[CritterLover]

Originally Posted by stevielynn

Shoes are probably one of the most dirty parts of what we wear everyday.
Although I don't see the difference between Crocs and running shoes.

steph

Completely agree about shoes being dirty (though I get the above point about the name tags )

Thing is, all shoes get dirty. Crocs (and others like them) are sooooo easy to clean. The same disinfectant cloths, or dispatch (spray bleach) on a rag will clean them easily. Nikes are harder to clean.

I used to have Daskos, and I really loved them. But they were suede, and I couldn't get them clean. Mine were navy, and there were places where I could see old, dried blood. Yuck.

I do agree, though, that the crocs with the holes on the top shouldn't be worn in acute care. The shoes may be easy to clean if blood gets on them, but the socks underneath arn't. Not only that, but the socks don't provide much of a barrier between blood (or whatever) and skin. I used to have the crocs that only had the side vents, and the only problem I had was with puddles when it rained. Now they have crocs without any holes, and I like them much better. They are harder to find, though.

[PANurseRN1]

Originally Posted by CRNI-ICU20

Maybe we should just wrap ourselves in Kevalar saran wrap!!
How about going NEEDLESS??? isn't that a mandate?
As for the infection control?? for feet??? are you kidding me? Anyone who has worked in OR, or other types of environments will tell you that anything below the waist is considered 'unsterile' anyway....so whatEVER you wear on your feet isn't the issue...
I don't think bacteria is discriminating between a pair of Crocs as opposed to a pair of Nike's....
I think there are good arguments for Crocs....so I am not sure where this is coming from.....
since we seem to live in such an 'evidenced based' medical society now.....why not ask that LTC employer/administrator just where the evidence based conclusions are coming from?
Betcha' a Dunkin' Donut she doesn't know...

LOL! Asolutely true!

[nursemommy1971]

Our hospital does not ban Crocs, but my sister is a human resource manager of a hospital, and they ban the crocs with holes. I personally wear my Danskos and leave them in the locker room at the end of the day. Lawd, Lawd, I didn't even think about my badge. Have mercy, its a hard life for a nurse germaphobe!

[morte]

could it be that the employer foresees a liability issue? a nurse gets an infection in/on her/his foot, and sues? because, quite frankly, i dont see them caring that much about US......

[Spidey's mom]

I clean my name badge several times a shift and my stethoscope after every use. One of the docs borrows mine all the time - I clean it for him prior and then clean it again after.

I wear New Balance. They get tossed in the wash with bleach about once a week.

steph

[rngreenhorn]

Originally Posted by CRNI-ICU20

Maybe we should just wrap ourselves in Kevalar saran wrap!!
How about going NEEDLESS??? isn't that a mandate?
As for the infection control?? for feet??? are you kidding me? Anyone who has worked in OR, or other types of environments will tell you that anything below the waist is considered 'unsterile' anyway....so whatEVER you wear on your feet isn't the issue...
I don't think bacteria is discriminating between a pair of Crocs as opposed to a pair of Nike's....
I think there are good arguments for Crocs....so I am not sure where this is coming from.....
since we seem to live in such an 'evidenced based' medical society now.....why not ask that LTC employer/administrator just where the evidence based conclusions are coming from?
Betcha' a Dunkin' Donut she doesn't know...

Make it a Krispy Kream and you're on....

And you think it is a pain dressing and undressing in the paper isolation gowns. Imagine wrapping and unwrapping with Kevalar saran wrap... and what about ours heads? Full kevalar helmets?

[nursebrandie28]

I personally love crocs!!! If they ban them, I seriously think I would leave that hospital!! JAHCO can kiss my A$$

Plus i love the fact that you can take a sani wipe and wipe them clean!!

[SharkLPN]

Originally Posted by CRNI-ICU20

Maybe we should just wrap ourselves in Kevalar saran wrap!!
How about going NEEDLESS??? isn't that a mandate?
As for the infection control?? for feet??? are you kidding me? Anyone who has worked in OR, or other types of environments will tell you that anything below the waist is considered 'unsterile' anyway....so whatEVER you wear on your feet isn't the issue...
I don't think bacteria is discriminating between a pair of Crocs as opposed to a pair of Nike's....
I think there are good arguments for Crocs....so I am not sure where this is coming from.....
since we seem to live in such an 'evidenced based' medical society now.....why not ask that LTC employer/administrator just where the evidence based conclusions are coming from?
Betcha' a Dunkin' Donut she doesn't know...

Hmm... It's rather difficult to give SQ insulin or heparin/lovenox without a needle. Same goes for IM injections.

Personally, I think vented Crocs ARE an infection control issue for that reason.

[miko014]

I LOVE my crocs!!!!! I wear the kind with no holes - and you're right, they are harder to find. In fact, I emailed Dick's Sporting Goods (one of the places near me that sells them) and also told a Hallmark employee (where they carry the closed toe variety - but only in kids sizes (???)) - I told both of them that lots of people want the closed variety, and they both said they'd "look into it". So some more people need to tell retailers that instead of the 37 pairs of neon pink holey ones, they could have maybe just 30 pairs of pink holey and throw in a couple black closed toes.

That being said, they SHOULD ban the holey ones. That's a huge infection risk and safety issue. I don't see how they don't count as open toed shoes. Also, I think one of the biggest issues is that people come in wearing purple scrubs and bright pink holey crocs. That's not professional at all. They make them in black, white, tan, navy, etc. Why do you ahve to get orange ones (and wear them with your green scrubs)? Anyway, I really don't see how they can ban crocs alltogether without banning all clogs. In fact, the crocs seem safer as far as falls go, because they have a heel strap (I dont' know how many people actually use it, but it's there!).

[S.T.A.C.E.Y]

The hospital I'm at has not banned crocs (or any other clogs for that matter). The health and safety regulations simply state that any type of clogs someone may wear must have a heel strap being worn too.

My understanding of going against this policy, is that if you are hurt at work (and it has something to do with your footwear), and you have violated the policy, workman's compensation may not cover you for your injuries.

Personally I would see that the heel strap being worn would be a bigger issue than infection control.....so long as the crocs with no holes on top are worn. They are far easier to clean, than say mesh topped running shoes...and probably provide more protection against something like a needledrop.

Good luck to you!