Do you shower when you get off work???

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm just curious if those of you who have nurse-to-patient contact... Do you shower when you get home from work??

I'm kind of a freak when it comes to showering... I have to shower in the morning and then before bed each night... So I know once I start working in the field, I will be showering when I get home anyway, but I'm curious if I wasn't this way to begin with if I would still shower or not...

Just curious...

LOL I guess I am a germophobe too then!

My laundry machines are in my garage, so when I get out of the car, I strip and toss in everything and start them up, head into the house in bra and panties, and go straight to the shower, kids dogs cats and hubby can wait for their germ free hugs and kisses. Small price to pay for health. a Large majority of my patients have C-Diff, MRSA, and VRE, several are HIV positive and Hep C histories, so I don't think I am a germophobe, just being cautious and protecting my family and myself.

Almost never. I work night shift and when I get home, i usually go to bed in my scrubs. I wake up several hours later, and then go out to do errands in the same scrubs and do everything I need to do for the day. Then usually, if I'm still tired that night, I still wear the same thing when I go to sleep. Then the next morning I shower. I sniff myself and I don't smell - I am not a sweater. I'm far from a germaphobe. Once I was handling an MRSA patient and left the room and then went to eat a bag of potatoe chips without washing my hands. I'm not sure why everyone is so worried about MRSA, some people in the "general" public carry MRSA on their skin and it's not a big deal.

Well I guess no one uses lotion. Or has any recommendations on good lotion that actually works.

How can all the showering yall are doing not dry out your skin??

Specializes in Operating Room.

I've taken showers AT work when I've been scrubbed on a messy case. But, in general, I don't shower immediately after coming home from work. One could make the argument that our homes and the community have plenty of bacteria too. Especially, if you have or work with children. They're cute, but germy.

Like the late great George Carlin stated, your immune system needs practice.:D

I don't usually shower when I get home. I work 3rds in a memory care facility where the residents do not have a medical component to their condition - they aren't "sick" and they are generally continent. I very rarely have to mess with body fluids. I do shower when I get home if I didn't get to before I went in or if I get super sweaty! However, then I usually won't shower before I go in the next evening unless I've done something to get sweaty or dirty.

I try not to shower twice a day, though. To me, it is a waste of water and money, and with our environment the way it is, I have been trying to do what I can to conserve a little.

Also, my skin and hair would be so dry if I were to shower 2 or 3 times a day. Yikes!

Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

Not usually. I get home late, am tired, and don't want to go to bed with damp hair. I usually shower the next day, when I wake up. Of course, if I had any sort of body fluid splash, I'd probably shower at work, but so far, it hasn't happened. I'm meticulous about using PPE and good hand hygeine. I do change my shoes at work, though.

Specializes in ER, Peds ER.

When I was just working and I lived with roommates I would come in from work and go straight to the shower and wash my scrubs as soon as I got out of the shower as not to contaminate the whole house and everyone in it.

Now that it's just me and my dogs and I go to school on top of working I've become a little more laxed about it. Most days I have to go straight to class from work so I go to class in my scrubs and when I get home I'll usually lounge around for a couple of hours before I shower unless I just feel particularly icky. Once my girlfriend moves in I'll go back to showering as soon as I get home. But for right now I'm still pretty laxed about it.

Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

I feel so disgusting after work, 30 minute shower is the solution.

Maybe it's a must for us to cleanse our body of all the germs we have gotten in contact while doing our jobs especially in hospitals. We must spare our family members, right?

Almost never. I work night shift and when I get home, i usually go to bed in my scrubs. I wake up several hours later, and then go out to do errands in the same scrubs and do everything I need to do for the day. Then usually, if I'm still tired that night, I still wear the same thing when I go to sleep. Then the next morning I shower. I sniff myself and I don't smell - I am not a sweater. I'm far from a germaphobe. Once I was handling an MRSA patient and left the room and then went to eat a bag of potatoe chips without washing my hands. I'm not sure why everyone is so worried about MRSA, some people in the "general" public carry MRSA on their skin and it's not a big deal.

Rock on!:D

I do most of the time, however if you think about it, there are people walking around our homes our stores our schools our streets prior to entering our hospitals.........so being phobic could really get out of control, couldn't it? Using universal precautions including PPE at necessary times is our first and most important line of defense.

When we did clinicals at the nursing home and were workign with dementia patients, I came home and showered immediately. Even though we weren't dealing with illness- related germs, we were touching people, in a medical setting, and dealt with bodily fluids. No way was I going to walk around the rest of the day without showring. Yuck.

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