Re: What happens to nurses with CA-MRSA? Originally Posted by Arwen_U 
I don't know for sure, but I'm sure if you swabbed our (nurses') nares, a generous percentage of us would come up MRSA +. So no, you don't lose your job! If you have an active infection, however, it would be fair for your employer to insist you get txed and bring proof before you come back to work.
MRSA is out there, and has been out there for a long long time.
True story, I've told this before on allnurses: Back when I was a newbie, I had a pt with a g-tube that I was meeting a little resistance flushing. All of a sudden every bit of that g-tube juice came flying back in my face. A couple days later I'm back & see the isolation cart outside her door - MRSA in the g-tube. I'm sure I'd come back +.
I have a similar story to add to yours.
This past summer, I took care of a patient who had an active case of MRSA in her urine. She also had a foley, which had been placed at the LTC facility(she resided at) prior to this hospital admission. In fact, the cath had been in for quite some, yet it still had the original bag connected to it. Believe me when I say it all looked gross, for lack of a better word.
On the "day of the incident", the RN decided to change the tubing/bag and asked me to stand by in case she needed a 2nd set of hands. As luck would have it, when she disconnected the cath from the tubing, some urine(and I mean more than just a few drops) sprayed out and splashed me in the face near my mouth. After washing my face with soap and water several(!!!) times, I notified the Charge Nurse of what happened. Initially, she did not think anything had to be done, other than filing a report and washing the site. However, to cover her rear & mine, she called the House Supervisor, who then called the ER doctor who said that I had to report to the ER STAT(!!) for evaluation. Trust me, this is not the way to get quick service in the emergency room. In the end, the doctor said the chances of me being infected were slim to none because no urine actually entered my mouth &/or came close to any mucous membranes. Also, since I did not have any open sores or cuts on my face, it would be hard for the bacteria to enter my skin. But here's the most interesting comment from the doctor: "Testing you for MRSA would be pointless because everybody has MRSA in their nares. And just because it's present in someone's nares doesn't mean they are actively contagious".
So, after spending ~2-1/2 hours in the ER and getting paid for it, I was allowed to return to work with no restrictions and no required follow-ups.
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