popping blisters, abcesses, etc

[lumbarpain, ADN, RN]

I am so disgusted with a lot of nurses on my job that actually pop open(without proper cleansing of the skin) blisters, black heads, white heads and other skin eruptions on patients ..I feel you can introduce staph into that open area if not cleansed properly with soap and water or some kind of antiseptic.....they say...they just love to POP them!!!!....I find this to be disgusting...a health hazard to themselves( cause they can get that puss in their nose, eyes or on a open area on THEIR skin....its true negligence and dangerous for the patient..and they don't cover this wound up after popping it either and no one knows about it!!!!!!.....I am ready to quit this disgusting place that the nurses think they are out in the woods somewhere and could do anything they want.... . AM I WRONG.???

[Annie Wilkes RN]

Tell them to watch the abscess/zit/cyst popping videos on youtube and leave those patients alone!

[NurseCard, ADN]

I too have worked with nurses who do this.

I will admit, I have a fascination with squeezing things, especially black heads... but I never ever do it at work to any of my patients. Seems way unsafe and definitely not in my scope of practice.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I once knew an LPN who thought nothing of doing sharp debridement of diabetic ulcers with scissors! She was fascinated with wounds, abscesses etc. and thought for some reason that she was qualified to treat them her way. Last I heard she was caught and fired, then a few months later I saw her name in the quarterly publication from my state BON. Her license had been revoked for performing procedures that were out of her scope of practice.