Smelly co-worker

[MA Nurse]

I work with a nurse who smells really bad. People will walk into our unit and say "ooh, it smells like a dirty mop in here!" I don't think she realizes how bad she smells. Other nurses have gone to our managers and they haven't said anything to her, sometimes they just laugh about it. This is not appropriate. What will the families think? We work in a fairly small unit and she will smell up the whole room. Would you send her an anonymous letter?

What would you do??

[dreamon]

I can't believe the manager is so unprofessional to just laugh it off and not do her job. Also I'm surprised not one nurse has the guts to pull her aside and tell her something. All those sprays and fresheners will only mask the scent, not get to the bottom of it. Unless the room will smell better smelling like a dirty mop and flowers.

I'd have to say she is in pretty dire straits if she is a nurse and cannot afford to take a bath somewhere.

[Vito Andolini]

Well, they do say "you are what you eat". Maybe she has a bad diet?

or fungal/yeast overgrowth in the folds beneath breasts, belly, axillae, and between legs.

Or maybe she doesn't wash her clothing very well, or change undergarments (brassiere) often enough. Maybe she's bathing but not changing clothes.

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

or fungal/yeast overgrowth in the folds beneath breasts, belly, axillae, and between legs.

Or maybe she doesn't wash her clothing very well, or change undergarments (brassiere) often enough. Maybe she's bathing but not changing clothes.

Yes, it could be something medical. Or, she could be on meds that make her sweat smell funky. Or she's using some kind of body spray/ deodorant, and it just doesn't mesh well with her body chemistry. That happened to me..I was using a certain scent(I think it was pear scented Secret) and while I didn't smell god awful, it smelled a little off on me.

At any rate, it should be brought up to her, but gently.

[Nursebarebari]

i think it would be a good idea to send her an anonymous letter. telling her in her face will be too embarassing.

[Nursebarebari]

i can't believe the manager is so unprofessional to just laugh it off and not do her job. also i'm surprised not one nurse has the guts to pull her aside and tell her something. all those sprays and fresheners will only mask the scent, not get to the bottom of it. unless the room will smell better smelling like a dirty mop and flowers.

i'd have to say she is in pretty dire straits if she is a nurse and cannot afford to take a bath somewhere.

yes, some of those nurse managers are nothing other than jerks. i'm sure my nurse manager would do such a thing.

[Scrubby]

I did a student placement in a nursing home and one of the careworkers she stunk so bad I'm not exaggerating but you actually knew she was heading your way because the smell would get there before she did. It was a really foul fishy BO smell. Everyone complained to the manager and he eventually spoke to her but it turned out she had trimethylaminuria (fish malodour syndrome) which is an actual disease that has no known cure. There was nothing the manager could do, everyone was told that they just had to work with her. She had to work in the dementia unit because the more mentally coherant residents refused to have her come near her.

I felt sorry for her, it wasn't her fault no matter how much this girl washed, put on deodorant, body sprays the smell was always there.

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

I agree it is the manager's job to discreetly take her aside and talk with her about it. There are many medical conditions that can cause a foul body odor. Perhaps she needs to see her doc for a checkup.

I remember one guy I used to work with years ago. He smelled very badly, and we often had to share small, confined spaces in the course of doing our job. It was horrible to be stuck in a small space with him. Our manager did speak with him about it, and he felt comfortable enough to confide in me that he didn't understand. He bathed daily, wore clean clothes, used deodorant, but still, he smelled awful. I told him he should see his doctor. I wonder what ever happened to him?

[dreamon]

I did a student placement in a nursing home and one of the careworkers she stunk so bad I'm not exaggerating but you actually knew she was heading your way because the smell would get there before she did. It was a really foul fishy BO smell. Everyone complained to the manager and he eventually spoke to her but it turned out she had trimethylaminuria (fish malodour syndrome) which is an actual disease that has no known cure. There was nothing the manager could do, everyone was told that they just had to work with her. She had to work in the dementia unit because the more mentally coherant residents refused to have her come near her.

I felt sorry for her, it wasn't her fault no matter how much this girl washed, put on deodorant, body sprays the smell was always there.

That is terrible. I give it to her though, I would rather stay at home than to have to work and deal with people's comments about my scent. I wonder if she could have gotten disability for that.