How often would an anesthesiologist or neurologist come in contact with

[MedicalStudent8]

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... a patient with any kind of lice (head, pubic, body) or scabies during a residency do you think? Certainly not as much as say, an ER doctor, right?

I'm just worried that that is one of the things that I won't be able to tolerate..... moreso than anything else that would seem worse to most people.

 

[Depakote]

I'm pretty sure your clerkships and intern year on your way to those specialties will help you build up a nice tolerance for dealing with the great unwashed.

 

[MSKalltheway]

If you take the appropriate precautions when examining patients, such as wearing gloves and washing your hands properly, things like lice and scabies will be of very minor concern compared to a lot of other exposures you will come across.

 

[Tired]

If there's lice, you tell the nurse or the tech to shave their head (and beard, if it's a guy who has one). Then you have them shower. Voila, problem solved.

 

[mjl1717]

If there's lice, you tell the nurse or the tech to shave their head (and beard, if it's a guy who has one). Then you have them shower. Voila, problem solved.

As I remember -I would have the nurse or aide wash and shampoo them with the Permethrine or Quell (lindane solution)

 

[MedicalStudent8]

As I remember -I would have the nurse or aide wash and shampoo them with the Quell (lindane solution)

Really?!?! That would be great and that would ease a lot of my concerns I think, knowing that I wouldn't really have to come in close contact while there were still little critters crawling around on the patient. When I was in 5th grade, there was a girl who I felt so bad for, but her parents did not take care of her (she had foster parents who I believe just took her in for the nice check they got... but anyway), and I have been traumatized ever since. I never caught anything from her thank God, but on more than one occasion, I actually saw bugs crawling and burrowing in her hair while we were standing in line getting ready to go to recess. *shudders* I don't think I've ever been the same...

And then there was that time that my dermatologists thought that I had scabies... but it was really just severe eczema. 🙄 So the things I read about scabies during that time was enough to scar me for life.

 

[Blade28]

You'll lose all squeamishness when you hit your MS-III and MS-IV years.

Well, unless Psych/Rads/etc. is your bag. 🙂

 

[Terpskins99]

... a patient with any kind of lice (head, pubic, body) or scabies during a residency do you think? Certainly not as much as say, an ER doctor, right?

I'm just worried that that is one of the things that I won't be able to tolerate..... moreso than anything else that would seem worse to most people.

Anesthesiology residency? Probably never. Well, no more than any other residency anyway.

Neurology? Its possible. I'm sure you'd see this with some neglected patients that have been living with dementia for extended periods of time. But I'd think it would be much more likely to pop up in psych wards with a recent schizophrenic admission.

 

[TMP-SMX]

That's an interesting one...

Pediculophobia (Fear of Lice)

 

[Law2Doc]

If you take the appropriate precautions when examining patients, such as wearing gloves and washing your hands properly, things like lice and scabies will be of very minor concern compared to a lot of other exposures you will come across.

LOL -- Agree with Blade28 -- you are going to be examining patients without gloves pretty regularly unless the patient has open wounds/sores, unless you are going into personal areas, or unless the patient has gown and glove precautions. There is no way you are going to be the only one putting on gloves when the rest of the rounding team doesn't without raising a few eyebrows.
Specialties like neuro are going to involve performing a physical examination of the patient in total, which means touching them. Anesthesia more frequently will be gloved because they tend to have the most contact with patients in the surgical setting.

 

[Law2Doc]

If there's lice, you tell the nurse or the tech to shave their head (and beard, if it's a guy who has one). Then you have them shower. Voila, problem solved.

You have to already have examined them to determine infestation. You can't delouse everyone who comes in the hospital doors.

 

[45408]

You have to already have examined them to determine infestation. You can't delouse everyone who comes in the hospital doors.

:Sorry about the de-lousing treatment. It's standard procedure.

:This tastes like sugar.

:The lice HATE it.

 

[MSKalltheway]

you are going to be examining patients without gloves pretty regularly unless the patient has open wounds/sores, unless you are going into personal areas, or unless the patient has gown and glove precautions. There is no way you are going to be the only one putting on gloves when the rest of the rounding team doesn't without raising a few eyebrows.

Very true, gloves are mostly useless; it was basically those situations you mentioned that brought slapping them on to mind. Clean hands are by far most important.

 

[whatnot11]

:Sorry about the de-lousing treatment. It's standard procedure.

:This tastes like sugar.

:The lice HATE it.

It's delicious.

 

[Miami_med]

Come to my hospital, and lice will be the least of your concerns 😉

 

[MedicalStudent8]

Yuck. That's all I have to say; just, YUCK! I would rather get vomited on/pooped on/spit on/squirted with blood than to come in contact with any crawly little critters! Just thinking about it makes me cringe and get itchy! I think that I would be okay if I became an anesthesiologist, once I got past the early training, but I don't know if I can do it!!! 🙁 Then again, I'm sure that every pre-medical student thinks that there is one thing or another that they might not be able to handle (be it blood, vomit, etc.). How often have you guys come in contact with 'infestations'? Is it on a daily basis? Rare occasions? Have you ever caught lice yourselves from a patient?

 

[mjl1717]

I can empathize with you not liking lice.. When I did see it and treat it.. It was in a jail situation .. (in general you think close living quarters..)

 

[MedicalStudent8]

I can empathize with you not liking lice.. When I did see it and treat it.. It was in a jail situation .. (in general you think close living quarters..)

Anyone else?!

 

[Law2Doc]

Clean hands are by far most important.

Most important for the protection of the patient. The OP was asking about protection of the physician/student. For that, you would need gloves, and in other than the situation I described above, you won't be wearing them.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Anyone else?!

Not lice, but I think lots of us have our own random things that creep us out. I'm hoping I'll get over mine when I need to and that you will, too. 🙂 I think it's called flooding. 😱

http://www.phobialist.com/treat.html

 

[MedicalStudent8]

Most important for the protection of the patient. The OP was asking about protection of the physician/student. For that, you would need gloves, and in other than the situation I described above, you won't be wearing them.

May I ask why you can't wear gloves? 😕 Are you really not allowed to or just most people don't? I mean if a person is visibly dirty, why can't you? Would I get in trouble if I did? I also have eczema on my hands, which gets bad sometimes (i.e. bleeds in the winter), so won't I be able to wear gloves then?

 

[Blade28]

May I ask why you can't wear gloves? 😕 Are you really not allowed to or just most people don't? I mean if a person is visibly dirty, why can't you? Would I get in trouble if I did? I also have eczema on my hands, which gets bad sometimes (i.e. bleeds in the winter), so won't I be able to wear gloves then?

Most people just don't when you're doing a routine physical exam. Checking wounds, dressings, things that are bleeding/oozing/weeping, etc., sure.

I mean, nothing would stop you from always wearing gloves. It's just a little...weird.

 

[Law2Doc]

Most people just don't when you're doing a routine physical exam. Checking wounds, dressings, things that are bleeding/oozing/weeping, etc., sure.

I mean, nothing would stop you from always wearing gloves. It's just a little...weird.

Agreed. There is nothing prohibiting it, but when you are examining a patient perhaps along with a resident, attending, peers who are examining him/her bare handed, it's going to be awkward if you run for the gloves. I suppose it's a form of professional peer pressure. But medicine has a long tradition of "laying hands on a patient" and it's just something doctors do. Patients tend to feel uncomfortable if you glove up every time you touch them even superficially. It's also more difficult to do percussion/palpation through gloves so to the extent you don't really need them, you don't use them. As I said before, you use gloves when you are going to touch sores, rashes, body fluids, mucosa, privates, or if the patient is under glove restrictions (due to certain bugs). Otherwise you probably won't.

 

[Blade28]

Medicine's probably not the best profession for you if you're squeamish.

I'm just sayin'...