Leaving it at work - Germs

[JaxiaKiley]

Hey everyone,

I'm in nursing school and recently started my clinical rotations. I'm wondering what people do to make sure they don't bring any germs home with them. Yes, I constantly wash my hands and take the appropriate cautions while in the hospital. But, I live with some who is immunosuppresed (from chemo/leukemia), and I want to know if I should do anything special at home. Take my shoes/clothes off before I enter the house? I don't like to iron, so I take my scrubs to the cleaners. Does this disinfect them? Do I need to do anything with my shoes like ... spray them with lysol? Or, am I just being paranoid?

Thanks for your time!

~Jaxia

[ginger58, ASN, RN]

To me having the person get the answer from their doc would be respectful to you so you don't have to worry about harming her.

[JaxiaKiley]

That's a good point :) I guess I just don't want to say, "I'm worried about this, and I need you to fix it." I'd rather say, "I'm worried about this, and it seems like these things will help. Does your dr have any other suggestions?"

I'm just surprised there isn't more interest in this topic. It seems like something other people would be concerned about ... people with young kids, or elderly parents living at home. Who knows. Maybe I'm just too germ paranoid!