Reflection on patient meal service rotation
Today marked my last foodservice rotation and the end of my 200-hour foodservice rotations. Of course, what I learned shall stick because it's important in the future. Woke up at 4:30 for my 5:30 patient meal service rotation - good way to end it? I think so because I don't have to go in tomorrow!
I mainly worked on the trayline and check the completion for carts for patient meal services. It is stressful on the trayline - approx 500 trays going down that line and you have to screen and put the correct item on the tray! It's even more stressful when the patient is asking for tons of stuff and that sheet is just full!
As for material management... common sense that you don't want to overstock or understock your food items, especially the perishable food. Yet, it is difficult to find the correct amount and usually is a guessing game and based on experience. Technology is very smart but they can only do so much. They can help you predict how much things you need, but can't adjust for you based on situation or requests by bakers/cooks/supervisors.
A major portion in the CK is to manage the employees. You expect that people would do their job correctly because it's their responsibility. If people do their job correctly and efficiently, so much less recovery work needed... but not really... a small percentage tries to play around with policies and make the best out of it - holidays, vacation and benefits etc... trying their best to do the least. Disciplines play such a big role in shaping up their behaviors. Sometimes I wonder if that is the only way to do it... kinda like threaten them so they could do their job better. Or... sometimes I wonder if education level does play a role in better work ethics.
I learned the flow in the kitchen from receiving to producing meals to sending the trays to the patients. Sometimes I pity the CK and cafeteria because they receive so much crap and yet they are trying so hard to fulfill people's "unreasonable desires and needs".
And the truth is you can't make everyone happy.
Anyway, I am happy to finish my first quarter of grad school and foodservice rotation! Bring it on, clinicals!!
I mainly worked on the trayline and check the completion for carts for patient meal services. It is stressful on the trayline - approx 500 trays going down that line and you have to screen and put the correct item on the tray! It's even more stressful when the patient is asking for tons of stuff and that sheet is just full!
As for material management... common sense that you don't want to overstock or understock your food items, especially the perishable food. Yet, it is difficult to find the correct amount and usually is a guessing game and based on experience. Technology is very smart but they can only do so much. They can help you predict how much things you need, but can't adjust for you based on situation or requests by bakers/cooks/supervisors.
A major portion in the CK is to manage the employees. You expect that people would do their job correctly because it's their responsibility. If people do their job correctly and efficiently, so much less recovery work needed... but not really... a small percentage tries to play around with policies and make the best out of it - holidays, vacation and benefits etc... trying their best to do the least. Disciplines play such a big role in shaping up their behaviors. Sometimes I wonder if that is the only way to do it... kinda like threaten them so they could do their job better. Or... sometimes I wonder if education level does play a role in better work ethics.
I learned the flow in the kitchen from receiving to producing meals to sending the trays to the patients. Sometimes I pity the CK and cafeteria because they receive so much crap and yet they are trying so hard to fulfill people's "unreasonable desires and needs".
And the truth is you can't make everyone happy.
Anyway, I am happy to finish my first quarter of grad school and foodservice rotation! Bring it on, clinicals!!
Comments
Post a Comment