Oh, well - Not for me.

[dragonflycafe]

I have lurked here for many months and posted a few questions about nursing. After many months of considering this path I thought I was all set to start my BSN prereqs (degreed, career change stay at home mom). I was excited and thought I could deal with most of the negative aspects of nursing because so much of it is positive.

But alas, I am just too worried about MRSA/Strep/etc. I've read several posts here about nurses using universal precautions, then getting bumps and getting seriously ill. I can't imagine bringing it home to my kiddos. I can't believe I'm letting this one thing deter me. I suppose seeing my husband so ill from a mysterious strep infection (elbow) a few months back really got me.

Never thought I was such a weiner! And no weiners allowed in nursing!

Just thought I'd vent and say 'thanks' from a layperson who now knows so much more about what you do.

[ijuanabhappy, ASN, RN]

I have the same fears and paranoia as you, so I know what you mean. I also have felt like a major wimp because I am worried about getting assaulted by a patient since I have heard this happens often. Its fear of the unknown I guess. But, I have come so far with my pre-reqs so I am just going to give it a shot since I was accepted into a program. I guess I will know for sure if it is for me after I get in there! I know I have the compassionate nature, but maybe I need to work on my anxieties and toughen up a bit. Don't feel bad about your decision. You are being honest with yourself if you truly feel it is not for you. Good Luck!

[whodatnurse]

Wow. I'm glad you posted, because I too hadn't yet found anything to give me second thoughts about what I'm getting myself into...until yesterday when I read that MSRA thread. That made me start to worry some. I'm still going forward with my plans to start school next month, but...I dunno...I wish someone had something more comforting to say on that subject. That's the one thing I'm really kind of nervous about now...

[nurseontheway]

It takes all sorts of people to make the world go around... I am going into my 3rd and final quarter for the LPN program. As my clinical instructor said- MRSA is everywhere. You can catch it at the grocery store etc. I guess with every job there are risks. I have always wanted to be a nurse and am finally fulfilling my dream. I will be 30 this month and had two kids before I started going to school. I truly believe that everything has a time and that everyone has a calling. You will figure out something that is right for you. If you like the medical field maybe you could go into the administrative part of it?

[okchug]

Please consider a couple of things before you jump ship....we all have had moments of doubt.

You can contract infections like staph, hep, and others outside of the hospital

For all the healthcare workers out there (emts, techs, lab, nurses, drs), extreme few ever catch anything.

There are many fields of nursing that do not involve working with such infectious disease, even within the hospital. And many more outside the hospital ( educator, insurance, legal, office nurse, etc.)

If nursing is really something you want, look at the positive possibilities and try to think realistically and rationally about your fears. Learn more about those things that concern you so you can make a well informed decision.

Hope your husband is doing better & Good Luck to you!

[GilaRRT]

Try to keep things in perspective however. Taking this line of thinking too far could lead us to lock ourselves in a plastic bubble. Think about how many people do not wash their hands. Think about all of the private parts and dirty pieces of toilette paper you touch every time you lay hands on a shopping cart. People with MRSA are out and about and shop at the same store as us, eat at the same diner, and so on and so on.

At least in the hospital you have PPE around every corner and have the ability to wash up if you even suspect you may have contaced anything dirty.

[Epona]

Hi dragonflycafe. I also worried about catching germs before I went into Nursing and still think about it sometimes. I almost did not go into Nursing because I was afraid of getting 'bugs'. AND... I worked as a medical writer for a while (in my first career) and came into contact with someone who was deathly ill (did not know... I was a writer), and almost DIED myself from the exposure. I was put on life support and the whole nine yards. Yes... no joke. It took me YEARS to recover, but I did. Anyway, so I had a real fear of this as I had experienced it once already in the medical field. It was a REAL FEAR for me, but I REALLY LIKED the field (always have) and took the plunge. I am a heart patient too, so I need to be extra careful. I feel as long as you are careful, protect yourself, and perhaps work in a less 'infectious' area like Ortho or Labor and Delivery for example, then you should be fine. I myself, would not work in the ER, for instance, because it's riskier. You have no idea what you are treating. But you can decide WHERE you want to work, as someone above posted. If you protect yourself, you should be fine. And yes.. in my clinicals I have worked around deathly ill people, but I use precautions. My Mom once told me when I was deciding on whether to go to RN school- "You could go down the road for a gallon of milk and get hit in your car and die. You cannot live in fear." I was like "You are right Mom. You never know what life has in store. No since living in fear." Something to think about. Best of luck to you!

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

Well, in 25 years, the worst thing I've caught so far was head lice. I've had a few bouts of gastroenteritis, and the odd upper respiratory infection (including one that led to an adult ear infection).

The interesting thing is that none of these were caught from hospital inpatients. Every single thing I've ever caught was either as a graduate student or while working as a NP.

That's right- the most infectious people I've encountered have been the ones out walking around in public. That means you are just as likely to encounter them as a non-nurse as are medical folks.

[Hands and Heart]

Germs are EVERYWHERE. That person sitting behind you in the movie theater could be coughing TB germs on you. When you are working in a hospital, you are more aware of all the possible germs. I wash my hands if I even touch a door handle in the hospital. My doctor presumptively diagnosed me with MRSA last quarter because of a cellulitus in my arm that immediately responded to Bactrim. And I wasn't even involved in direct patient care, so I must have pick it up in the community. We never know what will be thing that "takes us out". We cannot live in fear. I wish you luck in whatever you decide.

[Zana2]

I think we all worry about what we might bring at home. It's a real fear, we know what those things do to you. From where I stand, I've got an advantage, I know what to do to prevent it. Or try to. Wearing plastic aprons, changing your uniform before you leave work, wash hands, wash hands, wash hands. I get home and the first thing I do is scrub myself raw. We recently had several cases of c-difficile, I was totally paranoid, sat outside the nursery and contemplated asking the care takers to pick up my kid and put her in the car, I didn't want to touch her before I had a shower. I didn't go in, rang the bell and asked them to hand her to me, then we 'played a game': what a big girl she is to get herself in the car seat without mummy's help when I was dying for a cuddle.

I must have been a right sight, with my anti bacterial wipes going around the car's door handles in the evening, just as an extra precaution:D

Equally, I was in a cinema's toilet and I was very happy not to be the only one turning the tap with a piece of tissue, there was another nurse there who did exactly the same thing, much to the bewilderment of the others:chuckle

We all develop our little 'paranoias'.

I respect your point, dragonflycafe, but as the girls said, you're just as likely to get something from the supermarket.

[Nightcrawler, BSN, RN]

I suppose seeing my husband so ill from a mysterious strep infection (elbow) a few months back really got me.

QUOTE]

The fact that your husband suffered from a community acquired MRSA infection should show you that you can pick up illnesses from anywhere. From what I see at work, you will be more at risk from the bugs that your kids bring home from school than from anything that you might take home to them. Does that mean that you should homeschool your kids and never let them play at the park? - Probably not.

I have co-workers that change out of their scrubs before they leave from work, and co-workers that have hospital shoes and community shoes- I do neither and I do not get ill any more than they do. It all has to do with what your personal issues are. Working with those that are ill does not mean that you will get ill more- more likely you will learn ways to keep yourself and family safe all of the time.

Whatever your decision- good luck to you

[Xbox Live Addict]

I used to be worried about MRSA too, when I first entered nursing as a CNA. My unlearned mind had the idea it was like the bubonic plague.

MRSA, to be sure, is nothing to take lightly - I did battle a nasty MRSA infection 4 years ago myself - but it is now becoming increasingly prevalent in the world outside the hospital. Most nurses never have to deal with MRSA - I just caught a bad break. I imagine that more people than you think are probably colonized with MRSA in any case - staph is a natural flora, after all.

But we can't all live in plastic bubbles. If you really want to become a nurse - go for it, and just use Universal Precautions routinely along with any other precautions set for each patient. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.