I can't wear an N95 resp. mask= No airborne iso patients?!

[s1992]

Hello everyone,

I had my pre-boarding appointment today, everything went smoothly aside from the n95 respirator test. Each mask I wore i was able to taste the spray. We went through 3 different masks and she told me that since I failed I am unable to care for airborne isolated patients. She said I will not be penalized for this. Now tell me the honest truth about this will this really limit me or cause me less shifts?

I'll be working on an cardiac PCU floor.

Thanks

[Cook26]

You can wear a papr hood if your hospital has them.

I have a beard and was disqualified from any mask test. When I worked in the ICU I always had to wear the hood.

[s1992]

Oh thanks. I will look into that.

[RNKPCE]

So glad we went to PAPRs. Facial hair or facial anatomy no longer plays a role in whether one can take care of a patient on Airborne precautions.

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

As the others above have said, the PAPR eliminates the problem of facial hair or problems with ill-fitting N95 respirators. The facility I work at has 3 units (we're very small) and we don't use them very often. The nice thing about a PAPR is that they also double as a splash shield so if you're worried about getting stuff in your eyes while working with an isolation patient, the PAPR is a solution because otherwise you'd have to wear an N95 mask (if you can wear one) and a separate splash shield.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Not being able to wear an N95 is definitely not an excuse not to care for airborne isolation patients- and my facility actually states that outright in the insolation policies. In fact, we have entire units who are not fit tested, including my own (OR). Anytime we have an airborne isolation patient, we wear the PAPR hoods. As long as the facility provides proper equipment, there's no reason you can't care for all patients, and I'd be shocked if the facility didn't have PAPRs. Sounds like either whoever you talked with misunderstood the policy or is simply not in the know about alternatives to N95 masks.

[purplegal]

Like others have said, wear a PAPR hood if they're available. Also, cardiac PCUs don't generally have very many airborne precautions patients anyway. I've never encountered one on that type of floor.

[s1992]

The person I spoke to was the HR director as I'm sure she knows what she's talking about. Why would a nurse be subject to airborne isolation patients when they know in fact the mask isn't protecting the nurse? Might as well go in without a mask at all. The Papr wasn't mentioned in the conversation but when I orient to the floor I will ask.

[seaofclouds21, BSN, RN]

I have worked at facilities that did not have the PAPR. At those facilities, if you could not wear a N95 mask, you did not take care of patients requiring airborne isolation. You worked your normal schedule and were assigned patients as usually, just none on airborne precautions.