How to put on and take off PPE
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.
Most self-contamination happens when PPE comes off. The order and slow movements protect you.
Step by step
Choose the PPE
Based on the precautions: contact, droplet or airborne. Clean your hands first. [1]
Put on the gown
Cover from neck to knees and arms to wrists, tie at the back. [1]
Mask or respirator
Secure it, mold the nose piece, and do a seal check for a respirator. [1]
Eye protection
Goggles or a face shield. [1]
Gloves
Last, pulled over the gown cuffs. [1]
Take off: gloves first
Glove to glove, then bare finger under the cuff of the other glove. One CDC method removes the gown and gloves together. [1]
Then eye protection and gown
Remove goggles by the strap; untie the gown and roll it inside out away from your body. [1]
Mask last and clean hands
Remove the mask or respirator by the straps after leaving the room, then clean your hands right away. [1]
Common errors
- Touching the front of the mask or goggles.
- Removing the respirator inside the room.
- Forgetting hand hygiene at the end.
Practice it in VMS
In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
Sources
Facts and steps follow CDC, Guideline for Isolation Precautions (2007) and PPE sequence. VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.