Do you get sick alot working as a nurse?

imintrouble, BSN, RN · Jan 22, 2015

I've never contracted MRSA, VRE, Cdiff, scabies, ringworm, lice, or flu after being exposed at work. I've been exposed to all of those things. I've had the occasional cold we passed around at the nurse's station, but nothing bad enough to keep me at home.

I am, and always have been, a naturally healthy person.

roselyn_badion · Jan 22, 2015

Good for you! God bless!

brandy1017, ASN, RN · Jan 22, 2015

Surprisingly not, but I do get migraines if I've had a particularly stressful shift. That's a given, usually by the end of the shift or when I've finished it hits me. Also just the dread of coming in and wondering what sort of awful assignment I might get so I try to sleep in till the last minute so I don't have to think about it too much. I'm relieved on the good days when things turn out ok and on the bad I literally have to count down the hours till I can escape! So its the mental stress not the physical germs that get to me! And I really like it when they push someone onto the floor that was in ICU or should be just so they don't have to mandate their staff. NOT! Leave me with six patients, one aide for the whole floor to manage a patient that should have been one on one or two. It happens more often than you would think and invariably it's all about staffing shortages. They are perpetually short staffed in ICU because people don't stay due to all the mandation among other things! Hire enough staff and treat them well so they stay! Hire travelers or agency to stop mandation and then have a pool and a good enough incentive program to get nurses to volunteer to work overtime! Don't be so damn cheap that nurses are mandated on a regular, sometimes daily basis then you wouldn't be so short all the time!

TraumaNurse95 · Jan 22, 2015

I've been an ER nurse for 18 + years and am currently being evaluated for an auto immune disease. During the testing, my blood tests results showed various immunity to contagious things I never even knew I had: Parvo (yes...human parvo), CMV, etc. I have noticed a trend throughout the years of health care workers (nurses, doctors, social workers, etc) having higher than normal rates of auto-immune diseases & I cant help but wonder if us having our immune systems constantly working at abnormally high levels eventually causes our bodies to attack themselves. Anyone have any feedback on this theory or noted the same trends ?

Being on the front lines, myself and many of my colleagues each and every year have suffered from influenza A & B, colds, G.I. bugs, C-diff, Noro Virus, H1N1, respiratory infects, chemical exposures, etc. Regardless of precautions - things still do get contracted between patients and staff b/c in many cases the diagnosis and suspicion comes AFTER the nurse & staff has already been well exposed. Case in point: EBOLA in Texas. Through the years, I've been quarantined & pre-medicated more times than I can count for unknown repeated & extended exposure to: Tb, Bacterial Meningitis, whooping cough (pertussis), Measles, and even for active Hep C blood splashed in my eyes. Most staff are generally very sick for the first 1-2 years while working in ER b/c they are exposed to so many bugs and viruses until their immune systems become stronger but the majority of us ALL still get sick from the cold/flu each and every year ! Unfortunately, our hospital in particular has a very unforgiving sick policy regardless if the illnesses were contracted at work and so the majority of the staff comes to work even if they are sick b/c they fear punitive action for calling out sick. H.R. knows our concerns, but they stand firm on their new sick policy which is very unforgiving - you get 2 days in a retroactive rolling 3 month period and on the third call, you are OUT. This is retroactive - not 3 months in a calender year - and that works for tardy's too. Cold & Flu season is a nightmare....

casi, ASN, RN · Jan 22, 2015

Rarely. I'll normally pick up a URI once a year and maybe once every other year a stomach bug. When I first started out in healthcare I picked these things up much more quickly, but that's chagned.

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · Jan 22, 2015

My experience is I get sick less often. I think it's the constant bombardment of every germ in the building has built up my immune response over the years. I still get an annual cold, have that now as a matter of fact. It is less severe than last years model however, just some sniffles and sneezes.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jan 22, 2015

It seems like it goes both ways. Some people seem to think nurses have this incredible immune system and rarely get sick and other like my self think they would get sick more often because they are exposed to more?
What do you think or has your experience been?

Years ago, when I was a brand new nurse, I got sick a lot. Not so much anymore -- I think as things go around, I've had them and acquired immunity. Or something.

vampiregirl, BSN, RN · Jan 22, 2015

Years ago, when I was a brand new nurse, I got sick a lot. Not so much anymore -- I think as things go around, I've had them and acquired immunity. Or something.

Same here! And I suspect I've also learned how to take better care of myself and am more conscientious with infection control/ hand hygiene than I was back then.

TakeTwoAspirin, MSN, RN, APRN · Jan 22, 2015

Don't get sick very often at all, but I have noticed that I do get sick within a week or so of starting at a new facility. Not sure if this is because I'm exposed to a whole new set of bugs, or whether my immune system is lowered because of the stress of learning a new system. Probably a mix of both. Also, since becoming a nurse I have become far more obsessive about washing my hands, and avoiding touching things in general. Nothing like nursing school to make a germaphobe out of a person!

anon456, BSN, RN · Jan 23, 2015

I was very in nursing school and my first 1.5 years on the pediatric respiratory floor (you can imagine!). Now I am doing pretty well. I am more likely to get sick from one of my own kids than from work.

chicookie, BSN, RN · Jan 23, 2015

The first year working in a hospital setting I was sick all the time! Then less the following year, even less the year after. Then I would get sick rarely. Went I to Peds, it's been the same thing all over again! Except I was sick almost the whole first 6 months. Now I only get sick when I float to the respiratory floor

Gooselady, BSN, RN · Jan 23, 2015

The older I get, the less I'm tolerating stuff so if I'm not exactly SICK, I've strained my back easier, my right knee blew out (but recuperated without surgery thank gawd), and I don't get over the random cold as quickly or energetically.

I experienced very little guilt about calling in sick when I worked in the hospital, knowing it was very likely a per diem begging for shifts would be happy to be called in. Our number of yearly sick days was SIX -- draconian, IMHO. Ridiculous. Too many nurses coming to work and wearing a face mask -- like THAT improves patient satisfaction and trust! I know I'd be nervous about a face masked nurse coming into my room and breathing shallowly so she won't start a coughing jag in front of me. Yeah, I've been that nurse, who hasn't?