Is it true all nurses get MRSA or C-DIFF?

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I was at work last night and the nurses were talking as if it was normal.

I love working in healthcare, but as you know accidents happen, like urine splashing on you/clothing, someone spitting on you or rushing in without gloves during an emergency.

I'm starting nursing school next year but seriously thinking its not for me.

They say, that all nurses get it? Is it true?

I wouldn't want to expose this to my family or other patients that why I practice good hygiene. Any insight?

Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.

A nurse I work with had C-diff a few months ago. I sat in her chair for a few minutes. Do I have to get tested or should I just sue my employer?

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Specializes in Hospice.
A nurse I work with had C-diff a few months ago. I sat in her chair for a few minutes. Do I have to get tested or should I just sue my employer?

This is why, when I'm on the Memory Care Unit with the open floor plan Nurses station, I try not to think too hard about the cooties that might be found on whichever chair I decide to sit.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

C diff, no. Colonized for MRSA. Now I have acquired scabies from a pt at work.

And just to add - I think escalator handrails are alternate breeding petry dishes for MRSA critters.

And you CAN get preggers drinking from a water fountain with low water pressure after sitting on the red chair at the nsg station. :roflmao:

(Can I be the first person here to whisper "fomite" on this post?) :cheeky:

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I'm pretty sure I'm colonized with MRSA that I would refuse to have my nose swabbed if I am ever in the hospital.

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Specializes in retired LTC.
I'm pretty sure I'm colonized with MRSA that I would refuse to have my nose swabbed if I am ever in the hospital.

That's how I found out I was colonized for pre-testing.

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

Are you sure? My cousin's hairdresser's dog-groomer's neighbors MIL heard of someone who DID get the flu from getting the shot---pretty badly too, the way I heard it!

I have heard the pregnancy thing, but not the FIRST time you get one!!

That's a myth-you can't get them from a flu shot.

You CAN, however, get pregnant from a flu shot.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

since I have been sick.....I have been cultured stem to stern. no HIV Hep C TB. No MRSA VRE COLINIZED. Scabies once YEARS AGO and we didn't use gloved YEARS ago.....LOL

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That's a myth-you can't get them from a flu shot.

You CAN, however, get pregnant from a flu shot.

You have no idea what you are talking about! You get herpes from the flu shot! Tom Hanks said so in an interview.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
C diff, no. Colonized for MRSA. Now I have acquired scabies from a pt at work.

Oh dear. I never actually caught scabies while working in dermatology except for several hours after we had a patient diagnosed with them. Usually by the next day I was "cured".

(Can I be the first person here to whisper "fomite" on this post?) :cheeky:

Now there was a thread . .

Never had c.diff probably colonized MRSA though don't know for sure.

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Specializes in PACU, ED.
A nurse I work with had C-diff a few months ago. I sat in her chair for a few minutes. Do I have to get tested or should I just sue my employer?

Your best bet is to sue the chair manufacturer. They obviously used substandard materials and didn't provide adequate cleaning procedures. (Always go for the deepest pockets!)

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Specializes in ICU.

I think a microbiology class would be beneficial for you. That's not sarcastic either. These organisms are pretty much on everything you touch. C-diff lives in your gut naturally. Staph is on everything. It's all about your hand hygiene and taking care of your immune system. Our bodies naturally resist these infections but when your immune system goes down, they can invade you. On the medsurg unit I did clinical on last spring, just about every patient tested positive for MRSA. We gowned up every time we ever went in one of these rooms. I had one C-diff patient. I made it through and I'm still alive!!! That might have had some sarcasm. :roflmao:

But I honestly think if you took a micro class it would give you an excellent understanding of the world we live in. One, big organism filled world.

FYI, I once got scabies from a locker room/restroom of a public pool. I never went back to that pool, grossest thing ever and it was right on my bikini line!!!! At the time, I had no idea what it was and went to my doc and he told me, I about had a heart attack. That was many moons ago.

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Specializes in critical care.

The flu shot causes the sugar dyabeetus. We already covered this in another thread.

I'm genuinely curious to get cultured. Maybe I'll track down some growth medium and other micro tools and see for myself. I looooved micro!

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