The Colleague's Shortcut and the Duty to Speak Up
You share a small clinic with another electrologist. Over several weeks you notice that she has stopped changing gloves between clients when she is 'just doing a few hairs,' wipes the probe holder with a alcohol swab instead of following the sterilization protocol, and reuses single-use lancets on the same client 'because it's the same person.' She is popular and busy, and the clinic owner is her friend. A new client with a bleeding disorder has just been booked with her, and you know the colleague has not asked about bleeding risk. You are not her supervisor. You are worried about confrontation and about your own position at the clinic.
1. What are the infection-prevention problems here, and what is your professional obligation?
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The problems are clear breaches: not changing gloves between clients defeats hand hygiene and contaminates surfaces and instruments; substituting an alcohol wipe for proper sterilization of reusable items does not achieve sterilization; and reusing single-use lancets is a direct bloodborne-pathogen risk, even on the same client, because it defeats the single-use design and can cause injury or infection. Your obligation under Standards of Practice and infection-prevention principles is to act on a risk to clients, not to stay silent for comfort. That means raising it directly with the colleague first if safe, then escalating to the clinic owner or a responsible manager, and if unresolved, to the relevant regulatory or public-health authority. Document what you observed, when, and what you did. Silence is complicity when clients are at risk.
2. How would you raise it with the colleague, and what if she dismisses you?
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Raise it privately, factually, and without accusation: describe what you observed, why it matters (bloodborne pathogens, client safety, professional standards), and ask her to follow the protocol. Offer to review the sterilization procedure together. Avoid gossip or public confrontation. If she dismisses you or continues, escalate in writing to the clinic owner, citing specific observations and the standard breached. Keep your own practice compliant and document your own actions. If the owner protects her, you may need to report to the regulator. The judgement is to try the least adversarial route first, then escalate proportionately, with a record at each step.
3. The new client with a bleeding disorder is booked with her. What do you do about that specific booking?
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A bleeding disorder is a significant medical consideration; treatment may be inadvisable or require medical clearance, and the colleague has not assessed it. Do not treat the client yourself without proper assessment and, where indicated, medical advice. Raise the specific booking with the colleague and the owner immediately, explaining that the client needs a bleeding-risk assessment before any treatment and that proceeding without it is unsafe. If the colleague will not act and the client is at risk, escalate through the owner or regulator. If you can, ensure the client is informed and rescheduled pending assessment. Document your concern, the action taken, and the outcome. The principle: client safety overrides collegial discomfort and clinic politics.