New Peds nurse and i keep getting sick!

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Specializes in Pediatric Emergency Medicine/Trauma.

i'm a new nurse, just graduated in may, and i work in a large children's hospital emergency room. i've been there over a year now (first as a student nurse now an RN) and i continue to get sick almost every single month. everything from pneumonia to mrsa bacteremia to gastro. this is ridiculous, it's got to stop.

i'm a healthy person - i take good care of myself, always washing my hands, drinking water, eating right. i keep my house clean, do laundry all the time - - - what is going on???

anyone have any tips or feel similar? i'm so tempted to leave and work somewhere else but i love my job almost every single moment and i don't think i'd find that anywhere else. and wouldn't i get sick there too? i'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired. i feel like all i do is sleep and work and get sick :(

help?

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Specializes in Tele, ED/Pediatrics, CCU/MICU.

I work in ER as well, and people are simply icky-sticky-gross.

-I try (but don't always remember) not to put my hands in my mouth/near my nose or eyes

-Take a vitamin C supplement (I just eat these tasty cough drops that have a day's worth in them)

-Wear a mask if the kiddo is hacking/sneezing

-When it doubt, glove up

-Sometimes when the air is feeling stagnant and germy, I step out of the ambulance bay for a few breaths of clean(er) air

-Perhaps consider a Yoga class, or just the gym in general, to improve overall health- i take a few classes a week, depending on how exhausted I am.. usually Spinning.

Hope something there helped!

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Specializes in RN- Med/surg.

Are you new to the area? Not sure if it was the step into healthcare or the move..but when I moved to MN and started working LTC I was sick CONSTANTLY the first year. It was odd...I had been KNOWN at my last job for NEVER calling in. I had people tell me a climate change would do that...but I believe it was also the change of suddenly working with sick people.

Take good vitamins and hopefully this period will soon pass.

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Specializes in Emergency Midwifery.

I found that as a new nurse I catch every little bug that floats my way (regardless of hygiene).

I have asked other nurses and have been told it was the same for them. It wont be long till you have built up some sort of immunity to all those bugs and you can get back to just sleep and work!

Hope you are feeling tip top soon.

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Specializes in Pediatric Emergency Medicine/Trauma.
Are you new to the area? Not sure if it was the step into healthcare or the move..but when I moved to MN and started working LTC I was sick CONSTANTLY the first year. It was odd...I had been KNOWN at my last job for NEVER calling in. I had people tell me a climate change would do that...but I believe it was also the change of suddenly working with sick people.

Take good vitamins and hopefully this period will soon pass.

Well, not new to the state, but I moved from a small northern town and started working in the Detroit Metro area. I too never called in and now it's all the time! Thanks for your encouragement.

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Specializes in ER/ICU, CCL, EP.

I worked in a PICU in a large pedi hospital, and I was really sick for the first year....including PERTUSSIS! Try to get enough sleep and eat well. Kids are little germ buckets :)

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.
I worked in a PICU in a large pedi hospital, and I was really sick for the first year....including PERTUSSIS! Try to get enough sleep and eat well. Kids are little germ buckets :)

I could have posted that! I've had every bug known to man and probably a few that no one knows about yet! :urgycld: But in all my years of peds, I've never given what I have to anyone else...

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

MRSA bacteremia??

The only thing I would add, short of medical advice is to see your GP. MRSA bacteremia is usually a result of immunocompromise.

I also work my share of peds, and they are worse reservoirs of infection than mosquitos or deer ticks. (probably from wiping their nose on their sleeves....

I used to get sick EVERY time I worked per diem in PICU. I swore I got rotavirus and RSV several times. I cared for a pertussis kid once (before we knew what it was) and got sicker from the ZPak and TMP-SMZ they gave me prophylactically than I would have from the pertussis. (had it as a kid, even after vaccination)

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Specializes in Peds Urology,primary care, hem/onc.

Welcome to pediatrics! :) I am been in peds for 10 years, the first 2 flu seasons, I caught every bug that was out there, it was brutal. I too, believe I had roto and RSV several times. After that, I built up enough immunity that now I rarely get sick, if at all. Make sure you are taking care of yourself (getting enough sleep, eating well, exercise etc) and that will help too. Good handwashing is very important to (I am sure you already do this). Hang in there!

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