Cleanliness is a must!

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Specializes in CCU, Geriatrics, Critical Care, Tele.

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Our job requires cleanliness but this is ridiculous. She missed the backside! ?

Do you know of anyone who is like this? coworker? friend? spouse?

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Specializes in Ambulatory Surgery, Ophthalmology, Tele.

I have a few friends that will clean their stethoscope, folder, scissors, etc with anti-bacterial wipes before they leave the floor at the end of the shift and that is great. :up: What I think is a little funny is wiping down their shoes, including the bottom of their shoes, with these wipes then.....you still need to walk through the hospital to get to your car, right? :bugeyes:

I used to change my shoes when I got to my car and left my work shoes in the trunk. Lately I am lazy and drive in my work shoes and just leave them in the garage by the car. I never wear them in the house though.

Also, after I wash my hands when I am leaving the hospital, I use the paper towel I dried my hands with to open doors on my way to the garage so my hands stay clean. ;)

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I used to come home from my 3-11 shift at the hospital, leave my shoes in the garage, tiptoe downstairs to the laundry room and shuck off all my clothes, drop 'em in the washer, walk over to the bathroom (our bedroom and bath are in the basement), take a shower, and go to bed. Germaphobe? Me? I would never....! Hahahaha!!!

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Specializes in Psych.

Eh I leave my work shoes at work, follow basic hand hygeine and take off my uniform when I get home. I figure my kids immune system will be as stong as mine. But I wasnt a germophobe when I had my kids prior to being a nurse and feel that the overuse of antibacterial soaps is causing more harm then good.

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A lot of the "germophobe" stuff I see nurses do is well within OCD territory. The night nurse where i work is infamous for this. I mean, Really, you need to wipe down the phone, the desk, the entire med cart before I can give report or we can count narcs? Seriously? Who has time for that? She must go through a box of gloves a night. Her poor residents probably feel like they have the plague or leprosy or something. Yes, I wear gloves when doing a fingerstick or giving a boost. But wearing gloves to hand someone a cup of pills or to check a BP is just crazy-pants.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Trauma, Transplant.

"But wearing gloves to hand someone a cup of pills or to check a BP is just crazy-pants."

Try being part of an ICU study where you have to gown and glove each time you go into your patients room....

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.
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Specializes in Ambulatory Surgery, Ophthalmology, Tele.
"But wearing gloves to hand someone a cup of pills or to check a BP is just crazy-pants."Try being part of an ICU study where you have to gown and glove each time you go into your patients room....
Most of the time I put gloves on when handling pills. I would want it done for me. This is how I see it. I walk in the room, wash my hands, touch the scanner and keyboard keys then open pills, sometimes I break a pill in half with my hands. So I just see it as cleaner if I "don" a fresh pair of gloves before I touch the pills. (I always thought "don" a pair of gloves sounded funny when I read it in nursing books. What's wrong with putting on a pair of gloves? :lol2: I guess it is like ambulating instead of walking) I do like the term "crazy pants", though. :rolleyes:
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Wearing gloves into a patient's room when caring for them is just part of Standard precautions. I wear them to take vitals, do FSBS, or anything else for the patient. If you ALWAYS are putting on gloves when entering a room, then you won't think twice about it or feel weird about making the patients 'feel like they have leprosy' or something. It's "Standard" practice.

This also comes in handy when you have a patient you have been caring for since they were admitted and you just now got the orders for isolation. You wore gloves for everything thus far, so you were protected more than not. There are some nurses who would argue that they have cared for the patient just fine so far, why do I have to put on a gown and gloves now? Answer: To minimize exposure and risk of infection to them and everyone else they come in contact with, directly or indirectly.

ps. I like the term "crazy pants" too though! :jester:

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I always wipe down the phones/computers/desk at least once a shift. And I definitely wipe down my stethoscope several times a day--and I am a total hand washing/glove nazi. My immune system is just fine, but so many of the hospital patients (especially ICU) just don't need to be exposed to anything else. Maybe it's a bit overboard, but I would not mind if someone wanted to call me "crazy pants"!

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I used to take my shoes off before going into the house--but then realized that whatever my shoes were walking on out in the parking lot couldn't be any worse than what's inside the hospital!! So unless you ALWAYS take your shoes off before going into the house (ie Japanese style) it made no sense. I also agree about antibacterial soaps--overuse is contributing to resistent bugs and hampering our children's immune systems. I'm pretty old school--it's still hard for me to put on gloves before helping patients.

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Specializes in Women's Services.

I'm a little OCD when it comes to washing my hands, sanitizing my work station, etc. I almost fell out when a coworker asked me to help in a room and then she didn't "don" gloves to do pericare and change pads on a postpartum pt who was bleeding! :no:

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