Getting blood on your hands

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Hi everyone,

I'd like to introduce myself: I'm 37 yo, male, and looking to switch careers from engineering to health care. I am taking the pre-req courses for nursing and other health sciences at a local community college. So far, I like it. I have a few concerns, though. I have a nasty habit of picking the cuticles off my thumbs. I know other people do this as well; however, in my case it can be particularly bad. So bad that my wife often gawks at my thumbs. I hope you guys get the picture--basically, there are open sores on my thumbs. Anyways, my concern is working with patients with infectious, blood borne diseases. You know: HIV, hepatitis, etc... So, I was wondering (this is probably a stupid, obvious question), how often do you guys get blood on your hands? Do you guys were gloves that prevent blood from seeping in? I think I would need latex gloves that go up to my forearms.

It's a really big concern for me. I think some of you guys are probably laughing at me, but oh well, these are things I need to consider. Also, on a related note, is it possible to shadow nurses, etc... at the hospital? I know there used to be candy strippers, but I haven't heard about those volunteers in a long time. I think it would be good for me to get some exposure before I do a career change. Thoughts?

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Specializes in LTC, Nursing Management, WCC.

You are correct... I am laughing at you!! Just kidding.

1. STOP PICKING

2. Wear gloves for any type of drainage, blood, urine, feces, vomit

3. Not latex, most place are latex free

4. Wash your hands before and after using gloves

5. STOP PICKING

Can you shadow a nurse. Some places allow it. Contact the hospital's staff education department to see if they will allow it. Sometimes it is HR that determines.

Good luck! :)

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

Im guilty of it too. I have a compulsion with picking. Dont ever let me have a good scab to pick at ha ha.

I wear gloves at any chance of getting in contact with any body fluid, which you should do any way. There have been times where I have not had the chance to glove up before coming in contact with blood but after I immeadietly scrubbed the bajesus out of my hands.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

CANDY STRIPERS, not strippers!!! lol! I hope ur wife isn't reading this!

Treat everybody as infectious. Universal precautions apply (the WHO keeps changing the term but it all means the same). I don't touch anyone without gloves. I've seen nurses clean faeces and everything else inbetween without gloves, do bloods (an older RN did this only last week) - UGGH!!! Always carry a pair of gloves in ur pocket, & there are usually gloves on the wall in patient's rooms/drug room etc. I've also seen people wear 2 layers of gloves.

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CANDY STRIPERS, not strippers!!! lol! I hope ur wife isn't reading this!

Ha! I just saw the candy strippers thing, too, and wondered if it was one of the things that qualifies a facility as one of those much-touted "Centers of Excellence"!

Wouldn't put any gimmick past the hospital admin bean counters these days. Even candy strippers.

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..... I have a few concerns, though. I have a nasty habit of picking the cuticles off my thumbs. I know other people do this as well; however, in my case it can be particularly bad.....It's a really big concern for me. I think some of you guys are probably laughing at me, but oh well, these are things I need to consider.

Anyone that's been in nursing/patient care for a few years has seen everything, ribeye, and you'll have to try a lot harder for laughs. On the serious side, have you talked to a physician about this? Sometimes it's symptomatic of underlying compulsive behavior disorders, even a very minor manifestation. There have been so many advances in treating some of these over the years, and you might have some success in reducing the frequency/intensity of your symptoms, or eliminating them altogether. At the least, some light might be shed on what's making you do this.

I strongly advise that you do this, even if the symptoms aren't that bothersome to you. There's a possibility that it could present a barrier to future employment. If the problem is as severe as you describe and there are always open wounds on your hands, and intermittent episodes of bleeding, hospitals may consider you a risk for both spreading and contracting blood-borne pathogens among their patient population, and patients may resist your assignment as their nurse.

If it bothers you enough to ask about it here, get it checked out. Best of luck in your career change and your studies.

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Hello my brother a word of advice. There are many more engineering jobs available than there are nursing jobss right now. Just be aware that nurses are having a very difficult time finding work. By the time you graduate this may change.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

Frequency?

I've been an employed nurse for a little more than four months, and it's only happened once. A disoriented/impaired judgement patient had to go to the bathroom, so he got up, ripped out his IV, and proceeded to stagger and bleed across the room to the bathroom. These patients are normally put close to the nurse's station (if possible), so I saw him, ran in there, grabbed paper towels from the bathroom and put pressure on that sucker, while, at the same time, calling to a PCT to grab some gloves for me, while I helped the patient sit down on the toilet.

When all was said and done, I had one spot of blood on the pad of my third finger. Intact skin. I just washed my hands very, very well afterwards.

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You need to shadow a nurse before you officially decide on nursing. Your counselor should be able to arrange that.

We always wear gloves and assume we have micro cuts anyway. However, there are plenty of times where contact is made without them.

Having large open lesions are your hands would make you more susceptible to exposure.

Either way ... you will need to find a way to break that habit. No one will hire you when you come in for an interview with sores on your fingers. (yes,it's that tough out here).

Was candy strippers a freudian slip? ;)

Best of luck, keep us posted.

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A dentist friend of mine told me that when she was in dental school (in the 70's) they didn't use gloves.

Dude, those dinosaur-days are long gone. Any time you touch a client in the hospital setting you need to wear gloves -even keep a pair in your scrub pockets. You're not doing anyone favors when you palpate one client's c.diff infested wrist, and then go on to fiddle with another client's IV, nevermind not getting yourself sick.

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.

Universal precautions requires gloves at the very minimum. Carry them with you.

And as the first responder said ... STOP PICKING!

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

I'm a hangnail picker too. I don't do it as much as I used to, but still find myself doing it absentmindedly in a stressful situation. Also, I seem to have a problem with the existence of hangnails and want to just get rid of them! I do see the psychological implications too...

Anyway, a few years ago I was going to give blood, as I like to do every few months. The person who does the information-gathering knew I'm a nurse. I had one finger with an open area where I'd pulled a hangnail, and asked if I do that much. I told her it's a nervous habit. She said they "shouldn't" take my blood because since I'm a nurse and have these open areas around my fingernails regularly, I probably have some sort of infection that my blood would carry to anyone who got it. She "graciously" took my blood, but I bet threw it away afterwards. I haven't given blood since...

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