During my placement at a major hospital i developed what i thought was just a random rash. I had been feeling slightly unwell for about a week, but nothing to call in sick about. Over the following days it started to get pretty sore and then became extremely painful. At that point i asked a medical intern what he thought it could be and he stated it was most likely shingles. Although the rash was covered and not likely infectious he wasnt sure of hospital protocol and suggested i enquire what the normal protocol was.
It turns out that this condition is just an exaccerbation of the chicken pox virus in the dorsal nerve roots and only contageous to contact if the patient hasnt had chicken pox, is immunosuppressed or is late into pregnancy. I got sent home immediately and wasnt allowed back onto or near the hospital grounds until the rash had cleared.
Looking ahead in my schedule, in the next few days i was down to treat a patient preparing for a liver transplant and also a pregnant lady. Although the sickness didnt really affect me and i felt well enough to perform any daily tasks, it emphasised to me that the days away from prac when we are sick are more for the patients benefit rather than ours. Having been exposed to this situation, i would know in future to check the hospital protocols with any real sickness and get anything checked out as soon as it occurs rather than waiting until we feel unwell enough to come in.
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Whenever we are sick or injured, I think it is so much more important to take time off not just for ourselves but for the patients. I recently hurt my back, and was struggling on in my geriatric prac until i thought about how dangerous it was. Because if one of my patients had to fall or need help, I would have been unable to help due to being in so much pain. So even if it means you have to make up an extra day or two it is worth it, because your patients already have some impairment and dont need anything more on their plates.
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