Problems, that if everyone would just follow some simple yet tedious precautionary measures, would not be such a problem.

Clostridium Difficile, or what we call C-diff is a nasty bactieria that lives in our intestines. It is super infectious, and spreads via spores. Mostly through our shit. Mmmmm.

When patients have this we make sure that we wear gowns, and gloves to prevent the spread of the poopiness to other sick patients.

Yes, we don’t want this either, but the patient is too weak to fight it if it spreads to them.

One day I had to get a patient from the ICU to transfer them to a regular hospital bed. It had come to my attention that the patient was put under the precaution level that they had C-diff. I put on the gown and gloves, and waited for transfer help.

Waiting for transfer help is a whole other mess I will share with you another day.

The main problem here is the nurse that was taking care of the patient.

Supposedly the patient wasn’t under the precaution for his entire stay in the ICU. I found this out when the nurse came in without gloves or a gown.

“Hey, would you like some gloves?” I asked.

“No” she replied.

“I would really feel better if you did.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“I know you’re fine, but the patient has c-diff”

“I was with him all week, and I’m not worried about it”

“I’m not worried about you either. It’s the other patients you could spread it to is who I’m worried about. Please could you put on gloves at least?” I tried to bargain.

She glared at me, and finally got some gloves on.

Then this other lady came in and started grabbing on stuff without gloves!

“Hey this patient’s got c-diff….”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m going home in ten minutes.”

I couldn’t fucking believe it!

Sure lady take it home to your kids, and when they start shitting all over the place be sure they take some to school with them too!

“For show and tell today my mom brought some of this home from the hospital!”

Pthpsspsbsppspssbss! All over the place!

Anyway we got the patient to the new room, and I called up infectious controls.

Over the next few days I noticed that the nurse would scowl at me from across the ICU.

I asked her if I should avoid her from now on.

“Who the fuck are you to call up I.C. on me?” she asked.

“Excuse me?”

“Who the fuck are you? You’re a transporter, and you told on me”

I then explained the reasons why. Which I thought would have been valid enough, but no.

“You don’t know what it’s like to go into a room ten times a day with a person in contact precautions!”

Actually I did.

” You yourself would get tired of putting on all of that stuff if you just had to go check the vitals of a patient.”

I held my tongue because I know for a fact that she makes her CNA do it.

“You are also kidding yourself if you think doctors go into a patients room with gloves and a gown.”

“If I saw doctors in a room without that stuff on I’d offer them some glove and a gown too.”

“What if they ignored you?”

“Then I would call up I.C. on them as well”

“Bullshit”

“Listen, I don’t care if you, or any doctor likes me or not. I am more concerned about the people in the ICU who can’t defend themselves from the ones who are supposed to be getting them better. Not adding on to their list of ailments.”

She turned around, and stormed off.

To this day, the other nurses in the ICU can’t stop laughing about it.

I will keep everyone informed on how she treats me. 

I got to tell you though, it’s nice not listening to her bitch and moan about how shitty her job is. The job that she spent a whole bunch of school hours, and student loans to feel miserable about.

I will always say to these people “If you don’t like your job, quit! Don’t bring everyone else down in your misery too.”