Staph Infection, I don't know what I'm talking about!!

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Pediatrics, Home Health.

I am ready to deck one of the teachers where I work. :angryfire :angryfire There is a letter circulating from the local school system about the big bad MRSA staph infections!

I read it and there is a slight chance that anyone can get MRSA.

Anyway, one of the teachers called me into her classroom to look at 'rashes' on a couple of her kids. I told her that were NOT staph infections and went on to explain that everyone has staph on their skin and in their noses. I also explained that a boil, a zit and impetigo are all staph infections and that NONE of the 60 kids in the school had a staph infection!!

She looked at the ugly pictures of MRSA on the 'net and was convinced that one of the children had MRSA. I called his mother and asked her what the MD said about his rash. She said he got it by rolling down the hill at his grandmas and that he also had chiggers. Ok that's enough for me to know that this child did NOT have MRSA!

I went back into her classroom and explained AGAIN what staph infections were and that NO ONE in the building had MRSA.

Just to make sure, I called my PCP and asked his nurse to fax me her info on MRSA. I told her what I had said to the teacher about the boils, etc and she agreed with me.

One of the sheets she faxed had a website so I looked it up and printed out the info that I had already told her about boiles, etc. Before I could get in there to give her the info, I was called into another classroom, so that the teaching assistant could go into her classroom and make sure that the kiddos' didn't have MRSA! :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

I have 60 physicals and dentals I need to put into the computer and I wasted 15 minutes in a classroom while someone who isn't a nurse checked to make sure the kids didn't have MRSA!!

I told my supervisor that I was angry and why. She tried to defend the teacher and I refused to let her. I told her that I had told her THREE times that no one had MRSA, that I had called my DR and had info to give her. That I didn't appreicate her trying to undermine my and that I wouldn't tolerate it. I have a license to practice nursing, she has a certificate to teach!!

This same teacher tried this crap last year too. I was new and trying to find my way. This year I'm much more experienced and I ask her for NOTHING!!

Thanks for letting me vent!! Now maybe I can sleep!!

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I was called into another classroom, so that the teaching assistant could go into her classroom and make sure that the kiddos' didn't have MRSA!
Uh. I'm a bit confused here. MRSA is diagnosed with a sensitivity. Unless you're running your own micro lab, how do you 'make sure' they don't have MRSA?
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Specializes in ICU/PCU/Infusion.
Uh. I'm a bit confused here. MRSA is diagnosed with a sensitivity. Unless you're running your own micro lab, how do you 'make sure' they don't have MRSA?

I was kind of wondering the same thing.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Pediatrics, Home Health.
Uh. I'm a bit confused here. MRSA is diagnosed with a sensitivity. Unless you're running your own micro lab, how do you 'make sure' they don't have MRSA?

I wasn't the one 'making sure' they didn't have MRSA. I told the teacher that none of the children were presenting with red, inflamed skin. That none of them looked like they had impetigo, zits or boils. The TA was the one to go in and 'make sure' they didn't have MRSA. The reason she was called in the classroom is because her mother had a boil that supposedly was + for MRSA.

Never mind that I have the ADN degree. The teaching assistant has her GED, but that's ok, let them diagnose. I flat refuse to do it!!

Maybe I didn't explain well enough. This teacher likes to send her trouble kids home and uses skin rashes to do it. Of course the TA went on and on about how contagious MRSA is. NONE of the info I gave this teacher changed her mind. She was convinced that 1/2 of her kids had MRSA!!

I'm going to bed now, g'night y'all!

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I wasn't the one 'making sure' they didn't have MRSA. I told the teacher that none of the children were presenting with red, inflamed skin. That none of them looked like they had impetigo, zits or boils. The TA was the one to go in and 'make sure' they didn't have MRSA. The reason she was called in the classroom is because her mother had a boil that supposedly was + for MRSA.

Never mind that I have the ADN degree. The teaching assistant has her GED, but that's ok, let them diagnose. I flat refuse to do it!!

Maybe I didn't explain well enough. This teacher likes to send her trouble kids home and uses skin rashes to do it. Of course the TA went on and on about how contagious MRSA is. NONE of the info I gave this teacher changed her mind. She was convinced that 1/2 of her kids had MRSA!!

I'm going to bed now, g'night y'all!

Well, that's what I meant. The "you" in my post wasn't necessarily you, but the generic ... sorry I wasn't too clear either lol.
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Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.

Here, in Charlotte County, Florida any child that is suspected of having a communicable disease must be seen by his/her physician and cleared. This goes also for cuts, lacerations or any draining wound. And the physician must do a culture and sensitivity. If the parent doesn't have a PCP or can't afford to take their child to the doctor, they are referred to our County Board of Health, where a specialist in infectious diseases sees them, cultures them and clears them. In the past few years MRSA infections have become a major concern because they are no longer found solely in hospitals or nursing homes. They are found out in the community.

On one hand the teacher or the teacher's aid may be a problem. But you can't diagnose MRSA without a culture. Sorry but it can't be diagnosed purely by inspecting the area.

Woody:balloons:

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Some teachers (thankfully not most) will be paranoid and question you no matter what. Every watery eye is pink eye, every kid with an itchy scalp has lice. What I would do is for the kids that have open sores, etc is call the parent, tell them about the teachers concern and that you do not believe this is a major concern but since you cannot diagnose, if they feel this may be a problem, they should check with their physician. You should tell the teacher she should do the same with any questionable skin condition she has. Discuss good handwashing with the classroom and then let your principal know you have done all you can. Perhaps then she will let you alone!

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Specializes in Acute Hemodialysis, Cardiac, ICU, OR.

I agree the teacher went a little nuts, but MRSA is EVERYWHERE now -- we don't put people in isolation for it anymore.

I remember the year I graduated nursing school (2002), our local infectious disease docs got together with the cardiothoracic surgeons and did a little study... darn near every patient they cultured nasally had MRSA, but it's not a problem unless you're immunocompromised. They stated that it's endemic in the community, and used this information to change hospital policies regarding pts who have a history of MRSA -- no one gets isolated anymore.

So the simple fact is that some of those kids probably DO have MRSA, but so what? It's not something that is likely to cause a problem for anyone, unless they develop a problem with their immune system.

Here's what the CDC has to say about it:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_public.html

Hope this helps.

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Specializes in ICU/PCU/Infusion.
I agree the teacher went a little nuts, but MRSA is EVERYWHERE now -- we don't put people in isolation for it anymore.

Wow! I'm shocked that your hospital doesn't isolate MRSA patients! I work in a level 1 trauma center, and you can bet your bottom dollar that every single person whether colonized or currently active infected with MRSA is isolated. It's just SOP where I work.

I've never heard of not isolating for MRSA. Doesn't mean it's right or wrong, just that in the two hospitals I've worked, we always always isolate.

hmmm. Makes ya wonder, doesn't it?

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Wow! I'm shocked that your hospital doesn't isolate MRSA patients! I work in a level 1 trauma center, and you can bet your bottom dollar that every single person whether colonized or currently active infected with MRSA is isolated. It's just SOP where I work.

I've never heard of not isolating for MRSA. Doesn't mean it's right or wrong, just that in the two hospitals I've worked, we always always isolate.

hmmm. Makes ya wonder, doesn't it?

I work in a skilled nursing facility. We don't isolate for MRSA either.:uhoh21:

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Wow! I'm shocked that your hospital doesn't isolate MRSA patients! I work in a level 1 trauma center, and you can bet your bottom dollar that every single person whether colonized or currently active infected with MRSA is isolated. It's just SOP where I work.

I've never heard of not isolating for MRSA. Doesn't mean it's right or wrong, just that in the two hospitals I've worked, we always always isolate.

hmmm. Makes ya wonder, doesn't it?

I suspect that if we did surveillance cultures on every admission, we'd be isolating most all of them. At some point, it becomes ridiculous to continue doing so... staph is now multi-drug resistant and we simply have to come to terms with that.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

It's irritating sometimes to try to make lay people understand. No matter what you say, they know better.

It reminds me of the people whose temps are 98.6 yet they insist that for them that means they are running a temp because they usually run 97.6. It's would be easier to argue with a wall and that's how, I imagine, you felt.

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