Universal Precautions

AcuteHD · Sep 27, 2015

Just to clarify, was the experienced nurse just repeating what the other nurse said or affirming it herself? Either way, just keep on going on and they can follow your example or not. Are the docs okay with them not wearing gloves?

loriangel14, RN · Sep 27, 2015

I don't wear gloves when I give shots.

Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN · Sep 27, 2015

From what I understand, gloves weren't routinely used back in the "old days"...even for the really "yucky" stuff. I'm not sure how long ago that was, though.

In any case, I would just carry on wearing gloves as I had been taught. What other people think tends not to offend me.

As a side-note: I don't think this is an RN/LPN issue...

Samt9 · Sep 28, 2015

Just to clarify, was the experienced nurse just repeating what the other nurse said or affirming it herself? Either way, just keep on going on and they can follow your example or not. Are the docs okay with them not wearing gloves?

She was doing both because she told me that I wouldn't always have time to put on gloves. But, as a brand new graduate nurse I have learned that it only takes a few seconds to put gloves on to protect yourself and the patient. I haven't asked the doctors personally about it, but I'm assuming they must know.

Samt9 · Sep 28, 2015

I don't wear gloves when I give shots.

Do you work in a hospital or private practice?

macfar28 · Sep 28, 2015

So, if she says there's not enough time to switch gloves, is she taking time to wash her hands/use sanitizing gel?

TheNGTKingRN · Sep 28, 2015

So, if she says there's not enough time to switch gloves, is she taking time to wash her hands/use sanitizing gel?

Yucko!

AZQuik · Sep 28, 2015

I worked ems as an emt then medic starting in the late 90's. Now am an rn in an er. I wear gloves all the time for just about everything and nobody has ever said I was too slow.

Do your thang!

BSN GCU 2014.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

Samt9 · Sep 28, 2015

So, if she says there's not enough time to switch gloves, is she taking time to wash her hands/use sanitizing gel?

Good question! I haven't noticed a lot of that either...I start my first day today and will keep an eye out.

klone, MSN, RN · Sep 28, 2015

Actually, the CDC states that gloves are not necessary when administering vaccines. Not sure if this is their most recent bulletin, but right here:

General Recommendations on Immunization: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)

Gloves are not required when administering vaccinations, unless persons administering vaccinations are likely to come into contact with potentially infectious body fluids or have open lesions on their hands.

When you go to an employee flu clinic at a hospital where they're administering hundreds of vaccines over the space of hours, you will notice that they do not wear gloves.

klone, MSN, RN · Sep 28, 2015

OSHA does not require gloves when administering an injection either:

Ask the expert: Gloves for injections | OSHA Healthcare Advisor

And here's another:

http://www.paho.org/immunization/toolkit/resources/paho-publication/job-aids/vaccine-safety/vaccination-questions-commonly-asked-by-healthcare-professionals.pdf?ua=1

Personally, I don't give so many injections that it's a bother to don gloves, and I would say that about 30% of the time, the patient does bleed a little after the injection. Plus, I work with a high-risk population, and am much more likely to encounter Hepatitis. So I always wear gloves (and gel before and after putting them on). But if I was doing a large scale vaccine clinic, I probably wouldn't.