Things that make you go EW!

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Well, I was walking into work the other day and watched with horror as an employee turned into the parking lot with their badge in their mouth. EW!!

I wipe my badge off before I go home every night but even then I would never put that filthy, microscopic germ laden inanimate object near my mouth…so GROSS!

Then I was walking in today and again saw the same thing! OMG! Terrible!! It started me thinking about all the other gross things people do in the hospital setting. Like walking from the cafeteria to your unit or break room with your food uncovered. Or touching door handles and then touching your face.

Even when you think you didn’t touch something in a patient’s room, chances are you actually did and you didn’t even notice. Then you touch your face inadvertently and BAM! Now you are sick. BAM! There goes another case of MRSA.

Another thing that grosses me out is when female nurses with beautiful long hair work with it hanging down around their face. I even saw one nurse start a foley catheter with her hair down…uh, say good bye to sterile technique! Her hair actually ended up in betadine. These are just a few of my germaphobic pet peeves, I would love to hear what YOUR pet peeve is!!

Rebekah Child

Rebekah Child attended the University of Southern California for her bachelor's in nursing and decided to brave the academic waters and return for her master's in nursing education, graduating in 2003 from Mount St. Mary's. Rebekah has also taught nursing clinical and theory at numerous Southern California nursing schools and has been an emergency nurse since 2002. She is currently one of the clinical educators for an emergency department in Southern California and a student (again!) in the doctoral program at the University of California, Los Angeles.