Do you have to bring your own glove supply to work?

caliotter3 · Apr 11, 2012

It has been a very long time since I worked for the one agency that supplied gloves to their nurses. Even then, gloves were supplied to the home by the company that provided other supplies and paid for by the entity funding the case. Now, lately, we have been told by the supplier that their funding was cut so they had to reduce the number of boxes of gloves sent out each month, but they have not stopped altogether. All of this notwithstanding, I always have a small amount of gloves in my bag, just in case.

Blackcat99 · Apr 11, 2012

Thanks caliotter3. The patient does get some gloves but then he sometimes runs out of gloves. I had thought that OSHA required employers to pay for gloves and hand hygenic products if the patient cannot pay for gloves. It seems that nurses are expected to pay for more and more things these days. I wonder what else the nurses will have to pay for in the future? Dressing supplies, foley catheters, etc etc etc.?

Alex Egan, LPN, EMT-B · Apr 12, 2012

I agree it is ultimately the employers responsibility to make sure gloves and other PPE are available. All of my agencies supply gloves upon request, I simplify go to the office and ask for them, same with masks, and hand sanitizer. I have a small supply of my own gloves incase of unforeseen circumstances, but I do not supply them for regular use.

ventmommy · Apr 12, 2012

That seems shady. We got gloves from our DME and I ordered a case of each size every 6 months as back up. Additionally, the nursing agency had two boxes of M and L and one XL in the paperwork box as a back-up. The DME also supplied masks and masks with eyeshields. I provided anti-bacterial hand soap.

LTV950rn · Apr 15, 2012

My agency supplies gloves, hand sanitizer, masks, and even in some cases, toilet paper and paper towel! Our families are expected to supply hand soap though and all families are made aware of that. I agree, does sound shady.

allnurses Guide · Apr 15, 2012

Gloves are generally sent out with other supplies like Foley trays and trach care sets, but not in huge amounts (2boxes/mo). Many of the nurses and HHAs would reuse the same pair for clean procedures. Nobody asked me to buy my own, but then again nobody asked me to pay for my own background check in the past, either. I'm sure they will continue to foist off as much as people will tolerate to keep their jobs.

Blackcat99 · Apr 16, 2012

At this agency, some of the nurses are re-using gloves and other nurses are buying gloves to use for their shifts.

They also have a large trash can outside which has one big red infectious waste bag in it. This agency does not provide red bags either so we use regular trash bags and put the trash into the one big red bag located outside. OSHA says infectious waste has to be double bagged using the red bags. I have complained about having no red bags. This is a small agency and I know they would know it was me if I called OSHA. So I will wait until I have another job before I call OSHA.

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Apr 18, 2012

My agency provides gloves and sanitizer at the office; just stop by and sign them out. Since I live close to the office, I've ended up as the "glove provider" for some cases.

Guest586237 · Apr 29, 2012

Re-using gloves?? That makes me shiver.

But, I purchase my own gloves and keep a few boxes in my trunk. After one experience of coming in and there being one pair of gloves for the entire shift, I will never be caught "barehanded" again. If you are buying supplies for work, keep your receipts for when you file your taxes.

CabanaDay · Apr 30, 2012

At one of my jobs, they are now saying that it is the nurses responsibility to supply their own gloves, hand santizer, hand soap etc.

Agencies/Employers must provide PPE under federal law (OSHA). No one remembers the seeming duplcitous Bloodborne Pathogen education/CEU/in-service for both OSHA and a BoN approved providers to be/remain employed?

If you complain, as someone did at one of my agencies, OSHA contacts, requests proof of PPE purchases over the past three years, and monitors compliance going forward. We were still documenting purchase/usage up to a year after the OSHA inspection IIRC.