New CNA worried might have caught HIV working with HIV positive resident

[MarellaMagdalene]

:oI guess I'm just paranoid because I'm new, I've only been working for a few weeks. The sputum came out through the small hole on the oxygen mask over her trach. It got on my neck and the side of my face, and in my ear. It was quite a spray and I wasn't expecting it, I don't believe it got in my nose/mouth, but I know it got close to getting in my eye and wasn't sure.

I talked to my supervisor the day after I posted, and she said that it was unlikely I caught anything, and said I should be fine and don't need the testing. I also found out that this patient is known for spraying sputum often (some say on purpose), so the other cna's requested goggles and more masks to work with this particular patient, which I can now use over my regular glasses which have a bit of a gap.

Thank you so much for you help and replies, I feel a bit silly!

[Stearnsy]

Glad to help..always remember safety first

[diane227, LPN, RN]

You need to report the exposure but your chances of getting HIV from the exposure you describe is very low.

[talaxandra]

No need to feel silly - how would you know if nobody told you? I'm just glad we were able to help alleviate your fears :)