Bringing diseases home to your kids from work?

[abbabask]

I never thought about this until tonight, and then realized this could be a deciding factor in whether I accept a job or not... I have been offered a position in a Med/Tele unit in our county teaching hospital. It's a great place to work.. Magnet status, etc. However, our clientele is a lot of illegal immigrants, homeless, underserved population.. Which means most are probably not vaccinated against harmful diseases.

I have a 9 month old baby who is on a delayed vaccine schedule, and will only be receiving select vaccines against the most serious things, due to reactions she had to certain shots, and because of our own beliefs & comfort level with vaccines. I'm worried that if I'm working in an environment and with a population like this where I'm constantly exposed to serious illnesses and disease... can I bring these home with my and expose my baby as well?? Even though I'm vaccinated, I assume I could still carry something home that my antibodies are fighting off.

Does anyone know anything about this?

[icyounurse, BSN, RN]

Its a good question, and unfortunately I have no good answer.

But really you are going to run into germs at nearly any nursing job regardless of the population you serve.

And nowadays you can pick up a life threatening disease on a trip to Walmart, so there really isnt any safe haven germ wise in nursing that I am aware of.

[mondkmondk]

I totally agree with icyounurse (sp?) and wanted to add that so many things can also be picked up around other children...so if your baby attends a day care, she will probably bring home something every week or more....but that is actually good for her because it will build up her immune system. I hope that makes sense!

Blessings, Michelle

[Dixielee, BSN, RN]

While my husband was undergoing chemo and at his weakest, I came in the door, went straight to the laundry room, put all my clothes into the washer, entered the shower and washed everything. I wear crocs, so I had a bottle of diluted bleach and sprayed and washed down my shoes as well.

I think that is the best you can do. You can still be a carrier of something, but unless you isolate yourself from the world, that will always be an issue.

[Neveranurseagain, RN]

You don't vaccinate your baby, then worry about her getting the disease? Vaccines protect against diseases, although they do carry some risk. I too delayed the Hep B til they were teenagers, and caught flack from it. I also showered upon arrival home, and put my uniform in the washer on the way to the shower.

But realize too, that if there is a case of measles, chickenpox, pertussis or any other disease that you did not immunize for, that he/she will have to stay home from school until the outbreak is over. I've seen kids have to stay home as long as 8 weeks. And if she/he decides to travel overseas, getting the vaccines as an adult can be rough.

[BelleKat, BSN, RN]

While my husband was undergoing chemo and at his weakest, I came in the door, went straight to the laundry room, put all my clothes into the washer, entered the shower and washed everything. I wear crocs, so I had a bottle of diluted bleach and sprayed and washed down my shoes as well.

I think that is the best you can do. You can still be a carrier of something, but unless you isolate yourself from the world, that will always be an issue.

This is what I did when working in so called "dirty units" like Burn Unit or BMTU. Working with the homeless or immigrant population doesn't really expose you to too much more than a "regular" pt population. I was exposed to TB a couple of times but you can get exposed to that almost anywhere as it is more common. The only stuff I brought home was more colds/flu and you'll pretty much be exposed to that anywhere. Whenever you start at a new job whether it's in healthcare or whatever you'll be exposed to a new set of bugs and be sick w/ colds/flu.

Otherwise just be extra careful(like you should be anyway) when taking care of isolation pts and do like above(^) with your clothes,take a shower and leave your shoes and other nursing stuff elsewhere like you locker or trunk.

This is a risk that you take anywhere in a healthcare setting.

[bill4745, RN]

....went straight to the laundry room, put all my clothes into the washer, entered the shower and washed everything...

I (ER) do this every time I come home even without having young children at risk. And don't forget to wash your hair. Think how many times a shift you might push your hair out of your eyes (unless it is short or in a ponytail) while your hands are not washed.

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

I don't really worry about it. I wash my hands after every patient contact, and when I get home, I put my scrubs directly in the hamper. I don't even shower until the next day, since I don't get off until 2330 and I'm too tired to shower when I get home.

[DDRN4me]

Delaying or omitting vaccines may seem like a good idea at the time but as others have said the exposure may not happen with this job. Yes you might be at a slightly higher risk of contracting something but the communicable diseases are out in the community as well.

I too always stripped and showered before doing anything else. even going to bed. I was a visiting nurse for many years and was exposed to almost anything ; including TB... none of my family ever contracted a disease from my clients.

[RNperdiem, RN]

These days disease caused by actions such as drug abuse, alcoholism, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle put more people in the hospital than communicable diseases.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

I never thought about this until tonight, and then realized this could be a deciding factor in whether I accept a job or not... I have been offered a position in a Med/Tele unit in our county teaching hospital. It's a great place to work.. Magnet status, etc. However, our clientele is a lot of illegal immigrants, homeless, underserved population.. Which means most are probably not vaccinated against harmful diseases.

And what about all the diseases that your child/ren have that you will be carting in to the vulnerable patients? Are you not concerned about them?

Virtually all departments of nursing have exposure to diseases that be carried home. But in M/S you know what they are. When you go to the grocery store, you are around the exact same people, some of whom also do not vaccinate their children per their beliefs or per medical issues..Do you not worry about that, also?

I remove my uniform either at work or when I just get in the door and put them in he laundry. My shoes stay at the door and get disinfected. I usually bath or thoroughly disinfect my hands/arms then. I also use good hand hygeine before leaving work.

[abbabask]

Well... I guess thank you for the responses.. nothing I didn't know already, expect I don't appreciate all the interrogation about my child getting vaccines. Like I said.. we have our own reasons. My baby stays home, is breastfed, and has never been sick in her life. I've done extensive research and talked to many pediatricians, and this was our best answer. I never said I wasn't vaccinating.. to all of you who questioned me "not vaccinating your child??". She is vaccinated, I just don't give her 6 vaccines at a time full of toxins becuase I don't think it's good for her. Her risk of getting a disease right now is lower than the risk of complications from vaccines, which she's already had reactions from that warranted us stopping them for a while.

Please... just answer my question and don't read into my parenting situation as if you know me. I'm aware that vaccinating is a heated issue, but don't bash my decision that is right for my family right now. She's had plenty of vaccines to protect her from the most common things.