Exposed to COVID at work, what is my employer's responsibility?

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Dear Nurse Beth,

In the hospital if a patient I cared for tests positive for TB, I am supposed to be promptly notified and tested for it. This is done not just for my own protection but for the safety of my patients, other staff members, my family, and the community at large. In this vein, when a patient I have cared for on a non-COVID unit (provided with non-n95 surgical masks + face shield) tests positive for the SARS-COVID-2 virus, does the hospital have a legal and/or ethical obligation to notify me promptly and test me for the virus? What about the other patients I have cared for during the same time period? 

Dear Am I Supposed to be Notified?

Many nurses are themselves getting sick with COVID. They can get it through direct patient care, but also in the break room where co-workers who are infected but asymptomatic expose others. Some employees become infected with the virus outside of the hospital, through family gatherings or community contact.

The CDC says that healthcare facilities should have a plan for:

• notifying the public health department of confirmed cases and
• notifying exposed health care workers

For instance, the hospital may designate the Infection Prevention nurse to track cases, report statistics, and notify exposed individuals.

The employer should also have a plan for actions and follow-up. The plan for testing may be that testing is provided to employees if they are symptomatic or if they request it, or for anyone who was exposed. 

Your facility should make it well known to employees what the plan is so that you feel safe.

Contact your Employee Health Department with your questions and stay well.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

[caliotter3]

Brings up the occasion when an employer refuses to pay for an employee to be tested but then has the audacity to request the results.  Frequent instances of this happening in my neck of the woods.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

On 9/12/2020 at 10:22 AM, caliotter3 said:

Brings up the occasion when an employer refuses to pay for an employee to be tested but then has the audacity to request the results.  Frequent instances of this happening in my neck of the woods.

What? Let me make sure I have this right...employers are expecting exposed nurses to get tested on their own time and at their own expense and then expect that nurse to give them the results?? That's so not OK!

Honestly I'd tell them to get bent unless of course they pull a fast one and tell that nurse to either report the test results or get retested, of course then it would be on the employers dime! From what I hear though that test is uncomfortable enough that many if not most would probably give in at that point rather than face an unnecessary retest. 

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

1 hour ago, kbrn2002 said:

What? Let me make sure I have this right...employers are expecting exposed nurses to get tested on their own time and at their own expense and then expect that nurse to give them the results?? That's so not OK!

Honestly I'd tell them to get bent unless of course they pull a fast one and tell that nurse to either report the test results or get retested, of course then it would be on the employers dime! From what I hear though that test is uncomfortable enough that many if not most would probably give in at that point rather than face an unnecessary retest. 

'Get bent' is my favorite expression!

[JKL33]

5 hours ago, meanmaryjean said:

'Get bent' is my favorite expression!

Hit my funny bone the way it was written so off hand...

6 hours ago, kbrn2002 said:

Honestly I'd tell them to get bent unless of course....[blah, blah, blah]

?

[cshrake, CNA]

Thanks to whoever asked this first. We're running into the same issues with my employer. Much appreciated. It sure lowers morale in these times when these things pop up, and often lead to some of us thinking of finding new jobs as a result.