Do you shower right after your shift?

Nurses General Nursing

Updated:   Published

When I was in nursing school I showered as soon as I got home. Now as a nurse I need to just sit down when I get home from work and watch a little TV and have a snack before I shower. I do take off my scrubs as soon as I get home. Some other nurses I know who have been working longer take off their scrubs and go straight to bed without showering and I'm afraid it could one day be me. Just wanted to know peoples opinion on this and if this is sanitary or even dangerous?

Specializes in PICU, ICU, Hospice, Mgmt, DON.
canoehead said:
I prefer to shower but I'm dog tired post shift, and I don't want to go to bed with wet hair. I'm convinced it will help me prevent being stone deaf when I'm old, but so far it's not working well. If I've come back from my last shift of the set I shower, put on comfy jamas and catch up on my favorite websites for awhile. Getting to bed after nightshift is like a little bit of heaven (especially with fresh flannel sheets, a heated bed and a cat purring on my head.)

Canoe, I was going to comment that you must live in a cold climate..then I saw your maple leaf!...I had to laugh at your idea of heaven as it's the exact opposite of what I do after 3 night shifts....I take a "lukewarm" shower, set the airconditioning on cold artic blast, put on a cool silky nighty and crawl into fresh cool egyptian cotton sheets (the higher the thread count the better) and make the room as dark as a tomb. aaahhhh!:rolleyes:

Of course I live in Florida where it's about 1million degrees all year round....and I hate it...!!:mad::mad:

I can not wait to get out of this h*ll hole!

(she said sweetly)

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shower and shampoo

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I just roll around in the mud.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Flight.

im covered in purell before i even leave the hospital campus

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Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.

I ALWAYS shower after work, even if it means literally dragging myself in there. No way is baby/child poop, pee, sputum, vomit, and gtube splashback sleeping in my clean sheets!

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Specializes in Family Medicine.

I strip down, wash my hands, and eat ice cream in my underwear. No shower until after my workout the next morning.

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

I work in the ED where its common for people to come in with stuff coming out of each possible orifice. It can be a gross department at times.

Like the nursing home dementia patient from a few days ago. Came in because she wouldnt leave her orifice alone. We discovered she just developed hemorrhoids that were bleeding and itching. Also discovered she had a lady partsl yeast infection with copious amounts of drainage. She had a nice blend of blood, poo, and yeast discharge all over her hands.

I cant even count how many times I washed my hands when I was caring for her. I think I spent more time at the sink then at her beside. I would probably have gotten into the sink if I could.

I change at the end of my shift and place my work clothes into a garbage bag to take home. I then place the clothes into a storage container in my garage and then I continue into my house and straight for the shower (usually running out of hot water). After a couple of shifts I take that bag from my garage, place it in the bed of my truck, and head to the laundry mat.

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Specializes in LTC.

I ALWAYS shower first when I get home, from work.

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My first official week on the floor, I didnt shower until the next morning when it was time to go to work. Needless to say I got contact dermatitis on my arms that spread to my legs and stomach in 3 days. I get in the shower as soon as I get home now.

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I feel nasty if I don't take shower.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

I'm still wondering why - if they can put a man on the moon they can't invent one of those conveyor belt things like the Jetsons had where you just step on and stand there while all that stuff is done automatically and you pop out at the other end fresh as a daisy.

I'm dealing with the fact that the best "Rosie" housekeeper-bot all these years later is a Roomba. I really would love one of those conveyor belts programmed for "before work" and "after work" with an adjustable OCD level.

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I am not a nurse, but a CNA. I don't always shower when I get home (at 10pm). If I had to deal with any incontinence, isolation, blood, etc. then yes I do shower. I make sure to always wash my hands. Most of the people I work with just use the hand sanitizer pumps and don't even touch a sink. I think that is gross. But I have an 8 year old and I will say this - he gets sick ALL the time. And it isn't from me... it's from all the kids at school who always have their hands in their mouth, nose, and eyes and then touch everything.

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