Paranoid of respiratory disease...? Can someone please help me..?

Nurses General Nursing

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I have a friend who was admitted to Nursing school along with me. However, when he took the tuberculosis skin test for the physical prior to admission, he was positive. He then proceeded to get a chest x-ray, he ended up positive for a certain pulmonary disease, but not for TB (according to him). They then ordered him to get a full body scan to further diagnose. Despite this, the nursing school allowed him to be admitted under one stipulation: he must wear a mask when conducting clinicals. I'm in no way attempting to sound rude or nosy and I love my friend to death, but shouldn't this be struck as odd? He sits right next to me in the lecture and I'm just so paranoid that I might catch something. I don't want to ask him about the details because he thinks I'm offending him. He was also born in Mexico in which during the time he was born, some babies are not injected with certain immunizations.

Any guesses? Advice? Will I be fine?

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Perhaps he has to wear the mask to protect himself?

If you are really that worried, either move to a different seat, or ask him what the deal is.

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he cannot be contagious otherwise the school wouldnt take the risk spreading tb to others. so you and other will be ok.

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Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.

It is more of a risk to some who is ill with a compromised immune system.

You will come across this all the time on clinicals. the patient who you have been nursing for a week has MRSA, Golden Staph, VRE, E Coli, ESBL, CDiff(nurses usually can guess that one without a culture sample) and are THEN put into contact isolation!

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

There is no way we can advise you if you will be "fine". You need to run this past your own personal healthcare provider.

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