Exposed to patient positive with coronavirus

[IRN2011]

I was taking care of a patient who I admitted as a R/O caronavirus. The patient was admitted In respiratory distress and started on bipap. The patient became acutely confused and started tearing off his bipap. At the time, we were out of masks as they are being locked up in our directors office and the charge nurse was on her way to obtain another box or n95s. I watched as my patients sat dropped from 98 to 80.. to 73.. knowing the patient was RO I entered the room to place bipap back on the patient. (I instantly reported the exposure to my charge nurse who pretty much shrugged it off saying ‘hey probably doesn’t have it anyways’’. He then started to decompensate cardiovascular wise for me... blood pressure kept dropping and heart rate spiked into the 140s sinus. He ended up getting a liter or albumin plus another two liters of NS and started on Levo. I was able to stabilize him throughout the night until morning, gave report and went home.. .. when I came back that next night I found out he passed away on day shift. Fast forward a few day’s and I find out his test came back positive for coronavirus.

I talked to my clinical manager about what I’m supposed to do since I had an exposure with a known positive and their response was along the lines of.. no you can’t be tested and yes you still need to come to work until you show symptoms. This is madness... I feel like if I come to work I’ll be exposing the whole ICU to this virus but I fear the repercussions If I Call out.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

On 3/21/2020 at 5:25 AM, caliotter3 said:

I know someone whose job wants them to take a LOA due to their medical problems. When they asked their doctor to start the ball rolling, their doctor told them that no doctors are getting involved with authorizing medical leaves. She told them to file for unemployment. Now that’s what I call being helpful. Wonder if it is true that doctors are helping no one get excused from work.

Is there more to this story? Presumably the person's doctor knows his/her history.

Coward that I am, I'd actually be happy to take a leave. The thought of working with this killer virus, especially with inadequate PPE, is really frightening. God bless all of you who are willing.

Somehow, HIV wasn't this scary to me.

[BSN-to-MSN, ADN, BSN, RN]

Yes, sounds about right. This is what management told us as well. We had a man with respiratory symptoms, he later spiked a fever, and THEN it was decided to swab him, but not before the entire staff on day and night shift was exposed helping the primary nurse take care of him (he also has dementia, and is high fall risk). He tested positive. I have no symptoms, but my little daughter does. Is that fair? Nope. Carry on.

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

On 3/22/2020 at 12:45 AM, Rionoir said:

How are your basketball skills? There seems to be an abundance of test kits set aside for basketball players showing no symptoms. ?

And politicians

[IRN2011, ASN, BSN]

So an update to this story. luckily I've been asymptomatic for 13 days now since the exposure - still going to work. I've talked with employee health which is having me log down my temperature twice a day. As long as I don't develop a fever over 100.4 they will not test me (luckily I'm at the end of the incubation period.. we didn't find out he was positive until a week after my exposure). I've contacted my primary MD... his response was "this is absurd, I'm sending all my patients with exposure/symptoms to the ED since I don't have testing capacity myself, and they are turning them away as well".

[dogwalker]

If that happened to me, I would tell them you are going to home quarantine for 14 days due to exposure to a patient who died from complications due to Covid19. I would put it in writing and cc the hospital's risk management department and your state nursing licensing board. Then apply for unemployment. I am staying home from my job as a case manager. I have offered to work from home, but my employer never made provisions so that is their problem. Not mine. My problem is staying healthy and keeping my family healthy while this invisible enemy circulates. You are a hero in my book.

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

While I agree a 2 week self-quarantine sounds reasonable, I think that for hospital workers, that would be impossible. Lots of healthcare workers are exposed, if they all had to take 2 weeks there would be nobody left to care for patients.

What bothers me is the lack of PPE and the relaxation of standards. Insanity.

[usawaits]

WOW!. How are we expected to care for our patients if we are exposed and unprotected. We are all willing to work if we have adequate PPIs. It ends up with weighing between losing your job verses loss your life. Not a great position to be in.

[JackSpratsMom]

For an unprotected exposure we are doing 14 days of BID temp checks and you have to wear a procedure mask while at work. It’s probably worth saying you have been exposed just so you can wear a mask while at work....we are not allowed to wear a mask unless in a patient room.

[dogwalker]

These employers many of which are profitable yet operate under non profit status have CEOs who are paid millions annually and I guarantee many of them are safe at home telecommuting this very minute. This is a personal crisis management situation. Listen to your own good judgment. Don't be sent to an early death for a paycheck. Nurses are in the drivers seat now. Not corporations who weren't adequately stocked with PPE. Does the military ever run out of ammunition? Be safe and take care of yourself and your family. You're all they have.

[CTmom]

I recently resigned from a hospital job to explore other nursing opportunities. After a wonderful vacation, I was ready to hit the road with applications but then the pandemic exploded. I have written many cover letters, but have not yet applied anywhere. I love nursing. I truly care and want to help. But my friends and family have pleaded with me to stay home with my children and husband and be safe. I am considering a travel position as the only manner I will return to nursing, so that I would not be risking bringing the virus into my home.

I have a close friend in Madrid and know in my heart that the United States is headed for a greater level of devastation because of the inexcusable lack of testing, lack of shelter in place orders, and most sinful, the lack of PPE for protection of the health care workers and the patient they care for. Seeing that other countries are outfitting their responders and caregivers properly makes me so angry that the United States is failing its citizens. No firefighter would even be expected to run into a burning building without full gear, an oxygen tank, and the ability to call for help.

Prayers to you all brave, brave and loving souls.

[Shabootiquiqui]

1 hour ago, CTmom said:

I recently resigned from a hospital job to explore other nursing opportunities. After a wonderful vacation, I was ready to hit the road with applications but then the pandemic exploded. I have written many cover letters, but have not yet applied anywhere. I love nursing. I truly care and want to help. But my friends and family have pleaded with me to stay home with my children and husband and be safe. I am considering a travel position as the only manner I will return to nursing, so that I would not be risking bringing the virus into my home.

I have a close friend in Madrid and know in my heart that the United States is headed for a greater level of devastation because of the inexcusable lack of testing, lack of shelter in place orders, and most sinful, the lack of PPE for protection of the health care workers and the patient they care for. Seeing that other countries are outfitting their responders and caregivers properly makes me so angry that the United States is failing its citizens. No firefighter would even be expected to run into a burning building without full gear, an oxygen tank, and the ability to call for help.

Prayers to you all brave, brave and loving souls.

I also recently started a new job but not in a psych hospital, have I know that this thing is coming I would def apply for a Med-Surg or ICU position if they promise me the PPEs... yes I wanna help I wanna go frontline and as a new nurse, I think its gonna be a great learning opportunity but no I can't do that without PPEs.

[brainsarecool, RN]

I was also exposed to a patient who wound up testing positive. Came in with SOB and cough, a couple hours later developed a fever of 102. I'm not on the covid unit, and they won't give us masks. No protocol for checking my temp, and still no mask, except someone snuck me one from their home stash so I won't infect the non-covid patients. Right now it feels scarier to be on the non-covid floors in my hospital, where they sometimes accidentally send a PUI, but will not give us PPE. Good luck everyone ?