Being an EMT is scary!

[hoisanjai]

I have start my job as an EMT for week now. The job is pretty scary I had a MRSA pt. and a HIV+ patient. After the call I believe I have caught everything. I am so paranoid. For the MRSA pt. we have to t/p her back to his nursing home. When you enter the room we have to have a full body BSI gowns, masks, and gloves. But then we were supposed to throw away all the BSI in the room with the pt. after you are done assessing him. Then I thought to myself, how am I safe with the pt. in his room with all my BSI off. I mean I am basically breathing the same air he is, how am I myself safe?

The next day I had a HIV+ pt. I was like :censored::censored::censored::censored:, cmon I don't a pt. like this. we had to t/p her back to her nursing home so when i went in of course I had gloves on. But the room smelled so bad it feels like you could of caught HIV by breathing the air. After we're done with the pt. we have to take out off our gloves and push the stretcher back to our rig I was so scared that I might have caught HIV by touching the cot. Plus it's winter time. I have minor cuts near my nails and fingers on my hands from dry skin. Her belongings were on the stretcher and I was so scared to touch anything on the stretcher. But then I know HIV is transferred from blood, but then I am still scared that it can be transferred from the things they have touched. I came home., I told my mom I had a HIV+ pt. she freaked out and she was like. How am I gonna throw your clothes in the washer tomorrow. I am like, I don't know.

PEOPLE I AM SO SCARED!!!NOW I FEEL LIKE QUITTING THE JOB!!! ALSO KNOWING THAT THE RIG IS CONTAMINATED WITH GERMS!!!

 

[worknplay]

hmm...
I worked at a nursing home for 3 and a half years before becoming an EMT. I've been around all of these things and some, day after day, hour after hour. Universal precaution, BSI, hand washing, moisturizing, and you're fine. It's good to be cautious but you shouldn't be so paranoid over things like touching an HIV patient's belongings.
I hear that even the chance at catching HIV from a contaminated needle stick is a lot lower than most people think. I don't remember the percentage exactly.
If you're that paranoid perhaps this isn't the field for you?

Good luck!

 

[JPINFV]

I have start my job as an EMT for week now. The job is pretty scary I had a MRSA pt. and a HIV+ patient. After the call I believe I have caught everything. I am so paranoid. For the MRSA pt. we have to t/p her back to his nursing home. When you enter the room we have to have a full body BSI gowns, masks, and gloves. But then we were supposed to throw away all the BSI in the room with the pt. after you are done assessing him. Then I thought to myself, how am I safe with the pt. in his room with all my BSI off. I mean I am basically breathing the same air he is, how am I myself safe?

One thing to know about MRSA is that it is not always air born. A lot of times an infection is localized to a specific wound or opening on the body. Even when it is in the nares, the patient would be under droplet precaution (think sneezing) and it shouldn't be a problem unless your right next to the patient (i.e. gowning/degowning at the door). Furthermore, my understanding is that MRSA is rather weak virus as long as you are not immunocompromised. This doesn't mean not to take precautions, but the reason why nursing homes and hospitals are hit hard is because of the high population density of these environments and that population is normally sick (hence why they are in a hospital or nursing home). Standard precautions, special precautions (what is listed on the door. If unsure, please speak to the patient's nurse), and good hand washing will protect you.

The next day I had a HIV+ pt. I was like :censored::censored::censored::censored:, cmon I don't a pt. like this. we had to t/p her back to her nursing home so when i went in of course I had gloves on. But the room smelled so bad it feels like you could of caught HIV by breathing the air. After we're done with the pt. we have to take out off our gloves and push the stretcher back to our rig I was so scared that I might have caught HIV by touching the cot. Plus it's winter time. I have minor cuts near my nails and fingers on my hands from dry skin. Her belongings were on the stretcher and I was so scared to touch anything on the stretcher. But then I know HIV is transferred from blood, but then I am still scared that it can be transferred from the things they have touched. I came home., I told my mom I had a HIV+ pt. she freaked out and she was like. How am I gonna throw your clothes in the washer tomorrow. I am like, I don't know.

Unless your having sex with your patients, then this really shouldn't be a problem. As with MRSA, use standard precautions and wash your hands (this is good for a vast majority of things that you WILL be exposed to in healthcare, such as c-diff, VRE, MRSA, and a dozen other bugs. If you're specially concerned about HIV then check out this website (Google is your friend).

PEOPLE I AM SO SCARED!!!NOW I FEEL LIKE QUITTING THE JOB!!! ALSO KNOWING THAT THE RIG IS CONTAMINATED WITH GERMS!!!

The world is contaminated with germs. Your car/house/dog/kitchen/bathroom (actually, according to Myth Busters, your toilet seat is should be pretty germ free) is COVERED with germs and it was like this long before you started working in EMS and will be like that long after you leave EMS. This is why God gave us an immune system.

 

[hoisanjai]

gah... i don't know some days I think... life is precious and someday I don't give a rat's *** I think ... I should value life more and just enjoy the days that I am in EMS and just take BSI precautions.

 

[TheDoll]

awhile ago, i was reading something about people who are new to the medical field. particularly, i was reading about med students. apparently, it is very common for them to think that they have the diseases, disorders, etc that they are studying. this can happen at any level of people working in the medical field. part of the reason i was looking into this is because i was having similar thoughts when i was working in the burn unit. learning this little bit of info helped me calm down a lot. i wash my hands a lot--there is nothing like a good old fashioned hand washing. it's even better than the alcohol gel, but if you can't wash your hands, the gel is better than nothing. also, i clean the truck and our instruments including the cot like crazy. i spray down the cot after every run, and things like the monitor after every use. once a shift i wipe down the entire inside of the ambulance. that's the best i can do, so, i do it. also, i don't have those thoughts anymore about getting every kind of illness either!

 

[Ridryder911]

Simple cure for most exposures... [size=+3]Wash your hands with soap & water[/size]..

Don't be a freak about germs... be cautious, be wise, and most important [size=+2]be informed & educated[/size].

Read up on infection control, and the body way of protection. You are exposed to just as much MRSA, HIV, and Hep C at the movie theatre and restaurant that you just ate at.

I worked with some germaphobics, after they refused to become informed and learn, personally assisted them leaving the field. Apparently no-one told them that sick people have them while they went to EMT school.

You are more a danger to autoimmuned patients than they are to you. You are the carrier of most of the "germs"...

R/r 911

 

[hoisanjai]

hmm....have anyone of you ever got exposed?

 

[Flight-LP]

Exposed everyday on the ambulance.................We have several frequent flyers with Hep and HIV, we get a few MRSA and VRE patients as well. It's no big deal, just educate yourself and follow appropriate precautions...............

 

[hoisanjai]

i am talking about exposed as in HIV+ pt. spilled all over your or stabbed you stuff and stuff....

 

[Flight-LP]

i am talking about exposed as in HIV+ pt. spilled all over your or stabbed you stuff and stuff....

Yes I have been vomited on, bled on, and spit on by people with various contaminant diseases. Once again, now for the third time, educate yourself and utilize the appropriate precautions and you will not have a problem........

 

[JPINFV]

Make sure that you that you get any vaccines that you can also. Things like hep A, heb B (Twinrix vaccine covers both Hep A and Heb B), DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis), and Menningitias are all vaccines that either need to be updated every so often or aren't normally given to children (ex MMR).

 

[Ridryder911]

Yes, I have been exposed several thousand times... like everyone else, every trauma call, every sick call, every time I go to McDonald's I am sure someone has Hepatitis B somewhere.. (why, do you think they tell them to wash their hands?)

I was exposed by an HIV patient in mid 80's when there were no med.'s and they bit through 2 pairs of gloves. Yes, I did some soul searching. At that time you had 100% chance of death. As well, as employers not covering you..

Things have changed.

I have been contaminated by needles, spit, piss, poop, blood, pus, hockers, loogeys... you get the picture. One attempts to BSI, but let's be realistic it doesn't happen when your prepared.

Did you not know sick people had germs when you attended EMT course? Did you not realize that you would be exposed to such communicable diseases such as T.B., herpes, chicken pox, measles, HIV, MRSA, VRSA, and the dreaded Hep alphabet ( including the non alphabet one)... ?

Surely, this was no surprise.

Like I described before, become educated upon infection control and the body natural defense mechanisms, and how you right now have staph & E. coli . . yes, it is natural...

If you don't want to be exposed.. it is simple. Get out. You will be exposed in any healthcare portion from dispatch to medical records.

I personally would recommend some reading and studying like you should had done in EMT course. ...

Good luck,

R/r 911

 

[hoisanjai]

Yes, I have been exposed several thousand times... like everyone else, every trauma call, every sick call, every time I go to McDonald's I am sure someone has Hepatitis B somewhere.. (why, do you think they tell them to wash their hands?)

I was exposed by an HIV patient in mid 80's when there were no med.'s and they bit through 2 pairs of gloves. Yes, I did some soul searching. At that time you had 100% chance of death. As well, as employers not covering you..

Things have changed.

I have been contaminated by needles, spit, piss, poop, blood, pus, hockers, loogeys... you get the picture. One attempts to BSI, but let's be realistic it doesn't happen when your prepared.

Did you not know sick people had germs when you attended EMT course? Did you not realize that you would be exposed to such communicable diseases such as T.B., herpes, chicken pox, measles, HIV, MRSA, VRSA, and the dreaded Hep alphabet ( including the non alphabet one)... ?

Surely, this was no surprise.

Like I described before, become educated upon infection control and the body natural defense mechanisms, and how you right now have staph & E. coli . . yes, it is natural...

If you don't want to be exposed.. it is simple. Get out. You will be exposed in any healthcare portion from dispatch to medical records.

I personally would recommend some reading and studying like you should had done in EMT course. ...

Good luck,

R/r 911

all my friends who I graduated from EMT class are all paranoid about the same issue I am paranoid about right now.

 

[TheDoll]

Yes, I have been exposed several thousand times... like everyone else, every trauma call, every sick call, every time I go to McDonald's I am sure someone has Hepatitis B somewhere.. (why, do you think they tell them to wash their hands?)

I was exposed by an HIV patient in mid 80's when there were no med.'s and they bit through 2 pairs of gloves. Yes, I did some soul searching. At that time you had 100% chance of death. As well, as employers not covering you..

Things have changed.

I have been contaminated by needles, spit, piss, poop, blood, pus, hockers, loogeys... you get the picture. One attempts to BSI, but let's be realistic it doesn't happen when your prepared.

Did you not know sick people had germs when you attended EMT course? Did you not realize that you would be exposed to such communicable diseases such as T.B., herpes, chicken pox, measles, HIV, MRSA, VRSA, and the dreaded Hep alphabet ( including the non alphabet one)... ?

Surely, this was no surprise.

Like I described before, become educated upon infection control and the body natural defense mechanisms, and how you right now have staph & E. coli . . yes, it is natural...

If you don't want to be exposed.. it is simple. Get out. You will be exposed in any healthcare portion from dispatch to medical records.

I personally would recommend some reading and studying like you should had done in EMT course. ...

Good luck,

R/r 911

easy, there. when i started working on the burn unit (during my emt class) i was not aware of the extent of some of the communicable diseases around. it was kind of a shock and a little freaky. it wasn't enough to make me quit, but it was enough to make me worry a little. so instead of closing the door on a career in the medical field, i asked a lot of questions. i talked to people around me who worked at all different levels in the medical field, and i learned a lot. it helped me feel a lot better to gather information and ask questions.

hoisanjai,
i hope you keep asking questions about this bc it's important to be aware of. like we've said before wash your hands and clean your equipment like your stethoscope.
also, if you experience an exposure such as a bite or needle stick. let your supervisor know right away and follow protocols. i was exposed a few months ago when i was debriding a patient in the burn unit. one of her blisters squirted in my eye--how gross is that? i'm fine, i'm not worried, and i've followed protocol. good luck, and you'll get through this anxiety about germs, i'm sure.

 

[hoisanjai]

easy, there. when i started working on the burn unit (during my emt class) i was not aware of the extent of some of the communicable diseases around. it was kind of a shock and a little freaky. it wasn't enough to make me quit, but it was enough to make me worry a little. so instead of closing the door on a career in the medical field, i asked a lot of questions. i talked to people around me who worked at all different levels in the medical field, and i learned a lot. it helped me feel a lot better to gather information and ask questions.

hoisanjai,
i hope you keep asking questions about this bc it's important to be aware of. like we've said before wash your hands and clean your equipment like your stethoscope.
also, if you experience an exposure such as a bite or needle stick. let your supervisor know right away and follow protocols. i was exposed a few months ago when i was debriding a patient in the burn unit. one of her blisters squirted in my eye--how gross is that? i'm fine, i'm not worried, and i've followed protocol. good luck, and you'll get through this anxiety about germs, i'm sure.

My fear is only on the incurable diseases that are out there.

 

[TheDoll]

My fear is only on the incurable diseases that are out there.

okay, then learn how they are spread, how to prevent spreading them, how likely you are to catch them, and what the effects are if you do happen to catch one.

 

[Stn2Emtb]

I work at a hospital and before I worked on a rig. I had never really been around MRSA or VRE. I have since learned that it depends on WHERE the MRSA or VRE is. If it is Airbourne (ie sputum, etc) then you need to think about covering the pt with a mask. If it is in a wound or stool standard BSI will keep you from getting it. Don't be stupid and you will be fine.

 

[AnthonyM83]

To be fair the original poster merely showed apprehension about communicable diseases. I don't see much wrong with that.

As far as HIV, you could probably make out with most your HIV+ patients and smother your face in their dirty pillows and not AIDS.

 

[hoisanjai]

I am scared that somewhere along the lines I will make a mistake and that will be it for me. Like the days I haven't wear gloves with some patients, and one time when I was washing my hands on a call and I had a scratched on my arms and I didn't know how I got it, whether not the clipboard for my paperwork scrape me or whatever scrape me was infected. I am just worried about my life. That's all...and I know I am paranoid as hell. Maybe this might go away soon. Will it be better if you work in a hospital setting? I also heard that you get paid more in hospital setting.

 

[Ridryder911]

I guess my message is to get educated before entering the workforce. Definitely I would not work in Haz-Mat without knowing the dangers, labels, chemical reactions, or work in a medical laboratory before knowing the dangers, and processes of diseases, blood borne pathogens, etc..

Why don't we require the same?

Being ignorant is not an excuse for the patients sake or yours. One would not to expect to enter a bio-hazard area (in reality what a communicable disease is) without knowing methods of spreading, time exposure, dangers, and treatment. Diseases do not care if you do not know or are aware, as well exposing patients with autoimmune syndromes can & will kill them.

Sorry, I was a Burn Nurse for a couple of years. We would not allow any students to observe unless they understood isolation methods and methods of infection control. It was more for the patent's sake, but yes; prevent cross contamination.
All EMT's should be taught the basics methods of contamination, infection control, and different types of exposures.

Medicine is not a game, what we deal with, expose to can and will alter someones life. Again, diseases are not discriminatory and will affect any level of certification. Hence, the reason Microbiology should be mandated before any EMS courses.. we are part of medicine are we not?

R/r 911