Insight please on contact isolation??

[TallyJofutureRN]

HI ....I am a first semester intro nursing student and we started clinicals last week on the Oncology floor at our local hospital...I am a little concerned about my contact with a pt today and hoping you all could ease my mind...I had a pt who was in contact isolation because of C-Diff...First of all it seems wierd to me that they would assign me a contact isolation patient being that this is my 2nd week at the hospital....I haven't even taken Micro yet!! I did gown and glove up everytime I went in the room and didn't take anything of mine inside with me I washed my hands all day too..I am concerned though because I have 3 small children under the age of 5.... am not sure how contagious it is...any insight would be helpful...

[sharann, BSN, RN]

Not everyone that walks into a contact isolation room has had micro.

Consider it a learning experience.

Sharann, Micro is a co-req in some schools, not a pre-req. We didn't have to have it until our 3rd quarter and A&P I and II (we were on a quarter system).

Thats amazing. My school was a pain in the behind about prereqs!

I agree that Micro is not needed for taking care of contact isolations nor do I remember walking out of micro ever having heard of C-diff!

I do think that if you are ever concerned as a student or even when you are licensed you should not be afraid to ask a co-worker about it.

[zacarias, ASN, RN]

I didn't see this mentioned in the thead but an important to remember with C-Diff is to wash your hands with soap and water (like the OP did). Spores from C-diff aren't always killed by alcohol gels that work for cleansing non-soiled hands for anything other patient.

To the OP, C-Diff is not something that most healthy people can easily get. Inform yourself about different bugs we isolate against, but don't worry. :)