I need some input/validation here..... Here's the situation. One of our staff members came down with an infection last year and was out of work for several months. She now has a picc line and morphine PCA. She has recently been allowed to come into the unit to work on the schedule for 4 hours every few days, but my problem is that she comes into the patient care areas without scrubbing, lugging her backpack of fluids, and touches pt monitors, computers, phones, etc. She has been repeatedly hospitalized recently for multiple picc infections, and still comes into the unit while hospitalized dragging an IV pole in her pajamas, because she's "bored" and wants to visit. This made me SOOOO mad! I went to the NM, and the visiting was put to a stop for a while, but now she has been cleared through employee health to be back in staffing with a picc, and tpn/morphine. I CANNOT believe that such an infection risk, coupled with alteration in judgement related to narcotic use is taken so lightly in regards to caring for sick preemies! One of the neos is also very concerned, but it seems once employee health clears you, it doesn't matter! We work so hard to keep our infection rate down, only for it to be trumped by her being in the "inner circle" with several senior nurses and management. I have threatened to call infection control the next time she comes in the unit with an infected line, but I'm afraid to rock the boat. I've actually thought about leaving the unit because of this. I've had too many babies get septic to care what she thinks of me. I hate to leave after only a year, but I don't think I can continue to work in an environment where the babies' health is disregarded in favor of "being nice" to a senior nurse who has made herself "invaluable" to the unit.
Sorry for the long post......do you all think I'm overreacting? What should I do?
Oh man, no way, no how. If she is colonized with some ick she could be spreading her happy little bugs! I'd have to contact risk management about that, and how do you know she was HONEST with the employee health place! And I can't think of a doc in their right mind that would give her the okay to work in the hospital! Ewww!
I'm not trying to be smart here I honestly want to see what opinion is.
How about an RN or an LPN that is infected with HIV? It's against federal law to ask people if they have it, but we have to submit proof of immunization against other diseases. I know you can't aquire HIV like measels, mumps or chicken pox, but still it's an Infection and falls under above's "happy little bugs".
To make a long story short, she was given 30 days to get off the TPN and morphine and return to work (this is after a year of being on it) and submitted to a occ health checkup assessing mental/physical ability to work. Failed both. Her job was released, and she went to work OP peds, which was probably more dangerous for her, in her immunocompromised state.
dortizjr1
30 Posts
I'm not trying to be smart here I honestly want to see what opinion is.
How about an RN or an LPN that is infected with HIV? It's against federal law to ask people if they have it, but we have to submit proof of immunization against other diseases. I know you can't aquire HIV like measels, mumps or chicken pox, but still it's an Infection and falls under above's "happy little bugs".