What would you all do about a co-worker with an odor problem?
This gal LOOKS clean but she smells BAD. The beginning of the shift is fine, the middle of the shift and things get bad. I see her sneak off to the bathroom with BO Juice in hand but she still smells bad.
It isn't always body odor. Sometimes it is but it is something different. I feel weird about explaining exactly what it is, but it is usually a very strong, different odor. Please understand, this is not once every now and again, this is daily. It's a rare day that there is no odor.
To my knowledge we have never had a patient complaint, but I don't know why. She is a sweet nurse, very good at what she does, very skilled at her profession, but she stinks!
I really don't think it is a lack of showering, she comes to work and smells fine. Within a few hours it is bad.
Suggestions on how to tell her? I don't want to hurt her feelings but geez...
Great question. I just spent an hour going through this whole thread. I had a student last year who had terrible breath. I was talking to him one day and it hit me full blast. WOW what a smell.
I was not comfortable with having to face him with it, but it needed to be addressed. So I just took him aside and told him his breath was bad. He knew about it but the problem was that he didn't have the money for a dentist. I gave him permission to chew gum while doing patient care.
So I think for this one, the truth applied gently would be the best way to approach it. Face to face.
"I'm sorry ......................(insert name here), but it really smells like you have BV. I have a few things that may help, etc...."
It does sound harsh but if you don't address the issue, you will have to continue to put up with the smell and then you will start having some weird behaviours around her because you will be uncomfortable and mad at yourself for not addressing it.
Seeing as you are blunt (as you say) anyway, this might just be the way to go about it. Good luck, it really is no fun.
Let us know what happens with this poor young lady.
I would be horribly embarrassed.....
Sometimes it is pretty obvious she is very embarrassed. She makes it a point to keep her distance from folks but the fact remains, just standing in a room for a given amount of time ... the odor is there.
you know, cutecna... i have always been impressed with your posting style but now i am even more impressed. you hit the nail on the head. i just have to believe this is the issue.
she is a sweet and kind person. i honestly believe there is a medical problem and i totally agree with you. she has likely tried just about everything and nothing works. i too, am quite sure she is well aware of it simply by her behaviors at work.
i just don't have good approach with these issues. i'm farrr too blunt.
sure wish you were here, you would have a much better approach than i.
btw.. i darn sure wish you were a cna in my hospital! you don't just have knowledge of your job, you have wisdom. a huge difference!
if you want to say something to her, and you're worried about hurting her feelings, you need to say so directly. make sure that you're completely alone, and not likely to be overheard. make sure she doesn't feel cornered. she may definitely know that there is an offensive odor about her, but my hunch is that she has not seen a healthcare practitioner about it. there could be many reasons for that. you're a nurse, so you know about developing a therapeutic relationship. how would you approach your mom if she had that kind of a personal problem? you start out describing your own feelings, that you're worried about offending her, that you'd scare her away, that you're really concerned about her welfare. describe the problem as you see it: there is a distinct odor problem, and you're wondering how you can help her. she may completely run away, she may have a meltdown, she may become angry and defensive, or she may be perfectly calm. be her friend, no matter what her response. i have faith in your ability to help her.
Be direct as one poster said earlier and ask her. I'd do it away from work if possible. Take her out to lunch and do it.
At a sandwich shop one day a girl came in with two guys. There was blood all over her shorts. On my way out I happened to get her alone (I good at that!) and told her I was a nurse and asked her if she was on her period. She said "yes" with a look of "oh, no" on her face. I told her about her shorts and she said thanks and I left. Just do it and tell her you want to help because you would want the same and maybe you can both work on the problem. I'm not a shrink but I was a psych nurse...go nurses!
Yes, I am going to have to do something. I am just so afraid of humiliating her. But I suppose she's already humiliated.
Hey, YOU wanna come and talk to her???
BTW... on behalf of females, thanks for talking to that girl in the sandwich shop and most of all, thanks for telling her you are a nurse. I know that would have made a difference for me. Not quite sure why that would have made a difference, but it would have.
Here, I have another idea... What if someone she does not know comes by your unit when she is there (because you arranged it), and says :" Ohhhhh, what is that smell?!" :imbar
That way she can not get mad at the person, because they do not know that it is her(she thinks). She does not have to respond :" It is my body odor!":)
I think that might be more humiliating than just about anything. First of all, I'm pretty sure she already knows there is an odor just by her behaviors. Also, in front of folks? That wouldn't be nice.
don't know if this has been mentioned but i have had residents who were bathed daily but were 'smelly' in a few hours..don't remember if it was a rotten fish smell but the doctor said that bathing doesn't rid oders which arise from bacteria beneath the skin...he ordered phisohex baths and deordorants in folds of skin [yes we said yuk to last one too] and that she have peri care with the phisohex too.... it took like two months before the odor was finally gone but it was manageable..the other resident who had the bo problem was not treated and family members accused staff of not keeping her clean
this is more easily addressed with a patient than with a co-worker
Sometimes it is pretty obvious she is very embarrassed. She makes it a point to keep her distance from folks but the fact remains, just standing in a room for a given amount of time ... the odor is there.
If you really think she is aware of it, I'd talk with her and try to offer a solution. If she is afraid to go to the doctor, offer to go with her.
I think that Bipley is right- she seems to be aware of it and just doesn't know what to do. As a nurse, she probably assumes that she needs the vinegar douches, etc. Therefore she is worsening the problem if the actual cause is the acidity! If you mail her info on what her problem actually is and highlight the only effective treatment, she will have the info she needs and not be faced with the embarrassment of a face-to-face chat. You can seriously improve her life- and your office air!!!
Lori... I believe you are correct. She likely does believe it is Vinegar that is needed and that is likely making the problem worse. It is NOT well known what some of these problems are really from. However, if I mail her that info won't it be absolutely horrible wondering WHO mailed it to her? I'm not sure yet but I'm thinking I like what Randy and a couple of others have written. The direct approach. At least then I can share ALL my research with her. And she only has to be ashamed when she faces me at work the next day instead of wondering who she should be ashamed around. Know what I mean?
I was up farrrr too late last night playing on line and I don't recall if I posted this info or not so I'm going to throw it out there in case someone reading has this problem. I'd hate for all that research to be wasted for not sharing!
I did a lot of reseach on this in the past for a previous patient. Some women have too much GOOD bacteria and it is the GOOD bacteria that are causing the problem. If you look at those good bacteria under a microscope they are not "healthy" bacteria, they are bent and broken. This is from an acidic environment. When you add vinegar to this particular problem it makes it worse because it is more acidic.
When the person uses baking soda that is alkaline. The trick to knowing if this is the answer is after using baking soda there should be a very strong odor of ammonia. It is the reaction of alkaline baking soda and the overgrowth of good bacteria combined. I used this on a patient once, let me tell you... there is NO mistaking the odor. It is NOT a question of ... is this an ammonia odor??? You KNOW. It took about 15 minutes. I could'a cleaned windows from the fumes alone!
The sad part is that if you research BV it shows to give more good bacteria (Probiotics, etc.) and keep the lady parts acidic. In some cases of BV that is the worst thing one can do. If Cleocin and Metrogel and all those things don't work, it might be an overgrowth of the good stuff, not the bad stuff. Thus, Cleocin is also making the problem worse. No normal flora.
If it were me, I'd want someone to tell me. In private. At the beginning of the shift...before I started to become more odoriferous. What to do about it. Not that I had an odor, I'd already know that.
I don't know if you are friendly enough with her to invite her to lunch, but I liked that idea. If I was her, I would want the following (painful though it would be!):
Take her aside (VERY privately) and say that you needed to talk to her about something "of a private nature". Say strait out that this is an embarassing conversation, but you have noticed something you think you can help her with. Blame it on a sensitive nose and your constant nursing assessment skills (this may soften the blow a bit). But that you have noticed that she seems to be battling the smell of some sort of infection (which you recognize from other patients....) and that you would like to help her with this, since often (you should say this) healthcare workers don't take good care of themselves because they are so concerned with helping others. Also, talk about it in sort of an "us women" way. That's what I'd do, and I would hate every minute, but it is the kind thing.
Oh thank you thank you thank you! I literally need a script and this is it. You give both the nurse and me various "outs" and this is what I have been looking for. Thank you SOOO very much!
Could you, Randy, and Soldier's Wife do this for me, PLEASE?
All kidding aside, this is perfect and this is what I am looking for. Thank you! This is just absolutely perfect. Soldier's wife and Randy are on the money with the direct approach and where to have this conversation and your script is ideal!
Morning-glory
258 Posts
Bipley,
Great question. I just spent an hour going through this whole thread. I had a student last year who had terrible breath. I was talking to him one day and it hit me full blast. WOW what a smell.
I was not comfortable with having to face him with it, but it needed to be addressed. So I just took him aside and told him his breath was bad. He knew about it but the problem was that he didn't have the money for a dentist. I gave him permission to chew gum while doing patient care.
So I think for this one, the truth applied gently would be the best way to approach it. Face to face.
"I'm sorry ......................(insert name here), but it really smells like you have BV. I have a few things that may help, etc...."
It does sound harsh but if you don't address the issue, you will have to continue to put up with the smell and then you will start having some weird behaviours around her because you will be uncomfortable and mad at yourself for not addressing it.
Seeing as you are blunt (as you say) anyway, this might just be the way to go about it. Good luck, it really is no fun.