Question: Pocket knife carry in hospital?

[enyong112]

Hi guys,

I just gave my wife a Meerkat, she's a nurse in a hospital, can she carry it in her pocket? We are in TX.

[xceptnl]

That is private property so I would assume her employee handbook would address this. If it is not so comprehensive, perhaps a discreet query to the HR dept. I would imagine in TX (visited in the past) the knife laws tend to be semi lax.

[RadioactiveSpyder]

Assuming she would not use it or show it to any patients and only to coworkers she first discussed it with first before bringing it out of a pocket or purse, I doubt there'd be any issue. I would bet 9 of 10 times, an employer would defer to local laws and assume that by carrying such a tool, you would use it and know how to use it responsibly. I am pretty sure your wife, as a nurse, would have that covered many times over!

God bless nurses and the care they give, in my mind, they could all use a good Spyderco LBK to help them in their workplace!

[D1omedes]

xceptnl is right - your wife needs to check her Employee Handbook or contact HR. Hospitals are privately owned and can impose their own punishments (which can include terminating employment) if an employee brings something they feel is a "weapon."

Texas is great with gun and knife rights but there are still limits. I am a teacher and must leave all my :spyder: 's in my vehicle.

[Blerv]

Good advice :) . A check with her handbook is always recommended. While a 2" blade is hardly frightening to a place full of scalpels better safe than sorry. I certainly would still use it discretely for personal use.

[DJFrostbyte]

Hi guys,

I just gave my wife a Meerkat, she's a nurse in a hospital, can she carry it in her pocket? We are in TX.

Hey there,

This is an awesome question. I also live in Texas and I am a registered nurse working directly with patients. I am overly cautious with bringing knives to work, not because I am scared of anyone seeing them, but because I am scared of losing them. So generally my "edc" at the hospital consists of a leatherman micra (those scissors are invaluable at times and yes I break that out during patient care), and the spyderco honeybee on my keys along with a Fenix E01 AAA flash light. I will on occasion bring something else, but due to infection control issues I dont bring anything with G10 or textured handles. There is no telling what us nurses come across at work and I just do not want to be bringing home bacteria on my knives....

To answer your question, at least at my hospital there is no set rule regarding the carry of knives at work however there is a more general statement about weapons (i believe mostly referring to guns). I would tell her to definitely keep it to herself and tell her to clean it well with an alcohol prep prior to coming home. But I would also suggest maybe buying her the bug set as they are cheap, small, not scary to anyone, and easy to wipe down. Just my $.02

[paladin]

I think I remember Ed Schempp saying during an interview that one of his motivations for Balance design was to provide dialysis nurses a discreet EDC as a last-ditch for dealing with unruly patients. It seems to me that the SS Balance would fit the bill aptly. It is thin enough to stow discreetly,and the SS would make sterilization easier. Meerkat is a great little blade also, I own 2 myself...just a bit thicker in profile, and maybe a bit more challenging to clean. Please follow the sage advice already given of conuslting your wife's employee handbook and bylaws. Thank your wife for me for her service as a health care worker!

[DJFrostbyte]

Here is a quote from my employee handbook. You can see how vague it is... and this is the only mention of the issue of guns/weapons anywhere in our HR department.

"Weapons-Free Environment
Methodist strives to provide a safe working environment free from risk
of violence with firearms and weapons. Methodist prohibits the possession
of any kind of lethal weapon on its premises; this includes all concealed
handguns regardless of whether a person has been issued a license to carry
a concealed handgun by the texas department of Public safety. only Commissioned
law enforcement officers and persons granted written permission
by the President and Chief executive officer of Methodist are permitted
to carry weapons on the premises. Methodist employees should report
anyone who may be carrying a weapon to a security officer and/or Public
safety department at their entity."

You can take that for what its worth. I guess a knife can be a deadly weapon so I would choose carefully. =o) Hope this helps a little... but of course all hospitals will have different policies. This is Specifically from the Houston Methodist Hospital System

[Fresh Eddie Fresh]

I will on occasion bring something else, but due to infection control issues I dont bring anything with G10 or textured handles.

Sort of off topic, but has anyone ever autoclaved their Spydercos? Would it work with FRN or G10? My guess is that stainless handles would be ok to go through the process.

[xceptnl]

Sort of off topic, but has anyone ever autoclaved their Spydercos? Would it work with FRN or G10? My guess is that stainless handles would be ok to go through the process.

I would think that FRN and any models wit nylon washers would not survive. Aside from that G-10 models and full stainless should be ok, but I wouldn't want to try it with mine.

[D1omedes]

Couldn't you just set the entire knife in a bowl of alcohol to sterilize it?

[Jimbro]

I carry a Spyderco of some variety daily in the hospital I work at. It's rare that I actually use it for anything related to patient care. If anything a good pair of Codman bandage scissors would be more useful. If people ask me why I carry it my reply is "emergency tracheotomy". Good advice from all the above comments.

[phillipsted]

I autoclaved one of my SS Delicas once just to see how it held up (my wife is a nurse). It came out all shiny and none-the-worse for wear and tear. I added a couple of drops of oil to the pivot and put it back into service...

TedP

[RadioactiveSpyder]

I would think that FRN and any models wit nylon washers would not survive. Aside from that G-10 models and full stainless should be ok, but I wouldn't want to try it with mine.

Actually, I put all kinds of similar grade materials from my lab in our autoclave all the time and they survive just fine. I would not hesitate to throw a FRN Spydie onto the autoclave rack with the other stuff. Same as TedP with his SS one, I bet a few drops of oil on the pivot and you'd be fine.

[uncleknife]

I thought I read somewhere that a cricket was a status symbol in hospitals.

[Hopsbreath]

I EDC a delica in my job as a respiratory therapist and use it during patient care when necessary. Everybody knows I carry it and even ask to borrow it on occasion. It really does just depend on the individual place you work I suppose.