wearing perfume to work

rnurse2b · Feb 28, 2006

at the hospital I work at there is a "no scents" policy. There are several RTs, PTs, unit secretaries, nurses, doc that ignore this policy. I work peds and have seen these kiddos start wheezing from the RT wearing "scents", I can smell them also, but I'm very sensitive to smells anyway. If someone can smell themselves, shouldn't that give them a clue?

Like an earlier poster said, leave the scents for home and dates. Keep it out of the workplace

squeakykitty · Mar 1, 2006

I have read this entire thread before commenting, and there are a few things I would like to comment on.

Jerico wrote: [EVERYONE likes to feel special...but to cry wolf? Overstate conditions? That is for what I have the short cord of tolerance. :lol2: ]

I worked in a LTC as a CNA, and I have heard a resident who was a call belll jockey being told the story about the boy who cried wolf. A couple months later I was in her room getting her roommate in bed because she was agitated, and the nurse had me take her to bed. The bed had a removable siderail, and it happened to be out of my reach, so I hit the call bell for help, because the agitated lady was trying to climb out of bed, and since she couldn't stand or walk, she might have fell and broke a hip. No one answered beacuse they thought it was the other woman playing with her call bell. I've heard that the moral of the boy who cried wolf story is not to tell falsehoods because eventually people won't believe you. I think there should be another moral to the story------Sometimes.....the wolf shows up.

There are people who are truly sensitive to various things, and there are people who say that because they don't like something. I don't think someone should be not believed because of the few who claim they're sensitive when they don't like something.

In the LTC, the workers weren't wearing perfumes, and the residents could wear all they wanted. I have mild asthma, and every time I gave this one lady a shower, afterword she would use this nice really scrumptious beautiful smelling lotion that would start me to wheezing a little. I loved the smell, though, and I wasn't going to tell her not to use it, since I wasn't having too bad of problem with it. I didn't wear any perfumes myself, though. I can see where they would cause problems.

As far as long fingernails are concerned, I have read that they can harbor various germs, and if they're long enough, can poke through a glove during the procedure and let the body fluids in and on your hands, and they can scratch a pt. accidently.

suzy253, RN · Mar 1, 2006

Mitchum deodorant rocks. And they do make unscented.

Yup...that's what I use and have used it for years (and years....) :)

DaFreak71 · Mar 21, 2006

Wow, I'm super late in responding to this, but I just wanted to say that I hope things are going better now. No hard feelings!

neonut · May 10, 2006

i am desperate for written policies on this subject ,supporting a scent free envirionment. any one have any info they are willing to share?

thanks

neonut

MidnightSn1 · Jun 21, 2006

I personally find perfume offensive when I have to stand beside it during report. As a Pt. I also found it offensive. Anything heavily scented gives me migraines.

We currently have no official policy about perfume.

While on the subject of scents: The odor of cigarette smoke on my co-workers is very offensive also. I have had Pts. make comments to me about how they know that their nurse smokes.

MidnightSn1

:penguin: