I was shadowing a nurse yesterday at a facility who happened to be a veteran nurse ( 60 years or older). Well, a pt. fell and was bleeding from her had. I witnessed the fall, so I called for help and made sure the pt. stayed put until helped arrived. The nurse I was shadowing came and started to apply pressure to the pts. head without gloves, the pts. blood was all over the nurses' hand. I felt bad that I didn't do that... but ultimately my health comes first and I'm not touching blood without gloves.
As we were doing wound care she still didn't wear gloves. She said back in her day she has touched so many things with her bear hands that sometimes she doesn't wear them.
I understand that is how she is used to practicing.
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
What I meant by vet nurse was that she has over 40 years exp. Most nurses with that many years of exp. are in their 60's.
I wasn't talking about your post specifically. You obviously knew she had many years experience and she told you as much. I was talking about the generalizations often said about older nurses having wealth of nursing experience. It's just something I notice a lot.
MMmM, as long as she doesnt have an open wound on her hand or a cut it really isnt THAT big of a deal. However, for infection control for nurse and patient it is best to use gloves.
i had a trauma the other day, a 20 yr old male. I was doing neuro checks and when i went to the hand grasp, i put my hands in his so he could grip. Told him to squeeze (not even thinking!!!) i pulled my hands out and there was blood on my hands. I forgot about the stitches he got on his palm.
not a big deal, but still...i should have worn gloves for that.
I am guilty of tearing the fingers I use to feel for veins ......I just can't get used to feeling the veins and starting IVs with them.....
Sorry but you would not touch me I'd run you out of my room. everyone has their pet peeves that is one of mine do not touch me without gloves and dont pull the finger off. I dont care how many times you have to stick but glove up and do it right or get someone else
Why are you concerned about the nurse touching you without gloves?
The gloves are to protect the nurse from you not the other way around.
I am guilty of tearing the fingers I use to feel for veins ......I just can't get used to feeling the veins and starting IVs with them.....
Sorry but you would not touch me I'd run you out of my room. everyone has their pet peeves that is one of mine do not touch me without gloves and dont pull the finger off. I dont care how many times you have to stick but glove up and do it right or get someone else
I'm thinking of all the dirty hands reaching into the glove box... clean gloves are there to protect the wearer, not the person being treated. Clean is not sterile. And they might not be as clean as freshly washed hands.
You do understand the glove in this case is protecting me from your contaminates? When I am sticking you for an IV or lab work the danger of exposure is from your blood. My hands are clean and as long as I am not dripping blood and body fluids from my fingertips your exposure to any contaminates is nil..... Using my bare finger to feel is much less risky than you touching a grocery cart at the grocery store, touching the door knob at your MD's office, or the button on the elevator. I completely respect your point of view, and if you would want someone else I would not be offended at all and leave to get someone else. No skin off my nose....
Add me to this camp: the gloves are to protect the WEARER. They are not sterile, so they're not any more or less clean, really, than the nurses' hands, as long as they've been washed. So many people get this wrong.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I was shadowing a nurse yesterday at a facility who happened to be a veteran nurse ( 60 years or older). Well, a pt. fell and was bleeding from her had. I witnessed the fall, so I called for help and made sure the pt. stayed put until helped arrived. The nurse I was shadowing came and started to apply pressure to the pts. head without gloves, the pts. blood was all over the nurses' hand. I felt bad that I didn't do that... but ultimately my health comes first and I'm not touching blood without gloves.
As we were doing wound care she still didn't wear gloves. She said back in her day she has touched so many things with her bear hands that sometimes she doesn't wear them.
I understand that is how she is used to practicing.
Any thoughts?
What she did would not meet standard of care for back in the misty eons of time. Having poop or blood on my hands was just as undesirable then as it is now.
There is usually some type of clean cloth or other absorbent material nearby. I really can't think of a time when any nurse would do wound care or use their bare hand (or their bear hand rawr!! :) to put pressure on a wound.
I can't remember a time when we weren't mindful about that --- not with the same amount of fear but the protection would be something like an alcohol swab, gauze, a washcloth, the barrel of a syringe, etc. We used the nastiest Betadine soap in the world to wash our hands with, too. Damn near stripped off my skin and turned my rings a horrible color.
This reminds of an article I read a loonnnnnggg time ago that documented the first case of a nurse becoming infected with HIV. What happened was a nurse applied pressure to a bleeding IV site with a stack of gauze that eventually bled through but the nurse had been gardening the day before and had multiple small cuts and breaks in the skin. They felt the pressure she applied in combination with the breaks in her skin was enough to transmit the virus.
I disagree that wearing gloves only protects the wearer. That's assuming the person has washed their hands properly, which we all know how often that happens. I had a lab tech at my dr.'s office try to draw my blood with a nasty, black ace bandage wrapped from her knuckles to her elbow with no gloves on. Did not wash her hands before me and pretty sure she hadn't all day. I told her to either wear gloves, wash her hands and not wear bandage while she drew my blood, or get someone else. She was p'd off, but come on. That bandage looked disgusting.
Do you even have any healthcare experince? For that matter do you refuse to touch anything in the outside world without gloves? Because there's a huge amount of nastiness out there not associated with hospitals or healthcare in any way. I do physical exam and assesment with out gloves all the time. If I'm not expecting to encounter bodily fluids, there's no reason to put gloves on.
6 yrs cna in th er, 6 yrs lab, worked medsurg and tele as RN, dont know what that has to do with someone touching me without gloves when doing labs or shots or ivs. Not saying you do but i know of some and have seen some draw labs on a patient leave that room go to another room and draw labs on a different patient no hand washing no gloves and no they are not touching me if they cant leave their glove intact get me someone else or let me die
I have done that once. Persons wires after open heart opened up and he was bleeding horribly. Grabbed a towel and held pressure. Tons of blood everywhere. Was it right, probably not, did we save him, sure did.
I hate how these threads pop up and people try to categorize things that they would "never" do. I always wear gloves when coming in contact with blood. But at this time, I deemed it necessary to forgo that step and intervene. You can always say that you want to wear gloves but when these times happen, you just end up doing what you have to.
I have done that once. Persons wires after open heart opened up and he was bleeding horribly. Grabbed a towel and held pressure. Tons of blood everywhere. Was it right, probably not, did we save him, sure did.
I hate how these threads pop up and people try to categorize things that they would "never" do. I always wear gloves when coming in contact with blood. But at this time, I deemed it necessary to forgo that step and intervene. You can always say that you want to wear gloves but when these times happen, you just end up doing what you have to.
I am a new nurse but have worked as a phlebotomist for the last 10 years and I always have several pairs of gloves in my pocket which I usually use for my blood draws but this is a practice I will continue well into my nursing career.
.thumb.jpg.5aa4d55557c0228e31b94de19666bbbb.jpg){kind=small}
:lol2:
......I just can't get used to feeling the veins and starting IVs with them....
.
NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN
3,959 Posts
What I meant by vet nurse was that she has over 40 years exp. Most nurses with that many years of exp. are in their 60's.