Doctors and sickness

[C.P. Jones]

so how often do doctors get sick?

i kind of imagine that when you become a doctor you get a superpower of never getting a cold, etc.

i ask this b/c i'm sick now, probably due to the 18,000 days of rain and the cold

but seriously, if doctors are around sick ppl all day, i'd imagine they can get sick a lot

and what do doctors do if they get sick, idk, it all seems a bit ironic to me

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[Psycho Doctor]

so how often do doctors get sick?

i kind of imagine that when you become a doctor you get a superpower of never getting a cold, etc.

i ask this b/c i'm sick now, probably due to the 18,000 days of rain and the cold

but seriously, if doctors are around sick ppl all day, i'd imagine they can get sick a lot

and what do doctors do if they get sick, idk, it all seems a bit ironic to me

sure at firdst you probably will get sick. after awhile you build up antobodies to many common diseases. Also because you're a doctor and need to be there you probably are more tolerant of how you feel and go to work anyway...as long as you aren't contagious to sick patients. and you can wear a mask and gloves if you are.

 

[Suppuration]

so how often do doctors get sick?

Pediatricians tend to spend every winter racked with illness. The radiologists, not so much.

 

[IAMS]

Yeah, a family practice doc I know says he usually catches a bug twice a year from kids sneezing/hacking/coughing in his face - But he says he'd rather do nothing else, it comes with the territory.

 

[ShyRem]

Better living through pharmacalogical intervention. There are lots of cold medicines out there... build a cocktail.

 

[Non-TradTulsa]

Doctors do get sick from patients coughing in their faces, but overall doctors and nurses don't get sick as often as you might imagine. I have absolutely no idea if there is any objective scientific evidence to support the theory, but I've worked in a large tertiary-care hospital for ten years and spend a lot of time in patient care areas. My first couple of years I got minor sicknesses fairly often, especially during the winter - but it rarely happens anymore. I do think it's true that one develops a strengthened immune system after daily exposure to clouds of germs.

On the other hand, if you're a doctor who gets sloppy about gloving and hand-washing rules, you *deserve* to get a cold!!!

 

[primadonna22274]

Your resistance builds up with time.
My first year in practice I had like 6-7 really BAD colds. That was miserable because every time I get a cold, I lose my voice, and it's very hard to work in family practice and dictate all your notes with no voice. Ick.
Now I'm down to 2-3 URIs a year, but once in a while it's a doozy. I'm METICULOUS with handwashing and I NEVER stand directly in front of a sneezing/coughing person while examining them, always to the side (out of the line of fire). Consider the fomites too: the door handle, the telephone, the otoscope you pick up 25 times a day...make sure your staff disinfects these things regularly, especially during sick season.
I've been down a lot this past few months--just getting over my 3rd cold in as many months, but this is my own fault for being overworked and underrested.
Lisa PA-C