No gloves ever?!?

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So I'm in my last rotation of nursing school and I followed a nurse in CVICU today. Well from the getgo he mentioned he's "old school" and that's fine with me. In fact I get excited when I hear that as I figure I'll learn a lot. Well... While this nurse let me do almost everything and I completely appreciate that experience, he didn't wear a pair of gloves the whole day. I watched him do peg meds, draw blood, suction, and clean a diarrhea bottom (touching testicles and all) WITHOUT gloves. I got excited at one point cause he pulled a pair of gloves out BUT THEN he handed them to me, none for him. In fact, when cleaning the poop he said "yeah, I know im being naughty." So, I thought that if he doesn't use gloves then he must scrub his hands. Nope, 5 second rinse, no lather...that's it. I was shocked....

Needless to say...didn't shake his hand at the end of the day.

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Specializes in ER.

I work with nurses who I have literally never seen wash there hands. Not even once. And this is the ED, so there are all sorts of crap floating around.

Unbelieveable.

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Yuck - I am 'old school' too, but even 30+ years ago we wore gloves to clean dirty bottoms. Not much else, but stool is yuckeeeee!

Someone needs to mention this to his boss.

Tell your instructor.

Best wishes!

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Specializes in ICU/CCU.

I guess "old school" means he only worries about the germs he can see. That's really disgusting. My hospital has periodic audits for nurses' use of ppe and hand hygiene; they actually send people onto the units to spy on us. A guy like that wouldn't last three months in my ICU. I can't believe the hospital lets him get away with that.

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Needless to say...didn't shake his hand at the end of the day.

ha, that's pretty funny.

no surprise though, some docs don't wear gloves when they should and/or they wash their hands half orificed. i've only not worn gloves when wiping my kid's orifices, no wearing them to wipe someone else's is kinda out there.

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No surprise. I've watched everyday normal people use the restrooms doing #1 and #2 and walk right out without washing their hands....it's just a habit, and bad one at it.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

If you haven't you should tell your clinical contact at school. This guy is not only endangering himself but his patients. Maybe he believes disease is caused by "bad vapours" or angering the Gods.

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In my very first clinical rotation I got paired up with a nurse who also told me she was "old school" and she didn't believe in glove wearing either. In fact she had a patient with MRSA and interacted with her all shift w/o wearing any PPE including basics like gloves. The next time I was on that floor I saw the same nurse and she had to come change an IV for my patient (who happened to be HIV + and a hard stick) and the entire procedure she was bare handed! I know people are used to doing things a certain way, but surely contracting a deadly virus isn't worth it!

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If you haven't you should tell your clinical contact at school. This guy is not only endangering himself but his patients. Maybe he believes disease is caused by "bad vapours" or angering the Gods.

I let my clinical instructor know. She said "you'll see a lot if things, some you'll learn a lot from, some you'll learn what not to do." She didn't say anything about reporting it. But I think we get a review at the end of the rotation and as long as it anonymous I might hint something.

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i wouldn't tell on the guy unless you're going to do the same when you see doctors and the higher ups do it also. then you'll see why it really doesn't matter, b/c nothing will be done to the docs and higher ups, but the nurse will get grief for it.

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Specializes in Family Medicine.

Yikes, that's pretty gross. Glad he, at least, respected your desire to wear gloves.

During one of my clinicals, I shadowed a nurse who got blood on her hand and didn't wash it off. I actually never saw her wash her hands once the whole day. She chastised me for foaming in and foaming out each time I entered the patients' rooms.

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If I hear 'old school' here one more time for the laziness of some older nurses to take basic precautions, I will scream!!! I graduated in 1974, before gloves were de rigeur, and I and my peers somehow made that adjustment.

What nonsense that they don't care enough!.

And I have reported docs to infection control when they are obviously not taking care of themselves and others.

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