Blood, Bodily Fluids and Germs OH MY!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

OK...so to what extreme do you go when your shift is done to eliminate taking anything home with you?

I am a bit OCD in this department. I change my shoes when I get to my car and only wear my "work shoes" for work. I don't want anything getting on my car carpet. Oh and I cover my car seat too on days that I work. When I get home my uniform goes directly into the washer and I hop in the shower. Unless I follow this routine I feel so gross!

I always strip down and shower/shampoo when I get home. My clothes go right into the wash too. I feel yucky when I get home and feel so much better when I get out of a hot shower and put on clean and comfy clothes. It also helps me unwind a bit which is a plus.

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Specializes in Medical Assistant, Peds.

Pepper...actually, I have a work only coat. :)

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Specializes in Medical Assistant, Peds.

Those of you who don't shower after work or change clothes, I have to wonder what school you went to. This was basic technique in my class. It was drilled into us by our lab/clinicals instructor. We spent a good amount of time on proper hand washing, cross contamination and general cleanliness. Maybe thats why I'm so obsessive with it all...but I appreciate what I learned.

BTW...when I go grocery shopping, I put one of those plastic baggies you find in the fruits and veggie section over the handle to act as a barrier. :)

Oh..and even when out in public in general, the first thing I do when I get home is wash my hands. I have taught my kids and hubby to do the same.

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Those of you who don't shower after work or change clothes, I have to wonder what school you went to.

I went to one where I had to take microbiology, anatomy & physiology, and pathophysiology. We learned about this thing called "skin" which is a protective barrier between our body and the world. And if things get past that, we have this amazing thing called an "immune system."

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Specializes in Medical Assistant, Peds.

Wooh...I guess we all just have to do what we feel is best. :) Good luck.

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Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

I leave my work shoes at work. I change out of my scrubs once I get home but don't routinely shower immediately after I get home. Never have. Been in nursing as an Aide and now an RN since 1991 and as far as I know, I haven't brought any pathogens into my home.

If I think I might get my scrubs soiled, I wear a protective gown. When I have gotten my scrubs soiled, I go down to OB and get a pair from them.

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Specializes in LTC, Acute Care.

I ate dirt as a kid. I still use the 5-second rule. Getting out of scrubs ASAP and showering right after work was only urgent to me when I had stuff on my scrubs that wasn't supposed to be there or when the facility in which I worked had some sort of bug making its way through as many GI tracts as possible. I don't get sick very often, even with 3 kids in elementary school (who, incidentally, do not strip and shower when they come home from their school a.k.a. Petri dish full of kids).

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Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.
I went to one where I had to take microbiology, anatomy & physiology, and pathophysiology. We learned about this thing called "skin" which is a protective barrier between our body and the world. And if things get past that, we have this amazing thing called an "immune system."

GREAT REPLY!!!

OP, you sound like a germaphobe.

Call me a bad mom but I NEVER put my child in a grocery cart cover that covered the grocery cart seat when he was a baby.....didn't wipe down the handle either.....my kid never got sick....well at least not until he started school anyway.

Whatever did they do in the olden days before antibacterial soap, wipes,etc were invented?

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Specializes in Medical Assistant, Peds.

Yep...a Germaphobe and proud of it! :)

As for "olden days"...they didn't have nearly the amount of disease OR knowlege of them that we have today.

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Specializes in Medical Assistant, Peds.

Speaking of babies...is anyone else appalled by the people who let their babies crawl around on the hospital floor!!!??? I mean seriously...what is wrong with people?!

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Specializes in LTC, Acute Care.
Speaking of babies...is anyone else appalled by the people who let their babies crawl around on the hospital floor!!!??? I mean seriously...what is wrong with people?!

I'm much more appalled when the caregiver of the baby fusses and yells at the baby to sit still when all the baby wants to do is be a normal baby and crawl around.

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My advice : do not be paranoid about germs, otherwise you will get them for sure

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