What do nurses do when they are sick?

[AmericanChai]

When I was a corportate employee I would usually take cold meds and come to work unless I was really horribly sick. As a future nurse I know that I would risk making my patients sick if I had a cold-- especially the really fragile ones. So when you are sick but not horribly sick, are you allowed to come to work? Do you take precautions or do you work with less fragile people until you get fully better?

[flightnurse2b, LPN]

When I was a corportate employee I would usually take cold meds and come to work unless I was really horribly sick. As a future nurse I know that I would risk making my patients sick if I had a cold-- especially the really fragile ones. So when you are sick but not horribly sick, are you allowed to come to work? Do you take precautions or do you work with less fragile people until you get fully better?

work. put on a mask, wash my hands 100000 times, take a dayquil and work...

[GrumpyRN63, ADN, RN]

I work sick strep,bronchitis whatever,wear a mask thru the shift and pts are pretty understanding, wont take care of neutropenic pts when sick

[nurse2b2010]

Chai,

YES you go to work! Forget what you have been told to teach the general public. It DOES NOT apply to nurses. You don't get to choose the less fragile patients, either. I have worked in the O.R. with pneumonia. Just a warm, licensed body is fine--no matter if you're half dead. (My experience anyway!)

Ebear, I noticed you are a Legal Nurse Consultant. Did you have to get further education aside from RN to do this. Just curious. And do you work in a hospital or a law firm?

have 20 years of legal secretarial experience behind me before I decided to take on a new career direction. No longer working as a legal secretary -- going to school full time. But still wonder if I should do something in conjunction with legal as well. Do you make any better money working in the legal sector with nursing or is working as an RN better pay?

[ebear, BSN, RN]

nurse2b,

I sent you a PM.

ebear