Hiring a nurse that's a carrier of MRSA - Can that happen?

[Halla17]

Hello.

I was wondering if somebody can give me a solid, credible answer to this question that I have wondered for years. I am in my fourth year of undergraduate school, but I am not a nursing major. A few years back (when I was a pre-nursing major), I had an RN tell me that if I was a carrier of MRSA that nobody would ever hire me as a nurse, so I shyed away from going down the nursing career path and changed my major. I'm still interested in pursuing nursing and have been looking at many Direct Entry MSN programs for graduates with degrees in non-nursing fields. A few years ago, I had a few MRSA infections and since then I haven't had any infections. About three years ago I was tested from a culture in my nose and was officially told that I was a carrier of MRSA. Before, I really decide to continue with my education, I need to know whether or not a hospital or any company would hire a registered nurse which is a carrier of MRSA? Is this simply a rumor or would it be a waste of time to pursue a nursing career as a carrier of MRSA and never get hired?

Thank you so much in advance for any information anyone can provide me with.

[blinks14]

I had heard that our Infectious Disease department had once picked a nursing unit to swab to see what the incidence of MRSA was and it turned out they never released the results presumably because so many actually carried it.

[jjensen]

I am sure by the time that I retire, I will have MRSA and VRE... Just the nature of the job...

[mina123]

per infection control 99% of nurses are carrier of MRSA in there nares. It's not a problem now when we are young and healthy but when we get sick OR if we get some immunosuppresant diseases that's when it becomes a problem. Yes most nurses are carrier but does not mean u actively have MRSA. Just like in case of T.B. some are active carrier some are passive.!!!!!!!!! AND true if they let people who are carrier of MRSA go there won't be anybody left no nurses and no doctors!!!!!!!!