Infectious Exposure

UT Southwestern Medical Center provides medical care and counseling to students who have been exposed to blood and/or body fluids or active tuberculosis.

• Occupational Health Services manages exposures to blood or body fluid.

What do I do if I have an exposure?

If you think that you have been exposed to a patient’s blood or body fluid, you need to report it as soon as possible. Page the exposure pager at 214-645-1600. This number is located on the back of your student ID card. Let the nurse who answers the page know the source patient’s name and exactly what happened. The nurse will walk you through what to do.

If the Exposure Occurs at an Outside Facility (Non-UTSW)

If the exposure occurs at Parkland Hospital or the Dallas VA Medical Center or another non-UTSW facility, in addition to contacting the UTSW exposure pager, you will need to contact the exposure pager for that facility. The charge nurse where you are can help you with this. All facilities have a routine in place to deal with exposures. UTSW Occupational Health cannot order lab work on a source patient not admitted to a UTSW facility, but we will be glad to assist you in contacting the correct person.

UTSW Occupational Health will be happy to follow your course of care after your exposure should you need any further lab work, treatment, or monitoring.

The source patient is typically tested for HIV, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B. If the source patient is known to have HIV or hepatitis, please let the exposure nurse know.