Nurse Quirks

NurseOnAMotorcycle, ASN, RN · Jan 4, 2013

I've never been big for alcohol and never smoked, but since I've started working as a nurse I can't even bring myself to look at the stuff. See too many liver failures, acsites, lung cancer pts gasping for air, altered mental statuses, deaths, etc.

Not something I want to experience.

brillohead, ADN, RN · Jan 4, 2013

The general bacterial load associated with living life as a human being is not the huge threat the advertisers of "sanitizing wipes" tell you.

One of my huge pet peeves is one of those commercials that shows someone spilling jelly on a countertop, and the mom reaches for her "sanitizing wipe" to clean it up. Seriously? It was JELLY, not feces! If it was clean enough for you to eat it, why in the heck would you need to "sanitize" where you wiped it up from? :rolleyes:

Now, the commercial where the potty-training kid "made a poopy" in the bathtub instead of the toilet -- I can understand reaching for some Clorox to clean that one up. But jelly? Seriously?

People are so stupid!

Mulan · Jan 4, 2013

Now, the commercial where the potty-training kid "made a poopy" in the bathtub instead of the toilet -- I can understand reaching for some Clorox to clean that one up. But jelly? Seriously?
People are so stupid!

I haven't seen that commercial and I hope I never do.

Makes me want to puke.

nurseywifeymommy1 · Jan 4, 2013

My quirk is I won't eat any finger food; chips, cookies etc while I'm at work. Yes I wash my hands frequently- but I just can't touch food with my bare hands at work. Saves me from eating junk food and that's always a plus. When I get home my scrubs come off and down the shute, change and use my nail brush to wash under my nails then the kids can hug me and I can snack.

Wrench Party · Jan 5, 2013

Hmm...not really. I guess I eat healthier because it helps my body cope with nursing school and all the stress that brings, and I'm conscious to wash my hands after handling my pets and my livestock, but I don't go overboard with cleaning or care if I eat dirt

attached to something directly from the garden. I've gotten less sick since being in school (before it was usually 1x/year with something stupid like the flu) and attribute it all of my exposure to the little ones in various clinical settings.

I refuse to use antibacterial soap or bleach anywhere except my bathroom, because a bleach product is the only thing that will lighten my grimy bathroom caulk back to white.

pockunit, ADN, RN · Jan 5, 2013

I try to guess if I could stick them or not.

pockunit, ADN, RN · Jan 5, 2013

I'm starting to appreciate the lost art of glove wearing. I mean the gloves people wore in public, not medical ones. Just wear them in public, take them off to eat, etc., et voila, clean hands when you get home. Bonus: harder to put filthy germy fingers in your eyes and mouth if you have gloves on. It's not hard to do where I live, at least 6 months out of the year when it's colder than . . . a place that gets really cold.

BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2013

I always had a bit of OCD. We grab a computer/cart at beginning of shift and I wipe it down, especially the mouse and keyboard. I also grab a chair and wipe it down. I then feel I am starting the shift with "my bugs". I am very good at "holding my breath" without anyone noticing when someone coughs next to me. I also walk away very fast. I have no problem asking if the nurse I am giving report to is sick and when they say they are, I nicely tell them I will give report from a distance and they understand. I do not alcohol/base my hands all day long like so many others. I bring my own utensils to eat with but just toss them in my old bag afterwards and use them again the next day after being slighty wiped down with a papertowel. That is it. And as far as getting colds or sick? I get a cold maybe once every two - three years if that.

Smart in my opinion and practice- Key Boards, Phones, and Faucet Handles were Playgrounds for Gram Negative Bacteria and Late Stage Fungal Spores. Clean Pillowcases right out of your dryer can contain spore levels 10-200 times safe breathing levels, and just by using two pillow cases you cut that risk 85-90%(and they don't know why- few exist on pillow surface- it's at the case surface- and it's bilaterally as bad top and bottom thus proven to not be breath moisture related). I now throw away my cases. I just don't leave decorative ones on bed during sleep now. (Unofficial UMC Study during MPH- evacuation of Hospital Rooms vs. Hotel Rooms in Bacterial and Fungal Spore Comparisons.)

Guest372004 · Jan 5, 2013

Boston...you throw away your pillow cases? Why not save a pile and wash them with bleach?

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Jan 5, 2013

I would say the only thing I really do is assess peoples respiratory statuses. I look at their quality and ease of breathing, and listen to their speech (any indications, like smoking history, allergies, sob). And I check expiration dates a lot more (that is because my students have it ingrained in their heads from 101, so I hear them all saying "i checked the expiration date" in my sleep).

I absolutely do not do any of the "OCD" things that the majority of the posters mentioned. I think it is completely unnecessary, and common sense should prevail in most hygiene/infection potential situations (especially when we, as nurses know the abilities and function of a Normal immune system). If I had a dirty and/or known infectious patient, i will use common sense and change as soon as I get home, shoes In the hallway. Same hamper as the rest of my clothes (unless soiled). Then a shower. I've never brought home a mdro, flu, rsv or anything else to my loved ones. Growing up, I did not have parents who were sticklers for hygiene and cleanliness, and I never got sick.

And for the record, the majority of you don't have OCD. Would you become highly anxious (to the point that you cant function) if you did not open the public restroom door with a paper towel, or enter your home with your nursing shoes on? I'm sorry to be a Debbie downer on this light-hearted thread, but I can't stand the millions of germ-phobes in our society that act as if they have a legitimate mental health disorder. It's really not the same.

Guest372004 · Jan 5, 2013

I do not think I have OCD. I have always been cautious health-wise. Way before I became a nurse, I did not touch door handles in bathrooms unless I had a paper towel. Just go into an airport bathroom and watch as more than 50% do not wash their hands. My daughter does not wash her hands at a restaurant until she has ordered as the menu is filthy. I have never worn my work shoes in the house. I take them off and put them on in the garage. I see nothing wrong with it. We do not wear shoes in the house unless we have people over. And as said, I seldom get sick. I travel in second world countries a lot and obviously I have to eat so I think I do very well. I do not eat much fresh fruit or fresh veggies. I weigh 120 lbs and my BP is 100/60. I don't smoke and rarely drink. I do not take vitamins. And my house needs a good cleaning! I have not had a cold in over two years, maybe three. I have good genes.

CherryAmes_RN · Jan 5, 2013

Smart in my opinion and practice- Key Boards Phones, and Faucet Handles were Playgrounds for Gram Negative Bacteria and Late Stage Fungal Spores. Clean Pillowcases right out of your dryer can contain spore levels 10-200 times safe breathing levels, and just by using two pillow cases you cut that risk 85-90%(and they don't know why- few exist on pillow surface- it's at the case surface- and it's bilaterally as bad top and bottom thus proven to not be breath moisture related). I now throw away my cases. I just don't leave decorative ones on bed during sleep now. (Unofficial UMC Study during MPH- evacuation of Hospital Rooms vs. Hotel Rooms in Bacterial and Fungal Spore Comparisons.)[/quote']
That is so interesting! I've never heard that before.
Off topic, but have been meaning to tell you- I LOVE your name! I have two Boston's