To ask the nurse shift office whether to ward I am going to is affected by the Norovirus?

[mosschops30]

I'm a student nurse who caught this before xmas, it laid me and dh up for an entire weekend.

For a bit of extra money I am working a bank shift tonight and another on sunday. However dh thinks I'm mad going into the hospital when 13 wards are affected.

I know as nurses we are expected to want to work and to be there but I have no desire to get this bug again for a few extra quid when I'm neither fully employed or on a placement.

So do I phone the bank office and ask them or just go in and hope for the best

I say phone them! I also got the virus so know how you must have felt and know thatI DO NOT want it again - not for any money! You have every right to put your health 1st!

really? i just feel so guilty if I dont go in

mosschops - if it was your placement then I would have to go in to work - but as its bank work I would say phone them and tell them you have the flu or something.

Wards only book staff if they are desperate and short staffed. It will be too late for them to get a replacement for you. Think about other people ie patients and staff on the ward. You should have thought about this before you accepted the shift.

You have a moral obligation to go and fulfill your shift.

what did you do in the end?

I thought immunity lasted a few weeks, so you would be fine

(How long does the immunity last?)

The domestics office would know what wards have the virus as well if you wanted to find out a sneaky way.

Dr Hilary on GMTV was saying immunity was about 8wks i think

I thought you couldn't catch it again for 14 weeks now, as you have had it?

I read you had no immunity and could easliy suffer reinfection

NHS Direct staes 14 days immunity, it also states even if you had it last year you may still carry some immunity this year.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I worked in the end, both Friday and Sunday. Neither of the wards had massive problems that were out of the ordinary so was fine. I could just as easily get it from being there today as a student. Could do with a kickstart to the diet anyway

FYI cheshire I have no moral obligation to turn up, its temporary work, and on the occasions they have forgotten to pay me they always remind me that it shouldnt be seen as a proper job and not to be relied on. I think this works both ways!