I want to work as a cna but im terrified of contagious diseases

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Ok i have a question and im new to this website, so i dont know how to post my own question or make a thread, i don't really understand how this works yet. So here it goes, i am 18 a cna and applied for a part time position at a nursing home. I had mild ocd about germs and things like checking if my house doors are locked before going to bed several obsessive times. Thing is after getting really sick(personal) my ocd got worse, and i've gotten really afraid about being around people who have fatal and/or life threatening illnesses and/or diseases such as hiv. Being that i am afraid of catching any illnesses or diseases that are incurable i am highly concerned about working at a nursing home. I do not discriminate people with hiv but you have to be extremely precautious if you're ever in charge of taking care of one, and that's a situation i would prefer not to be in (no offense).My question is do they accept hiv positive elderly residents in long term care facilities? Also do they accept them in regular personal care facilities or is that discrimination? or if they have hiv do they have to be hospitalized instead? Because i don't want to go into the hospital scene because it gets a lot more serious. I'm just afraid. This would be my first job if i do get the offer and the pay is really good. Besides if i don't work at least 8 hours by may of 2014 my certification will expire and i will have lost all the money and time i invested to get certified. My parents are also concerned. Im just kind of in a tough spot. :/ Help please your opinion will be greatly appreciated. Also when i was at the nursing homes last year doing my clinical hours and interacting with patients, i didn't have any problems i was never afraid of catching anything from them, it's just now I'm such an ocd train wreck. :( Help!

Ok i have a question and im new to this website, so i dont know how to post my own question or make a thread, i don't really understand how this works yet. So here it goes, i am 18 a cna and applied for a part time position at a nursing home. I had mild ocd about germs and things like checking if my house doors are locked before going to bed several obsessive times. Thing is after getting really sick(personal) my ocd got worse, and i've gotten really afraid about being around people who have fatal and/or life threatening illnesses and/or diseases such as hiv. Being that i am afraid of catching any illnesses or diseases that are incurable i am highly concerned about working at a nursing home. I do not discriminate people with hiv but you have to be extremely precautious if you're ever in charge of taking care of one, and that's a situation i would prefer not to be in (no offense).My question is do they accept hiv positive elderly residents in long term care facilities? Also do they accept them in regular personal care facilities or is that discrimination? or if they have hiv do they have to be hospitalized instead? Because i don't want to go into the hospital scene because it gets a lot more serious. I'm just afraid. This would be my first job if i do get the offer and the pay is really good. Besides if i don't work at least 8 hours by may of 2014 my certification will expire and i will have lost all the money and time i invested to get certified. My parents are also concerned. Im just kind of in a tough spot. :/ Help please your opinion will be greatly appreciated. Also when i was at the nursing homes last year doing my clinical hours and interacting with patients, i didn't have any problems i was never afraid of catching anything from them, it's just now I'm such an ocd train wreck. :( Help!

The ironic thing, is that we (caregivers) are so much more dangerous to HIV patients than they are too us. I do go above and beyond with precautions when dealing with HIV patients, but it's to keep myself from exposing them to something.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

My fellow nursing student stated she had this fear of HIV and didn't even want to touch hands with a HIV+ patient. :banghead:

I do think this scare of catching bugs is really blown out of proportion (unless you are immuno-compromised). I see people not gown and glove up ALL the time to just walk into the patient room and stop a beeping IV or to pass a meal tray and haven't caught anything because it is WAY harder to catch those diseases than most believe (though I don't encourage or condone this behavior...)

Just follow universal precautions and you should be fine. ESPECIALLY, don't touch body fluids, even the supposedly "sterile" urine. WEAR GLOVES.

:)

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
Think about it this way: how do you know if someone is HIV+? In a hospital or health care setting it may show up in their chart, but what about in public? At the grocery store? At a university? Public pool? 9/10 you don't! I assume you don't walk around town in a gown, mask, and gloves. You know how HIV is spread. Just follow standard precautions with all your patients and you will be a-okay.

Even in the hospital, not every HIV+ person is identified in his/her chart because they either don't know that they have HIV (and need to sign a consent form in order to be tested) or they didn't disclose that bit of information to healthcare team.

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Even in the hospital, not every HIV+ person is identified in his/her chart because they either don't know that they have HIV (and need to sign a consent form in order to be tested) or they didn't disclose that bit of information to healthcare team.

Exactly! I was going to mention that, but the post became too long winded and I was typing on my phone. You just never know. Also, I believe that rule varies by state.

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Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.

Realistically, with standard precautions and good hygiene (handwashing + alcohol sanitizer), you're highly likely not to catch anything from LTC residents. Assuming you have a healthy immune system, eat a good diet, and have all of your vaccinations, your body will defend itself accordingly.

I think the only time I got sick from someone in nursing was from a classmate of mine who was overly stressed and run down, as we were approaching the end of the semester. Definitely not from any patients.

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Specializes in Pedi.
Ok i have a question and im new to this website, so i dont know how to post my own question or make a thread, i don't really understand how this works yet. So here it goes, i am 18 a cna and applied for a part time position at a nursing home. I had mild ocd about germs and things like checking if my house doors are locked before going to bed several obsessive times. Thing is after getting really sick(personal) my ocd got worse, and i've gotten really afraid about being around people who have fatal and/or life threatening illnesses and/or diseases such as hiv. Being that i am afraid of catching any illnesses or diseases that are incurable i am highly concerned about working at a nursing home. I do not discriminate people with hiv but you have to be extremely precautious if you're ever in charge of taking care of one, and that's a situation i would prefer not to be in (no offense).My question is do they accept hiv positive elderly residents in long term care facilities? Also do they accept them in regular personal care facilities or is that discrimination? or if they have hiv do they have to be hospitalized instead? Because i don't want to go into the hospital scene because it gets a lot more serious. I'm just afraid. This would be my first job if i do get the offer and the pay is really good. Besides if i don't work at least 8 hours by may of 2014 my certification will expire and i will have lost all the money and time i invested to get certified. My parents are also concerned. Im just kind of in a tough spot. :/ Help please your opinion will be greatly appreciated. Also when i was at the nursing homes last year doing my clinical hours and interacting with patients, i didn't have any problems i was never afraid of catching anything from them, it's just now I'm such an ocd train wreck. :( Help!

There are HIV+ people everywhere. In LTCs, in Assisted Living Facilities, in schools (maybe your school), in public, using the same public restrooms that you use, etc. Someone who would otherwise qualify for LTC, Rehab or ALF placement would not be sent to the hospital just because of their HIV status. HIV is sexually transmitted and blood borne. If you practice universal precautions your risk of exposure is next to nothing.

I think you need to see someone about your OCD, as what you describe sounds more than mild.

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

Hepatitis is more contagious than HIV

As others stated, many are un diagnosed

But, by practicing universal precautions, I dont worry about it at all.

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Specializes in PACU, presurgical testing.

20 years ago I decided not to go to medical school because I had an extreme germ phobia... and here I am working as a nurse and not getting freaked out anymore. I don't know if it was having kids (and all the lovely crap they bring home from school), getting more educated about infectious disease, or just time, but I don't worry like I used to. I take precautions, gown/glove/mask as needed, and wash my hands a lot. Had my first HIV+ patient the other day, and frankly, it was a lot less scary taking care of that patient than the ones with MRSA or C.diff that are SO easy to catch, or hep B, that is deadly like AIDS but 100 times easier to contract.

If you're going to be crippled with fear and unable to do your job, you either have to talk to someone and deal with this, or you have to find something else to do. Not a criticism, just a choice to make. It's okay to do other things in healthcare if you have the interest but don't want to work in direct patient care.

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

Please consider getting some help for your anxiety/OCD. Be sure you really do have OCD and not just moderate to severe anxiety. I'm not trying to give medical advice, but am merely speaking as a wife whose husband has been diagnosed with OCD. He sees a psychologist whose specialty is treating OCD and takes meds geared at lowering his anxiety. Either one by itself would have been ineffective. He needed the combo. He worried about all kinds of things that seemed like nonissues to me, but I never told him that, of course. He checked and rechecked all five outer doors over and over and over and... He just knew one of the non dorm students in his evening class would have a terrible accident if he kept them five minutes late, and many other irrational fears. Between talking to the psychologist and his meds, his fears are gone.

As far as "catching" something terrible, if you use universal precautions, you'll be fine. I have a much greater chance of getting a cold or whatever the latest elementary school crud is from the little boys next door. They're germ factories! Adorable, but walking sneeze and GI tract symptoms!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, LTC, Psych, Addictions..

I remember going in with a nurse on my first day of orientation to help her change his bleeding dressings. He had hiv and she didn't tell me. Someone else told me the next day. I was furious! Thank God I know to use universal precautions. I always, always, always glove up for personal care.

If we use common sense, we will be ok. Try to overcome your fears.

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Have to warn you---after being discharged from the hospital and LTC, all people with HIV, MRSA, Cdiff, MDRO, tuberculosis, etc are NOT sent to live on a farm together. They're everywhere!!!!! :)

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I remember going in with a nurse on my first day of orientation to help her change his bleeding dressings. He had hiv and she didn't tell me. Someone else told me the next day. I was furious! Thank God I know to use universal precautions. I always, always, always glove up for personal care.

If we use common sense, we will be ok. Try to overcome your fears.

Well, you really had no reason to be furious. The nurse was under no particular obligation to tell you the pt had HIV, aside from a general report of medical diagnoses. And verbal report rarely includes a recitation of every single diagnosis. That's what stuff like kardexes are for.

Patients with HIV do not fall under any sort of "special" precation. There are no specific precations to take.

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