Wear a mask?

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When you are feeling sick yourself, at what point do you wear a mask around your pts? I don't have a fever, just a sore throat, cough and a bit of an earache... Would a mask be overkill? (And yeah, obviously have to think about the types of pts I'll have...) Just wondering what you guys usually do. Ugh I hate being sick! :uhoh3:

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Specializes in home health, dialysis, others.

Before you go to work, go to a doctor. You may have something brewing.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

A sore throat and cough warrants a mask, IMO. You don't know what it could be, even if it's "just a cold," that can be very contagious, as you well know! In case it's something more, and other symptoms develop later, protect your patients now.

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Specializes in ER, education, mgmt.

I am sure the patients would feel so at ease with their caregiver wearing a mask. If you are sick enough to have to wear a mask around the patients- stay home. Just my two cents.

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Specializes in Neuroscience/Neuro-surgery/Med-Surgical/.

I would wear a mask whenever I have a cold/cough. Most of my patients have been understanding after I explain why.

Just don't go to work if you have a fever or having body aches.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.
I am sure the patients would feel so at ease with their caregiver wearing a mask. If you are sick enough to have to wear a mask around the patients- stay home. Just my two cents.

Not necessarily. If you have a bad cold, you can still work but take a measure (read: wear a mask) to prevent infecting your patients. A cold can hang around for weeks, and isn't a reason to call in sick.

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Specializes in Urgent Care.

I like how our instructors in put it when I was in school. If you can control your secretions you can work. If you are randomly coughing, sneezing, spewing stuff around, stay away.

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I wish more people would wear masks when they are sick. When I had my daughter, the lactation consultant came into the room and was hacking and coughing everywhere! Then she was coughing big chest coughs into her hand and was trying to grab my daughter! I made up some excuse and got her out of there ... yuck! I can't believe she did not know to cough into the bend of her arm and not her palm ... !

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