Should I go to clinical w/strep throat?

featherz17 · Feb 10, 2009

No. If necessary, send message by a fellow student in your clinical group for your instructor to call you in the morning. Never put the patients at risk for any further infection.

jla623 · Feb 10, 2009

If she still doesn't respond, I would call the unit in the morning and ask for your instructor (if she stays on the floor). Also, like the above poster, I would tell my classmates to relay the message as well.

Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN · Feb 10, 2009

Be sure to get a doctor's note and STAY HOME! You do not want to put yourself nor your patients at risk. You made every effort to contact her.

KIMYNURSE2B · Feb 10, 2009

Stay Home!

Call the unit ( we have to) Call a student & call the instucter

Not a bad idea to get a Dr. note

mb1949 · Feb 10, 2009

Try to get in touch with the instructor , let your fellow students know, but please stay home and take care of yourself, PS a note from your doc will be a plus.

allnurses Guide · Feb 10, 2009

I would go (and wear a mask). But that's just me.

~FutureNurse~ · Feb 10, 2009

I finally got a hold of my lead instructor. She said that I can not come in with strep throat. I do have a doctor's note!! I am glad I don't have to go today, I feel like complete crap!!

Thanks for all your replies! :)

mb1949 · Feb 10, 2009

I would go (and wear a mask). But that's just me.

I have a problem with that, clients are sick already, some immunocomprised, not to mention that you are sick already yourself, a hospital is no place for a person with an active strep infection.

Personally as a client I would be insulted with a nurse wearing a mask because she is sick, or maybe because she was afraid of catching something from me.

In my school they would never allow such a thing, at clinical pre conference a fellow student sneezed and the professor was ready to send her home

~FutureNurse~ · Feb 10, 2009

That was my thing. While, I did/do feel like crap, I didn't want to go more for the safety of my patients! I do my clinicals on a floor that has very sick people--gosh forbid I give one of the strep and they could possibly die from it!!!

I am going tomorrow--I have been on my antibiotics for 48 hours, so I think I am good! :)

mb1949 · Feb 10, 2009

Smart move after 48 hrs on abx if you are feeling up to it, go

inland18mempire · Feb 10, 2009

In my NS program, if we had more than 2 absent days, whether they were excused, unexcused, a Dr's note, whatever, we failed clinical. BE ABSOLUTLEY CERTAIN WHAT YOUR POLICY IS. FAILURE FOR CLINICAL CAN RESULT IF YOU MISS TOO MANY DAYS OF SCHOOL. I always went to NS, rain or shine, sniffles, diarrhea, nausea, vomitting, muscles aches, sore throat or not. The only time I would have missed a day was if I was a patient in the ICU and sedated against my will, or if we had one clinical day left and I wanted to take a freebie.

Fast forward after you graduate and get a job. You will be able to take sick days once in a while, and it won't be so much of a big deal as it is now in NS, but nurses that are sick come into work all of the time. Sniffles, headaches, fevers, whatever. If every nurse at my hospital stayed home every time they were feeling sick, we would be grossly understaffed quite routinely.