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Discussion

Afraid to give a shot after needlestick

Does anyone have any advice for getting over this? I got a job where I'll be giving a lot of shots to a lot of kiddies, and I'm so afraid one is going to jump again and I'll stick myself again

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    I have been stuck before and I work at a pedi office where all I do is give shots all day long. I was a little gunshy after, but you get used to it. After all where I work the incidence of getting stuck with a contaminated needle is low, but it also depends on what kinds of clients you work with. I was stuck before they made it mandatory for the safety needles.

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    The most important thing to do with children is make sure they are properly restrained, because the kiddies will jump, kick, and flail. The only time I had an almost really bad thing happen (needle break) was when I misjudged the child's strength and apparent calmness. Some people feel it's bad to ensure a child can't move, I feel it's much safer to use more restraint than less, and it goes faster that way also.

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    I agree about making sure they are properly retrained. I got stuck after parents told me that a 15 year old autistic boy would be find with the shot. Of course my instincts were screaming at me, but i didnt want to unnecessarily hold him down when the parents assured me that he had been fine in the past. Of course he flailed and i got stuck. Lesson learned. My safety is number one!

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    Thanks guys!! So far so good... I'm def. getting over it (I don't have a choice, haha), although sometimes I'm afraid I'm restraining tooo hard. But I just think when they jerk, that would hurt them (as well as me and their parents) worse than being held down. :p It's kind of tricky.

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    Yeah, I know, Amy. Just the word "restrain" has a negative connotation. It is just too hard for most people to imagine just how strong a child over about 2 years of age really is. Especially when they really, really don't want that shot!Understandable!! Who wants a shot?

    We were lucky because we always had 2 nurses available, lay the child down if possible, and 1 nurse could sort of lay across their back, and the other sort of lay across their legs, and give the shot. Restraining with hands or only restraining extremities is a lot harder to do.

    Parents can be a boon or bust. Bless those that "get" how more restraint is safer. They can sometimes hold the child in their lap with arms around. Then, you have those who want to reason with the child endlessly, explaining the benefits of immunity to their 4 year old. . .:uhoh21: OK, not going to happen. Only serves purpose of freaking them out more as they use the extra time to think about the shot.

    Beware the "OK, he's ready now for his shot." sniffle sniffle. . .oh no he isn't! He will summon a hair-raising shriek at precisely the worst moment, perhaps also going airborne and kicking you in the chin.

    So. . . short, sweet and fast works best for me. I actually think that is less traumatizing than dragging it out because they usually forget about it before realizing it's already done. That's when you give them their sticker and praise their awesome bravery. :) And it was a sweet little 4 year old girl who I let my guard down with, and she was the one that flew off the table causing the needle to bend 90 degrees. I dodged a major bullet on that one!!!

    If you are already doing all these things, sorry if I am redundant. Best wishes with your peds job-

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