The "hospital smell"

[Traum-a-Rama]

This may be a dumb question, but bear with me as I am a newbie nurse...

I work in the ED, and every day I work, the odor hits me as soon as I swing open the door. Handling the smells is not the issue, but I'm wondering: Those c-diff smells, GI bleed smells, etc...since I feel like they linger on me, do they really linger??? As in, can other people smell it on me???

I shower immediately when I get home, but was wondering if other people can smell it when I'm taking a pt onto the floor, stopping for a soda on the way home, etc...

[cnstecky]

My fiance always says I smell like "hospital" when I get home.

That is because you do smell of hospital dear.

[Chemistry Sux]

My wife is a PTA and now works in a SNF and she has zero smell when she comes home. When she use to work in the hospital I use to tell her she smelled like band aids!!

[April, RN, BSN, RN]

Nursing homes however stink! I always think it smells like elephants.

I know exactly what you mean! Hasn't anyone else been to the zoo?

I work in a hospital and get told I smell "sterile" when I get home.

[deftonez188]

My wife says I smell 'metallic'

[CathyLew]

chances are, if it has been one of those nights of smells...you may have some lingering on you. there have been some nights that I stripped off right in front of the washing machine on the way to the shower, not even wanting to throw my uniform in the hamper!

[Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN]

I guess I'm lucky.

I do smell the hospital smell at work. I work in a LTC facility and it does smell like a hospital(and other things too :x )

I smell it in my nose when I leave if its been a really stinky night. But it doesn't stick on to my clothes. I was once putting in a foley and the CNA who was holding the leg back was like "your scrub top smells really good." im like thanks its probably going to smell even better at the end of the night lol

[gentlegiver, ASN, LPN, RN]

I have never noticed a hospital smell. Thank god for those super filtering systems we have in our hospital.=) Nursing homes however stink! I always think it smells like elephants. I could not work at a SNF because of that.

No the smell is more like a rabbit hutch, we raised rabbits when I was growing up and I will NEVER forget that smell!

[Traum-a-Rama]

The hospital I work in is a non-for-profit, inner city facility that serves the poor and indigent population. See, I wouldn't care if I came home smelling like that "sterile glove, disinfectant hospital smell". And it's not just the thought that the c-diff and g-bleed smell linger on me, I feel as if my body and hair reek of that homeless or week old pee or drunk-beyond-belief stink. I smell it as soon as I walk in the ED and feel like a smell like I bathed in a barrel of moonshine. I have no hubby to ask and my daughter is asleep when I get home, so I never know if I truly smell like that.

I love nursing, but sometimes I long for the days when I worked in a bakery....I still stood on my feet every day, waited on people hand and foot, but came home spelling like chocolate chip cookies and fresh baked bread:D