TB Positive a while back

[LostSoul]

Hi All,

I'm think about going to nursing school, but fifteen years ago, after a trip to Asian, I came back TB positive and was on medication. After that I never got TB tested because I was told it will always be positive. Anyway, I volunteer at hospital and taught public school before and everything I just show them the record I took all the medication. and it was fine.

I would like to know if this is the same for nursing. I don't want to go through the whole schooling thing, if being TB positive is going to work against me in the nursing field.

Thanks.

[djc1981]

I had the same thing happen to me. Tested positive for TB and had to take medication. I wouldn't worry about it. Most nursing programs just require you to get a chest x-ray if you usually test positive for TB. A lot of nurses have gone through this. It's definitely not something that will keep you from being a nurse. Good luck!

[TazziRN, RN]

Won't be a problem, you'll just have to get a chest x-ray every year instead of a PPD test. It's common for nurses to convert after exposure to TB pts and they just get x-rays after that.

[suzanne4, RN]

We have the same rules in nursing that are present in other professions.

Best of luck to you as you start your new career.

[pugmomrn]

Now days, a lot of employers will pay for you to have a QuantiFeron-TB Gold Test. This will let you know if you really were infected, or just converted to positive for that one test. More info at http://www.cdc.gov/tb/pubs/tbfactsheets/QFT.htm

Or, just keep getting those chest x-rays upon employment...

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

I had the same thing - no big deal - I just have to get a chest x-ray instead of the PPD. I also have the paper that says that i completed the inh treatment.