SOOOO HOT AT WORK!!

Nurses General Nursing

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Let me start off by saying I'm currently 31 weeks pregnant. I get so darn hot at work it's unbelievable. Especially when I get stuck in an isolation room assisting with a thoracentesis for 30 minutes in one of those plastic blue gowns, or if I'm in a TB isolation room wearing a fricken N95 mask. I have had to stick my head in a freezer for like 15 minutes a couple of times because I thought I was going to pass out. What do you think about getting a little fan for my cow? (Computer on Wheels) Have you ever seen anyone do this? It's always so hot in a lot of my patients rooms because I work on a pulmonary floor and a lot are old with pneumonia and are "freezing cold!!"

Is that on top of refusing smelly patients, big patients, patients at the end of the hall or just too far apart, along with all the other irrational reasons that the LAZY of the pregnant nurses give for refusing to do their job?

Nobody is asking you to lay your fetus in a pool of pseudomonas infected wound exudate. Just asking you to do your job when there is no increased risk. If you were being asked to care for a patient with parvo, you might have a point. MRSA and TB? You're either grossly uninformed or just being lazy and banking on the "You're a horrible person if you'd ask me to RISK MY BABY" being enough to make people scared to call you on it.

No one where I work would be scared to call anyone out on it and have......... lo Some times almost all the pts on my unit are on isolation protocol

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Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.

I was a nursing student while pregnant and people were much more protective of me than I was of myself.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Why would you not put a pregnant woman in an isolation room?

Because a pregnant women's immune system is lower and also treating infections is more complicated over what meds are safe to take when you are pregnant. I think it is a common courtesy or should be to minimize isolation patients for pregnant women. Maybe it's not always possible, but certainly would be appreciated!

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Is that on top of refusing smelly patients, big patients, patients at the end of the hall or just too far apart, along with all the other irrational reasons that the LAZY of the pregnant nurses give for refusing to do their job?

Nobody is asking you to lay your fetus in a pool of pseudomonas infected wound exudate. Just asking you to do your job when there is no increased risk. If you were being asked to care for a patient with parvo, you might have a point. MRSA and TB? You're either grossly uninformed or just being lazy and banking on the "You're a horrible person if you'd ask me to RISK MY BABY" being enough to make people scared to call you on it.

I think you're over reacting. During morning sickness smells might make it worse. Also it is harder to move patients when you're belly is growing and putting a strain on your lower back and the ligaments are looser. What's wrong with accommodating a fellow worker to make their job a little easier! Isn't that what team work is about? Usually there are several nurses on a wing so its not like one RN is getting dumped on like you seem to imply. As far as room location if you try to group patients per nurse in a section that would make it easier for everyone. I do think a person is at greater risk of getting TB when pregnant. If it's not necessary, why force the pregnant nurse to take isolation patients. They are only going to be pregnant for 9 months, not a lifetime!

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
If it's not necessary, why force the pregnant nurse to take isolation patients. They are only going to be pregnant for 9 months, not a lifetime!

Because that is

A) asking for special treatment (aside from medically warranted cases, such as measles)

B) increasing the workload of the non-pregnant nurses.

IF there are coworkers willing to trade patients, that is one thing. But to expect to not have to carry one's fair share of the workload due to pregnancy reeks of entitlement.

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Specializes in NICU, OB/GYN.

I hope that some of you aren't my coworkers.

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Specializes in NICU, OB/GYN.

Why should any nurse put 2 lives at risk by exposure to an infectious disease, as opposed to one? If possible, spread out the patients in isolation to the non-pregnant, non-immunocompromised nurses and call it a day.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Why should any nurse put 2 lives at risk by exposure to an infectious disease, as opposed to one?

So you're saying the lives of the pregnant nurse and her fetus are more valuable than the life of the non-pregnant nurses and that such justifies unfair workloads?

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Wow, that escalated from a person being hot at work to an attack on pregnant nurses. Back to the original point, I hope you can find something to help cool off at work. To those attacking, I'm glad none of you were my coworkers when I was pregnant!

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Specializes in ICU.

So you're saying the lives of the pregnant nurse and her fetus are more valuable than the life of the non-pregnant nurses and that such justifies unfair workloads?

I'm pretty sure unborn babies are at much higher risk for complications (you know, like death) from infections and harmful exposures from mom.

We don't give our pregnant nurses XDR or TB patients and I think that's fair. We also don't give them to any of our nurses just coming back from having cancer treatment. I like the people I work with and would hate for any of them to take patients that put them at risk. I'm not pregnant and have a healthy immune system - I'll be happy to take that TB patient for a co-worker. I'll expect the same when/if I get pregnant.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
I'm pretty sure unborn babies are at much higher risk for complications (you know, like death) from infections and harmful exposures from mom.

We don't give our pregnant nurses XDR or TB patients and I think that's fair. We also don't give them to any of our nurses just coming back from having cancer treatment. I like the people I work with and would hate for any of them to take patients that put them at risk. I'm not pregnant and have a healthy immune system - I'll be happy to take that TB patient for a co-worker. I'll expect the same when/if I get pregnant.

There's a difference between not taking patients that have a confirmed medical risk and not taking any patients in isolation. There's also a difference between being willing to take an isolation patient over another non-isolation patient and being forced to do it, especially on some floors in my hospital where anyone from a nursing home, other hospital, or any health care facility automatically are placed in isolation until cultures come back negative. That could mean the pregnant nurse only having 2 patients while the rest of the shift has 6-7. It also is impractical when it seems half the staff are expecting at the same time.

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Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.

Admin Request

This discussion has strayed far from the original topic of a pregnant nurse looking for suggestions on how to keep cool at work, especially in isolation rooms. Please keep to the current topic. If you desire to start a discussion about the pros and cons of pregnant nurses working in isolation rooms, please start a new thread.

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