show appreciation for their care. Nevertheless, there are some rules and ethics to accepting gifts from clients. 

Rule Number 01:

Here the question is; can nurses accept gift cards from patients? The sweet and short answer is “yes, they can.” Nurses can buy gift cards and thank you notes from their patients. 

Rule Number 02:

Should nurses refuse to take little gifts like handmade things or food? “Yes,” nurses reserve the right to receive homegrown gifts. 

Rule Number 03:

Can healthcare workers accept gifts as doctors and nurses do? Of course, they can get thank you gifts that are not affecting their job and violate their healthcare policies. 

Similarly, all physical therapists can accept gifts from patients. Because receiving appreciation is necessary for the betterment of nursing staff.

Can nurses accept food from Patients?

As I mentioned above, nurses can accept food from their patients. Sometimes, patients get emotionally attached to their health workers and want to enjoy meals with their nurses. Under these circumstances, it is not positive to refuse a patient to eat a one-time meal with them. Somehow they feel sad, and it impacts their physical health.

Also, it is not a thing to hide from managers and staff members. Neither does it impacts your nursing profession negatively nor against the rules of a health organization. Thus bringing a smile to patients’ faces by giving them your time is beneficial. 

In contrast, if the patient orders expensive food items from a well-known restaurant. Also, they have some secret desires for you in the form of extra care. Then you should refuse them politely by saying that it is against your hospital policies and will affect your presence at your workplace.

Why is it unethical to accept Gifts from clients?

While questioning about can nurses accept money from patients many also think for the gits? So, It is unfair to accept gifts from clients. Sometimes, patients want preference from medical staff. For taking care, they offer expensive gifts to nurses and doctors. Thus the whole environment of a hospital or clinic offend. This attitude leads to a lack of attention for other patients.

Additionally, colleagues see the gift receiver as a briber who is breaking the hospital’s rules. In this way, your nursing career will be in danger.

Moreover, discussing financial issues with your patients and hoping for money is unethical. You are not allowed to reveal your financial secrets to your patients.

If they are curious about you, you have to reveal your care secrets, job description, and other truths about your profession. 

Morals for accepting Money from Patients: 

In rare cases, patients offer money to their nurses as a thank you gift. Then nurses should follow the ethics for accepting money from patients. My colleague told me that the “patient gave me money as a thank you gift.” I was surprised to hear about it because I was a newbie.

Later on, I came to know under the belt, an amount from $10-$20 is acceptable because it is not considered a bribe and is only offered as a thank you gift for the kind services by a nurse. 

When people present gifts, they express their gratitude in a mannered way. They are familiar with their physician’s financial circumstances and believe that the doctor can buy better stuff than them. Yet they express their feelings by offering gifts or sometimes money to their doctor or nurse.

Therefore, it is not possible to refuse their soul lightly. So nurses and doctors have some ethics for accepting money from patients. When nurses face the situation where they are being forced to receive money from their patients, they should get the gift and share it with their colleagues and manager to register it in their records. 

Ultimately, health organizations consider it unfair to accept money from patients because they are not familiar with the circumstances and cannot differentiate between a gift and a bribe. 

Sometimes, it is difficult to accept a patient’s gratitude openly and share it with the office team.

Should you tip your Doctor for his kind services? 

Suppose you are a smug patient and want to present a gift to your doctor. But you are confused with the hospital policies and think should you tip your doctor for their kind services? Then trust me, patients tip their nurses and doctors for their professionalism. 

Usually, thank you gifts for nurses in cards, food, and money are common. But doctors are uncomfortable with such types of gifts, significantly cash. If you give it to your doctor, they will consider it nothing less than a bribe.

On the other hand, if you go through the strict routine of doctors. Then you will be sad to know that many doctors suffer from depression because of long working hours and the smell of medicines. 

Thus you can send them a thank you note or a greeting card asking them about their challenging routine.

In a Nutshell:

Nursing is not an easy job. It is full of complexities. The most important thing is that nurses should avoid being influenced by gifts and money. 

To conclude, being a nurse, I always try not to accept expensive gift boxes or money. Only allow your patients to give you little gifts and greeting cards. Then share your skills with your administration. That will enhance your credibility as a nurse. 

So readers, How was the article on “Can nurses accept money from patients?” What would you like to do with your patients? Would you refuse to bring gifts? Or would you prefer to accept greeting cards instead? Let me know in the comment section. Cheers!

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