Didn't know where to put this, but help?

[BeccaC623]

In my clinical on Wednesday, I was inadvertently exposed to MRSA and VRE. The patient's chart said nothing about contact precautions, there was nothing on the door, and the nurse said nothing about it (and apparently KNEW nothing about it) so I was assigned to that patient because it was a "cool" case otherwise (deaf/mute with a PEG tube and it was my day to pass meds). After I'd been in and done my full physical assessment, Infection Control came upstairs LIVID that not only was there no contact precautions warning, but that a student was taking care of that patient. Apparently, this patient has been the biggest spreader of MRSA/VRE in the hospital, so I don't know why in the world "nobody knew."

Obviously, without knowing she had it, I only used gloves on her. I used my own stethoscope, didn't gown up, and used the BP machine. Everything was wiped down with alcohol before I found out and bleach afterward and I changed from my scrubs to my street clothes before I left, putting my scrubs and shoes in a garbage bag to go straight to the wash when I got home, but I'm so nervous that I'm going to get sick.

Any advice on what I should do? My teacher didn't seem too concerned other than being LIVID that this had occurred, but I want to make sure that I've done all I can to make sure that I don't get sick and/or contribute to the spread throughout the hospital. Luckily, I only had this one patient since it's first semester.

[hikernurse]

I don't know that bleach would have been necessary with MRSA/VRE exposure. We use bleach for C. Dif, but not the others.

[nurseladybug12]

New recommendations from CDC that my hospital just implemented are that family members/visitors do not need to gown up in contact rooms, just wash hands in and out. This is because these bugs are out in the community. Staff needs to gown up because they are going from sick patient to sick patient. If you think about it, once these patients are discharged they are going to be touching the elevator buttons, using the restroom in the lobby, going to your local grocery store etc all without wearing gloves and a gown. You also dont "catch" MRSA and all of a sudden get a horrible life threatening disease from it. You get colonized with it, everyone has staph on their skin and some people have staph that is methicillin resistant. The only time that it may be a problem is if you somehow develop a staph infection on your skin sometime down the line and there happens to be MRSA in it.

[JessiekRN]

Think about it this way- many nurses (and other individuals) come in contact with patients many, many times before they are even diagnosed with anything. I work in the ER where patients are seen first- much of the time we don't even know what a patient has going on, before we've worked them all up. Somehow we are all alive and well. Just be smart about every patient you touch. Just cause it's not in their chart or hanging on their door doesn't mean it's not brewing.

[BeccaC623]

Thank you for all of the great advice and information everyone. I think my fear just came from the reaction of Infection Control to my having been in the room, I was worried I had done something wrong I guess. I always practice good hand hygiene and wash with soap and water if I come into contact with any body fluids, hand sanitizer if not, and wear gloves. The bleach was probably overkill but it made me feel better, so I guess it served only that purpose.

I really appreciate the help and this is a great resource to have!

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I have had both MRSA and C.diff. and obviously survived them, so it's not the end of the world. I think it's safe to say that many, if not most healthcare workers are colonized w/ MRSA; it causes trouble when our immune system is down and/or we develop an open wound. I've had it three different times in my right lower leg, and once in my right ear (now THAT was an interesting turn of events).

I got C.diff. after being treated with Clindamycin for six weeks......ugh, what an experience that was! But who knows where I picked up MRSA---it could've been in the hospital where I worked, or it could've been at my kids' playground. It's everywhere. We can't avoid it; all we can do is practice our universal precautions at work and try to continue at home as much as possible. I carry hand sanitizer with me everywhere and use those bleach wipes at Safeway to wipe down the grocery cart before using it.

There are also gloves and alcohol wipes in my car just in case I need to give first aid or use my stethoscope to assess someone at the scene of an accident (yes, I stop to render aid if paramedics have not arrived). I also utilize the gel/foam and the masks at doctor's offices and other healthcare facilities if there are sick people coughing and sneezing, or if I myself am ill. Which is rare---I usually get one cold per year that goes into bronchitis because I'm susceptible to respiratory tract issues; other than that, I'm healthy as a horse. Before I went into nursing, I used to get sick 5-6 times a year; now I've been exposed to so many bugs that my body just shrugs 'em off and goes on about its business!