NurseIAm0613

Well I dont use my phone in front of patients. But it does get left laying around the nurses station when its charging.

I am a nurse at a general childrens ward (dealig with meningitis, encephalitis, infection by herpes virus, etc) and when I get home from work I always wipe my mobile with anti-bacterial wipes, making sure I don't touch any part of it with my unclean hands - this is a big issue for me as I then take my mobile to bed with me. Does anyone do anything similar? Is this something I'm right to do or should I not bother? Thank you.

Thank you everyone. Right now I am not in treatment for my OCD as (knock on wood) is pretty manageable. I've been trying to reduce my rituals, and for the most part I've been doing okay but this is where I've struggled the most. Even though I know that a lot of it isn't rational, it's like a little voice in my ear is telling me that if I stop doing all this, my family is going to end up getting some horrible bug because of me. Knowing that other people don't do this makes me feel better and makes the goal of reducing this ritual much more achievable. Thank you all for spending some of your time making me feel better!!

I am a nurse on a general children's ward so I get every kind of patient you can think of. I also struggle with OCD so, at the moment, I have a ritual for when I get home from work that even I think is a little bit crazy but I can't make myself stop. I thought a good idea would be to get fellow nurses insight on it so I could get some perspective on what is "normal" and what isn't. I should say I wash my hands frequently when I'm at work and always wash them before I leave the hospital. When I get home, I strip immediately and leave my uniform in a small wardrobe where it will wait until I have enough uniforms to fill up the washer. No one is allowed to touch this wardrobe. I also leave my shoes at the door, and then proceed to use Dettol wipes to clean every door knob I might have touched. Finally I also wipe my mobile with Dettol wipes, making sure I don't touch any part of it with my unclean hands - this is a big issue for me as I then take my mobile to bed with me. After all this I take a shower and wash my hair. I realize that all this is a bit much but I am terrified of contaminating my home/my family with some of the horrible bugs I see everyday.