Working/servicing sick people

[Gothgrrl]

The tread about working while sick made me think. What about working on sick people. Lord knows how many times I've caught other people's colds.

As a stylist, I have worked on many people who should not be out getting their hair done. I cringe when someone comes in and it's obvious they should should not be out. I'm not talking about a little cold, they have the flu, pneumonia, stomach flu, etc. Once someone had the stomach flu so bad that they literally destroyed our bathroom. We had to call rotor rooter.

I wonder if I could refuse service. I never thought about asking my manager about this. We just all keep working.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I work in a hospital like setting so many of the patients are sick because of communal living. I wash my hands and use extra hand sanitizer.I was talking with my dentist once and she was telling me how people come in really sick. The last place I want to be when I am sick is at the dentist. I guess some people really don't like to miss appointments.

 

[Jennifer W]

For the first year or 18 months of my working life (in a hospital) I seemed to get sick every other week! My mother said the same (she was a teacher) and many of my friends had this experience. After a while, we all seemed to get a higher level of resistance to all but the newest strains / nastiest bugs.

 

[lknvrb4]

I do daycare in my home and come across lots of germs, but I worked in a hospital before. I find that my immune system is pretty built up after all these years. When I met my DH, I had two kids from a previous marriage, when he moved in he caught everything from my germy kids. Five years later he has his immunity built up. LOL

 

[Enerchi]

My job puts me into peoples homes as well and I need to attend - usually we don't go in with much notice and if there is a notice given, its rarely directly to the tenant, so you never know what to expect. Usually attend with other service personnel or emergency responders, so I'm kind of the last person dealing with the person. When I'm in a home, I totally do my best to minimize contact and never touch ANYTHING - if I do, then I have pocket hand sanitizers everywhere (pockets, hooked on clip board, purse, car....!)

Some seasons are better than others, some situations are better than others, but overall, working in health care, we will be exposed. Rats...

 

[maplefemme]

At the salon I have had people come in so sick that their fever excellerates their processing time. I hate servicing them because I'm touching them, sometimes they cough or sneeze right on me, I wish they's stay home!

I had one client come in with full blown shedding shingles up her neck and into her hairline, I have not had chickenpox. I said there was no way I would do her highlights, I can't wear gloves and do foils. Both her and my boss insisted she wasn't contagious and I was to go ahead, that I was overreacting but I said absolutely NO WAY. She said I was embarrassing her and she was offended that I wouldn't do her hair

Now when I'm nursing at my other job (I know, strange combo, health care cuts meant I needed to keep two jobs) it's a very different story. I'm in palliative and some people are highly contagious, but it's very different. We have isolation protocol and all the equipment and attire to prevent us contracting anything that they may have the potential to transmit.
It doesn't phase me at all when a patient is sick, my only focus is their care.