To those working in hospitals: How many times/year do you usually get sick

[V781]

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I imagine you come across people daily who have those minor, yet miserable, diseases such as the Influenza and the Norovirus. A strong immune system doesn't seem to prevent the latter. How often are you contacting these illnesses? Is the first year the worst?

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

I imagine you come across people daily who have those minor, yet miserable, diseases such as the Influenza and the Norovirus. A strong immune system doesn't seem to prevent the latter. How often are you contacting these illnesses? Is the first year the worst?

I get a flu shot every year. Haven't gotten the flu since I was maybe 8 or 9 years old. I had norovirus once in high school, maybe I'm immune now?

Overall I probably catch between 1-3 colds per year. Not really any different from when I didn't work at the hospital. I think the key is to wash your hands frequently and don't put your hands to your face.

 

[katiemaude]

I usually get one cold in the winter and for the past two years I've had a cold + ear infection in the summer. I also have to get a flu shot and I wash my hands frequently and have not had the flu in many years. I got an awful stomach virus last month - for the first time since I was a kid - and the likely source was a baby relative.

I take care of surgical patients while wearing a mask, so I think my co-workers hanging out in the break room more likely to get me sick than the patients.

 

[MedWonk]

I get a flu shot every year. Haven't gotten the flu since I was maybe 8 or 9 years old. I had norovirus once in high school, maybe I'm immune now?

Overall I probably catch between 1-3 colds per year. Not really any different from when I didn't work at the hospital. I think the key is to wash your hands frequently and don't put your hands to your face.

Nope.

I've gotten sick 4 times this year, but twice it was from my niece who I take care of some days (one cold, one GI bug), and once from a physician (cold) who caught it from his family. I think only one time it might have been from the hospital, but it could just as well not have been since it was a cold. I don't think I've gotten sick from any of the patients I've seen at the hospital (knock on wood).

 

[Pose]

I get some sort of viral illness about once every six to eight months it seems. But very rarely, to answer your question. There's a lot to be said about good hand hygiene.

 

[Eccesignum]

Picked up what I suspect was norovirus last winter, and that was from a co-worker who came in sick (*mutter*). Otherwise haven't had so much as a head cold in 3 years.

 

[wholeheartedly]

I get respiratory/sinus crap a couple times a year. Always get a flu shot. Though it seems like if I do still get what seems like is the flu it isnt as severe but lasts way longer.

Norovirus is a nasty bug, immunity only lasts a few months for any particular strain, and it only takes about 10 viral particles to make you sick. I pretty much just avoiding eating out or eating the holiday treats people bring in to work or pretty much any other food thats been handled by someone else from about Oct to March, as it's most commonly spread through food people contaminated with their poor hand washing habits.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

I get a flu shot, I havent gotten the flu probably since I started getting flu shots, but I get mild colds whenever I travel to other parts of the country.

 

[Deadlifts]

I've gotten a flu shot every year since high school. Don't remember the last time I had the flu (8th grade maybe?).

Working in a hospital setting has not increased how often I get ill. I'd say college campuses are more likely to get you sick simply because hospital jobs require constant hand hygeine.

Don't touch yo face.

 

[wholeheartedly]

I've gotten a flu shot every year since high school. Don't remember the last time I had the flu (8th grade maybe?).

Working in a hospital setting has not increased how often I get ill. I'd say college campuses are more likely to get you sick simply because hospital jobs require constant hand hygeine.

Don't touch yo face.

One issue with hospitals is "presenteeism", where people show up to work sick, even when they shouldn't. The hospital culture really breeds this in employees even though studies have tied outbreaks in vulnerable patients to sick employees. I don't have much patient contact where I work and always seem to catch what my coworkers have, not my grad school classmates.

 

[Gfliptastic]

1x/year. And probably due to clinic than hospital.

Our hospitals (and I'm sure most others) have "spies" who check for hand hygiene rule compliance. Since some of our clinical grading is based on "performance", damned be the med student who gets caught by a spy. It leaves the possibility of being reported to a supervising intern or attending, thusly also influencing one's grade. We are also reminded never use your attending as an example. I've worked w/ a few attendings who waltz right into a VRE contact precaution patient's room w/o adhering to protocol.

Hand hygiene is vital and I think the persnickety implementation policies has prevented me from getting sick more often. I sometimes say that my hands are dirtier at home than they are when I'm in the hospital working w/ patients.

 

[V781]

I had just read a couple things that had led me to this question.

1) I'd read a national geographic article that said in one hospital, there were 21 different types of Norovirus sitting on one single counter top.
2)I've also heard that pathogens within the hospital environment are hardier because of the hospital's medicine/antibiotics/etc and cleanliness. *Let me know if this doesn't sound right*
And of course, 3) that people walk in daily while spewing these nasty viruses every which way

 

[Law2Doc]

Only got sick when I saw peds patients. As a nontrad youll find you lready had the grownup stuff recently enough to be immune.

 

[GreenBlade]

Never got sick. I managed a rheumatology clinic though.

 

[cabinbuilder]

I worked for 7 years on the medical floor. NEVER got sick.
I see flu and colds all day every day in urgent care. Never get sick. Not even a sniffle or hint of sore throat. Always been that way.

 

[QofQuimica]

I get sick a few times a year. Same as before I started working in the hospital. I think a lot of it comes from sitting on airplanes, actually. Nothing like breathing recycled air for a few hours to expose you to every germ from all over the country.

 

[deuist]

During my EM residency I got sick multiple times each year, usually after working a few peds shifts. Now, I evaluate all patients while wearing gloves, regardless of the chief complaint. If wearing a mask didn't look completely ridiculous, I would probably do that, too.

 

[Jewels86]

I pickup way too much!! No matter how much I wash my hands, I must have a colony of something living on me each night. As anyone knows, everyone and everything comes through the ED. I get thrown up on (please chew your food!!), name it. It sucks.

 

[Mad Jack]

I imagine you come across people daily who have those minor, yet miserable, diseases such as the Influenza and the Norovirus. A strong immune system doesn't seem to prevent the latter. How often are you contacting these illnesses? Is the first year the worst?

The only time I got noro was my first year in the ED. I got sick about once every two months in my first year, maybe once every three my second year, a couple times my third year, and now I just don't get sick basically at all. I'll get a minor cough maybe once a year. I do not get the flu vaccine due to a rather severe reaction I had to it years ago, and I have only contracted the flu once in nearly six years. Everything else is minor coughs, runny noses, stuff like that. And that one time I DO get sick every year, it's always after a shift in on the pedi floors.

So yeah, it gets better. But it takes a few years.

 

[lovesfall]

I worked in one for 7 years. I was sick a lot the first year (3 or 4 times?) and then maybe once a year or so afterwards. I never got anything really bad, mostly colds. We were required to have flu shots.

 

[sakata8242]

I imagine you come across people daily who have those minor, yet miserable, diseases such as the Influenza and the Norovirus. A strong immune system doesn't seem to prevent the latter. How often are you contacting these illnesses? Is the first year the worst?

You should be getting flu vaccines every year and washing your hands religiously while at the hospital. Problem solved.

That being said, I wouldn't at all be surprised if nearly every medical student is colonized with MRSA and C.diff by the time they finish.

 

[LivingOnAPrayer123]

I get a cold maybe once or twice a year. But as sakata said, I wash my hands every chance I get...

 

[Gfliptastic]

Update/edit: I did 2 weeks rounding in the pediatric ward. Got norovirus. 2 weeks later, I feel I've officially recovered.

Thanks buggy dirty kids...again! (Last time I got sick peds rotation, but that was viral flu) Hope that takes care of my annual illness for 2014!! 🙂