Worried sick that I may have caught MRSA?

Nurses General Nursing

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I love nursing but I'm a bit OCD and a germaphobic. While at work tonight, I was visiting one of my favorite clients and so a bump on his arm that was a little open but barely. I asked what was that and he rubbed his hand acrossed it and said he forgot. When I got ready to leave He then told me his remote wasn't working. I took the remote with bare hands and fixed it. Then I saw cream on his chest and it was Mupirocin so I was like omg he has MRSA and the. Soon as I got ready to leave he told me he had MRSA. They was no sign on his door. I checked his records and sure enough he was confirmed to have it in the 17th. Now I'm so nervous and afraid. What do I do?

We do not even have special isolation for MRSA at this point at my facility. **shrug**

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We do not even have special isolation for MRSA at this point at my facility. **shrug**

I noticed this is becoming really common, some places doesn't isolate for C-Diff either? now that was a shocker. I just get so paranoid because I have a sick kid living with me and would not want to bring anything back to him.

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You are going to love the day you come to work and discover your patient from the day before is now on airborne precautions to rule out TB. Good times.

Or that the patient that you had for about a month that was discharged only days ago comes back into the ER and is just now put on airborne isolation precautions for TB because some genius thought the HIV positive, homeless man who reports a large amount of unintended weight loss, night sweats, and bloody mucus may need to be checked out a little better this admission....true story from about 20 years ago.

One employee's TB skin test was positive when we were all checked after being exposed on numerous occasions with this patient and it wasn't one of the nursing staff members.

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Or that the patient that you had for about a month that was discharged only days ago comes back into the ER and is just now put on airborne isolation precautions for TB because some genius thought the HIV positive, homeless man who reports a large amount of unintended weight loss, night sweats, and bloody mucus may need to be checked out a little better this admission....true story from about 20 years ago.

One employee's TB skin test was positive when we were all checked after being exposed on numerous occasions with this patient and it wasn't one of the nursing staff members.

Wow. how terrifying! what ever happened to the staff member that showed up pos?

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work in jail. It's a MRSA syphilis tinea GC/CT party over here. We have people with MRSA abscessed draining areas all the time. Other than some gluteal cellulitis outbreaks I'm always surprised there aren't more skin infections. I glove and handwash and bleach wipe all day long. Tip of the day the worst abscesses are when Someone shoots heroin in their gluteus muscle......

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Specializes in Adult Primary Care.

I'm a primary care adult nurse practitioner, and my husband is a critical care / pulmonologist. Our biggest concern is C-Diff!!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.
Really? Interesting. How do you know the exposure must be for "many hours"?

My whole staff were exposed to a pt with resp TB for 3 weeks. Not a single positive result despite him requiring 2 people to turn and stand him, intensive physio etc. I got very familiar with the state ID service. It requires at least 8 hrs of cumulative exposure and then also to be vulnerable to catch it. Also non of the patients who shared a room with it developed it or his wife and sons who lived with him.

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Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.
I'm a primary care adult nurse practitioner, and my husband is a critical care / pulmonologist. Our biggest concern is C-Diff!!!!!!!!!

Same.

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