This a true story and I hope no one will laugh at me.
I am a nursing student and I am currently working as a CNA in a hospital.
Today I just worked an evening shift and there were two patients on my floor that had MRSA. I was careful enough that each time when I entered their rooms, I would put my gown and gloves on. And I also washed my hands after working with them.
And here is the dumpest part of the story...:imbar
I went in to one of my MRSA patient's room and he said he wanted more "hot water" in his tea. So I took his cup (with the teabag in it) out and went to the kitchen to get some hot water. Since I was using tap water and wearing gloves, I was not able to tell if the water was "hot" enough. So what I did was put my nose and face "REAL" close to the cup to feel the steam.
Now, my question for all of you smart people out there is, do you think that I can get MRSA from sniffing his saliver (which was on the cup that he used)?
I am very worry now because I have two young sons at home and we sometimes share food and utensils.
How do I know if I have MRSA? Do I need to get a titer to find out?
I worked in Home Health for a long long time and at one point we had several patients in our area who had MRSA. They all belonged on one Managers caseload but several of us had covered for her when she was out. I had seen two of them but did not touch their caths (both had in urine), then I had one patient who had it in a wound. So everyone on our team was swabbed. Guess who had it in her nose. I was placed on a course of Bactroban. I think I acquired it from sniffing my patients wounds too much....(later, he did develop gangrene). Just joking.....but, seriously, MRSA is everywhere. It's not a problem unless your immunity is compromised. I wonder if I could add those letters after my name now???
Sorry, it's been a long week so far!!!
You have learned alot with this incident, lessons you won't soon forget, and you will be a better Nurse for it.
According to my drug handbook, it inhibits RNA and protein synthesis. So it works by stopping replication; it doesn't actually kill bacteria. But most antibiotics work that way. It is also used for skin wounds infected with MRSA and other kinds of staph and strep. So yes, it can eliminate the infection, assuming we are treating all colonized areas.
Yes, if you put your finger in his nose and then put it in yours, that would work. If you touch the towels with your bare hands that touched his sore, you can transmit it to yourself, or contaminate your own clothing that can contaminate someone at home. MRSA will live 24 hours minimum on items. If a MRSA + person has MRSA pneumonia, they CAN transmit it by droplets with cough. QUOTE=moliuchick]Thanks for reassuring me. I am just not sure if MRSA can travel by droplets like TB that is why I worry so much.
So when you say," MRSA is transferred by CONTACT", does it mean if I put my finger in my patient's nose and then dig into my own, I will get it then?
or am I still wrong? (can you believe that I am a 2nd yr nursing student????):imbar
If a MRSA + person has MRSA pneumonia, they CAN transmit it by droplets with cough.
i had wondered about that. it seemed like it would be tha way; when i took microbiology, my teacher told us to stand outside in the cold and talk, or breathe, and watch how far the steam traveled from our mouths. "That's how far the germs are traveling, too." she said. of course, back when i took micro it was still safe to eat unwashed fruits and veggies, (no longer is) and mrsa existed but not like today. it was such a different time. so i was not about to say anything although it seemed logical. i had not been able to find anything that said mrsa could be transmitted by droplet in cough (probably deficit in my research abilities). thanks for writing this.
No you did not get MRSA form smeeling steam. But the kitchen faucets could have from wearing the contamintaed gloves out of the room and touching the faucets. Nothing comes out iof the isolation room but you. Garbage,linen etc have to be bagged.
No you did not get MRSA form smeeling steam. But the kitchen faucets could have from wearing the contamintaed gloves out of the room and touching the faucets. Nothing comes out iof the isolation room but you. Garbage,linen etc have to be bagged.
Hi, I am new to the list, and am finding this discussion interesting. I am glad to see so many nurses who are concerned with hand washing, and not spreading germs. I am wondering if many of you are concerned about other health professionals lack of hand washing. It is not just the inexperienced students or aides that i have seen make mistakes like this. Maybe it isnt always someone coming out of an isolation room, or maybe not the nurses, (dont want to offend anyone here) but i see it all the time when i am a patient, or take my kids to the pediatritian. The other day, my kids' pediatrition, who i really like, came in the room, to see my kid, and was telling me about all the illnesses she had seen in the last hour. Vomiting, pneumonia , croup, etc. She was having a rough day, but the thing is, i didnt see her wash her hands, and i never see her at the sink in the hall. I have been watching every time i am up at the desk. Just goes from room to room and there are no sinks in teh rooms. Do some "cut corners" because it is impractical to wash hands every five minutes when they see so many clients a day? I feel of saying something to her, she has been so great with my daughter's asthma. When we leave i am always making sure we "scrub up". Even when washing hands, if you dont use the paper towel to turn off the faucet, and use your clean hands, they arent so clean now that you touched the dirty faucets. i have my kids trained to use really good hand washing technique. When you think about it, what we learned in nursing school is really important. But i dont see it happening too much, especially like i said, when i am a patient. Sort of scary
SRobinson
19 Posts
I worked in Home Health for a long long time and at one point we had several patients in our area who had MRSA. They all belonged on one Managers caseload but several of us had covered for her when she was out. I had seen two of them but did not touch their caths (both had in urine), then I had one patient who had it in a wound. So everyone on our team was swabbed. Guess who had it in her nose. I was placed on a course of Bactroban. I think I acquired it from sniffing my patients wounds too much....(later, he did develop gangrene). Just joking.....but, seriously, MRSA is everywhere. It's not a problem unless your immunity is compromised. I wonder if I could add those letters after my name now???
Sorry, it's been a long week so far!!!
You have learned alot with this incident, lessons you won't soon forget, and you will be a better Nurse for it.