Help! Pregnant and don't know what patients to avoid

[changeofpaceRN]

during clinicals (of course I would trade patients).. or medicines I can't handle for that matter. This is my last semester and I forgot to ask my doctor what to avoid while pregnant.. I know those with radium implants are a no.. but what else can you think of? What about those undergoing radiation or chemo? I don't rely on my teacher for much.. she doesn't seem to know either..

[Sandi0302]

Staffing is difficult enough, I would take the rest and follow the precautions as usual.

Her unborn baby, as was mine when I was pregnant a yr ago, takes priority over staffing and pts.

The God honest truth? We had a pt that was HIV positive. When I was pregnant, if there were no barrier available, I would have refused to do CPR if it meant putting my unborn child at risk. Yes, I know that HIV isn't (allegedly) transmissible through saliva, but I wouldn't take the risk. My child comes first. No one should tell her she "has" to take a pt.

[SmilingBluEyes]

Consider this important fact: we don't always KNOW what patients present with which diseases immediately. Sometimes, we don't know ever; other times, we don't find out until we have already "laid hands" upon them in our care of them. Taking universal precautions in the vast majority of cases WILL protect you and your unborn baby from most diseases. You can't always know, for example, who has active TB when they enter your care. I know this personally as I was exposed (found out after pt was d/c) to an active case of TB when I was pregnant. Freaked out, but turned out I was ok---never got the disease. Make no mistake: You are taking a definate risk being a hospital nurse and being pregnant. But you are also taking a risk, shopping at Walmart or going out to eat---or spending time with school-age children, for example. Diseases are everywhere, and we are at an advantage in the hospital in that we usually know what each patient has going on. In the community, not so.

However, using your common sense, universal precautions, and talking this over with your OB/Midwife should mitigate a LOT of fears for you. Discuss what diseases you absolutely need to avoid exposure to with your health care provider and do just that---avoid them. But rest assured, the majority of patients will be OK for you to care for, so try not to worry too much.

Good luck and best wishes for a healthy pregnancy and joyful birth. I hope all goes well for you.

[DeepFriedRN]

Actually there is one po med that I can think of that is pretty common-and you for SURE shouldn't handle the pills-Proscar. It can directly affect the fetus according to our pharmacist. I believe they actually wrote into our pharmacy policy that pregnant nurses should avoid caring for these patients so as to avoid accidental handling-i.e. the nurse being unaware and handling the pill.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I really urge you to speak to your dr/midwife about this matter. It's usually a bad idea to get such guidance from an internet site for such an important issue.

Good luck.