No, you're not going to catch that in a kitchen.

[MergedLoki]

Alright so when I first started my job I had to do a 2 day 16 hour (total, so 8 hrs/day) orientation with any other new hires.

So I was the only xray tech. but there was a mix of nurses, custodial staff, and kitchen help (cooks, dishwashers etc.).

So it was just basic stuff, I'm pretty sure I day dreamed through most of it.

But we get to a part about diesease and infection control etc.

So basically the lectuer goes into a spiel about how a patient will have their chart marked with a sticker and what isolation precautions need to be taken care of IF they have something infectious (gloves, a mask, etc. and so on).

Anyways, up here in Canada it's NOT a legal requirment that you have to let someone know (at a hospital anyways) if you have HIV/AIDS. (i imagine if you were having blood drawn etc. then that changes but i'm just talking like a day to day thing where you ARENT being poked/prodded at).

anyways this one guy a few seats over goes all crazy and saying 'oh well it should be a law that we should know if someone has aids etc. etc.' going on and on saying that 'in the states it's the law' (i have no idea if this is true it's just what he was rambling on about).

anyways the lecturer is (quite rightly) pointing out that if you follow the routine safety procedures for EVERY patient then.... you WONT catch anything. (especially if someone HAD HIV they'd have to be bleeding, and a person would have to be dumb enough to NOT wear gloves around blood... they're kind of readily available in a damn hospital).

so this guys just pissing off the instructor more and more (this went on for about 15 minutes) and finally the instructor asks 'well what department are you working in?'

this guy was a cook. which means absoulutely ZERO patient interaction. This guy will ONLY see deal with other employees.

so the instructor says 'well i dont think y ou have anything to worry about'

I mean if this guy is THAT worried about catching something.. He should probably just become an agoraphobic since that lady in front of you in the supermarket line could very well have tuberculosis. o0o0o0o0 run away run away! :P

sorry pointless hysteria/blind panic bugs me.

[Sheldonrs]

I think I'd be worried about what he's been doing in the kitchen to make him think he might catch anything!

[dalesys]

I think I'd be worried about what he's been doing in the kitchen to make him think he might catch anything!

You expect me to eat that salami?!

[draftermatt]

From what I have read in the States you don't have to tell anyone, even nurses, doctors, etc. It's their job to take proper precautions.

[Mnemjian]

Maybe he plans to have unprotected sex with random patients on his lunch break?

[Antisocial_Worker]

I actually have hiv. Imagine the fun I've had when I've had to tell people.

Actually, you can picture it. Imagine yourself going out and finding a deer or two. Clap, or fart, or make some other sort of loud brusque noise. Notice how the deer flee in a panic, sprinting off into the underbrush, leaping ever so gracefully?

It's a lot like that.

[Seshat]

I actually have hiv. Imagine the fun I've had when I've had to tell people.

Oh joy.

You have my sympathy - and my hope that it is & remains inactive.

[MergedLoki]

From what I have read in the States you don't have to tell anyone, even nurses, doctors, etc. It's their job to take proper precautions.

see the thing is, it's not even a consious thought process anymore it's just like 'hey they're bleeding, ok wear gloves' 'hey they're hacking up phlegm, ok wear a mask/eye shield'

and yea sorry mr soup of the day you dont have to worry about it lol.

to the poster who said they got hiv.

sorry, you have my sympathy.

[smileyeagle1021]

I actually have hiv. Imagine the fun I've had when I've had to tell people.

we're all going to die... stay away

... sorry, I couldn't help myself

though I hate that too, the irrational panic. HIV is a horrible disease, but it is one that is easy enough to avoid with proper precautions.

Of course, you have my sympathies, empathy, and love. No one deserves that disease.

[Mikkel]

we're all going to die... stay away

Well, we are all going to die in the end .
My sympathies HHNC.

[Antisocial_Worker]

Of course, you have my sympathies, empathy, and love. No one deserves that disease.

Hooey. You can tell right away who deserves to have it, by the way they treat the people who already have it. Same as any disease, actually.

To you and everyone else who offered their sympathies, thank you. Thankfully, my health is just great, and has been so ever since I was diagnosed and began treatment.

[trunks2k]

anyways this one guy a few seats over goes all crazy and saying 'oh well it should be a law that we should know if someone has aids etc. etc.' going on and on saying that 'in the states it's the law' (i have no idea if this is true it's just what he was rambling on about).

He's talking out of his arse. The states generally has very strict privacy laws when it comes to HIV and health in general. Nobody, except for those providing you care, should know your health status unless you choose to tell. In terms of HIV the only exception to this sort of thing is that if you know you have HIV and knowingly have unprotected sex with a partner resulting without informing them which results in them getting infected, and that only applies in some states and can apply to other diseases as well.

I really can't believe people still have such a negative reaction to people with HIV. I could understand back in the 80s when we didn't know much about it, but ever since the early 90s, I've had "You can't transmit HIV unless there's an exchange of bodily fluids, normal day to day contact is fine" drilled into my head.

[HYHYBT]

Not much point in knowing who has it anyway in a hospital setting (unless you're the one deciding on treatment; certainly not if you're just cooking the food!). At best it would only be knowing who *knows* they have it. You'd still have to take precautions because of the ones who haven't yet found out.

[PepperElf]

HHNC -

though I hate that too, the irrational panic

yeah that stuff is stupid.

i use to be a nursing student and combined with a human sexuality class and a microbio class (where my teacher i think had a speciality in retroactive viruses) i learned a hella lot about it

learned too much to panic about any casual contact

and back to the OP... that cook was stupid
hell maybe someone should have said that too him... "Were you planning on having sex with patients?"

seriously... the hospital does NOT need to have ANY employee who's insensitive to Patients' rights.

[Primer]

I had one student take me aside after class one day to tell me that he had full blown AIDS. He told me this only to let me know that there may be days where he did not show up to class, or days where he showed up but looked like death warmed over. The only extra precautions I took, were to be more conscious of not sneezing or coughing near him. I generally try to turn away, anyway, but I was much more conscious about it around him. No reason to give him even more germs to try to fight.