Nurse's Post-Shift COVID Decontamination Routine
Months have gone by since my last blog post (the podcast has been getting all my TLC), and it’s clear the world is a very different place now compared to when I wrote that last entry.
We’re in the early stages of a global pandemic, and the state I live in not only has not yet hit its peak but also is being very lax about social distancing and stay-at-home orders. There is a lot of disagreement over how much we should be doing to protect ourselves and others - and to what extremes we should alter our daily lives for the good of our whole society.
I can only speak for myself, a nurse in a Level 1 Trauma center that serves people from all over Iowa and the surrounding states, and the employee of a unit that has had both Covid-positive employees and patients since this all began. Though we have not suffered an outbreak thanks to our protective measures, I don’t feel that I am without inherent risk going to work each shift. At the time I am writing this, the designated Covid units at my hospital have had no positive staff from those units. They are true professionals.
With all this in mind, I do everything I am able to prevent the spread of any germs, especially COVID, from my body, clothing, personal items, or behaviors to any of the spaces I travel through or inhabit. So I’m gonna break down my plan for keeping my partner and my community from this shit.
You may think it’s overkill. You may be doing the same things as I am right now. You may read this and realize that there is more you could be doing. This post is just one nurse’s opinion. If I worked directly with COVID patients on a regular basis, I would probably do more like showering on the premises before I leave work (since they’re making that available now!)
Ok, let’s get into my routine. This seems like a LOT of steps, and it is, but most of this takes very little time to do and now that it’s a habit, I don’t even think about most of it.
My lunch bag stays in the break room and never comes into the unit. I pull out food containers or disposable wrapping (been using aluminum foil so I can recycle it). I take my HydroJug out of its fabric sleeve (tho I’ve forgotten a couple of times) so I don't have to wash it every shift.
Pre-shift prep: I throw a clean outfit for after shift (usually leggings and a huge t-shirt) into a plastic bag and then that goes into my work bag. The plastic bag becomes relevant again later. When I head in, I push elevator buttons with my elbow and I am lucky to enter the hospital through automatic doors, avoiding touching high-traffic surfaces like door handles.
I keep my surgical mask and face shield on all shift. It’s uncomfortable, it’s hot. It’s hard to see, hear, and it’s really hard to breathe, but I don’t take it for granted. That shit stays on unless I’m eating my lunch. alone.
During the last hours of shift, I start cleaning and putting away the stuff in my pockets. This decreases the amount of stuff I have to SaniWipe after I give report. This includes any extra pens, my stethoscope (which i am unlikely to need between 0600 and 0730. If I do need it, I’ll grab and re-clean.) Once I wipe down all this stuff, I wash my hands.
After I give report, I wipe down all the rest of my stuff and throw it in my bag. (pen, scissors, badge, anything else in my pockets like chapstick. Then I wash my hands.
Once in the locker room, I change into my clean clothes. I also take off my of work shoes, leave them in the shoe rack, and put on my “walk-to-the-car shoes” (first shoe change). Then I wash my hands.
Wear my own cloth mask to the car. I know it’s not as good as a surgical mask or N95 but the idea is to protect the people I pass from anything I may have been exposed to in the last 13 hours. Other people wearing their masks helps reduce my risk, too. As I leave I avoid pushing elevator buttons with my fingers. I use hand sanitizer to clean my hands.
I take the path out of the hospital that has the least traffic so I pass the fewest number of people.
When I get to my car, I pop the trunk, throw my bags in, and change from “walking-to-the-car-shoes” which go in another plastic bag in the trunk. I put on my “Driving-home-Danskos”. Then I sanitize my hands.
I get into the car and sanitize my hands again. Yes again, because I’m about to take off my mask. I take it off and I drive home breathing fresh air for the first time in between 12 and 13 hours.
I pull into my driveway, turn off the car, and grab the sanitizing wipes out of my passenger seat. I sanitize my steering wheel, gear shifter, radio knobs, inside door buttons, and handles. I open the car door, kick my feet out and Lysol wipe my Danskos, including the bottoms. I use hand sanitizer again. I get out and wipe down the exterior door handle. I pull my bags from the trunk and go inside.
I sanitize my hands before I unlock my door, wipe down my keys, and I kick off my shoes. I peel off my scrubs and throw them directly into the open-and-waiting washing machine. Doug knows that he and the dog must keep their distance until I’m done showering. I go straight to the shower and emerge feeling like myself again. Only then can I bear the thought of sitting on my couch, touching my dog, or falling into bed.
So this is what I do for every shift, without fail. Some days I’m annoyed, but I’d rather be annoyed than sick.
Many will argue this is an over (or under) reaction, depending on their point of view. This is what it takes for me to feel more certain I’m not bringing home germs on my pens, clothes, hands, shoes, or other items I've touched. I would rather take these precautions than risk making myself and my partner sick. It’s a small price for me to pay for the additional peace of mind during a very uncertain time.
I’d love to continue the conversation on what things you are or are not doing to reduce your risk of bringing the virus and other pathogens into your home during this crazy pandemic.
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