Any tips for giving injections?

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It seems that when I'm giving injections, whether IM or SC, I have a hard time piercing the skin. I hate having to "poke" a few times, as I can imagine it's unpleasant. I feel bad about this. It can't be possible that everyone has "tough" skin.

Maybe it's because I hesitate?

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

Use your wrist and 'dart' it in. Also, if you are drawing up from a vial, change the needle. The rubber can dull the tip making it a more difficult piercing.

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

As above. Remember, the quicker you stick, the less pain. And also, if you prep with alcohol first, let it dry or wipe it off before you stick. Less painful that way. Make sure that YOU are in a comfortable position for giving the injection.

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Don't be nervous, when you're giving injections just relax. Don't let your patient know that your tense in what your doing. Trust in yourself. You'll be guided by your lectures.

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Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.

As above and have a good hold of the skin either a pinch for a SC or Z tracking for an IM. That is what I do and most pt say "that didn't hurt" or "wow that was better than what nurse x done" Also bevel up it "slides" in.

Confidence is the key. But then I had to inject lambs with my dad way before I started nursing. Felt worse about that than injecting patients!! :D but patients are not so cute and wriggly!

Also how I learned how to drop an NG by having to fed poorly lambs that my dad adopted as well :)

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A piece of advice that a nurse gave me about a year ago.

When giving an injection, make sure to have the bevel of the needle facing up, that way you are slicing the skin, instead of tearing it.

I must say, she is the only person I know that can give a near painless injection, so I will follow her advice when it come time for me to give injections.

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A piece of advice that a nurse gave me about a year ago.

When giving an injection, make sure to have the bevel of the needle facing up, that way you are slicing the skin, instead of tearing it.

I must say, she is the only person I know that can give a near painless injection, so I will follow her advice when it come time for me to give injections.

I don't get how that would make a difference since the needle should be going in at a ninety degree angle. Can you elaborate?

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Also how I learned how to drop an NG by having to fed poorly lambs that my dad adopted as well :)

I have done this as well. So tubing lambs helped you out with people?? That makes me feel better! I would think the lambs were much less traumatized by it then people.

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Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.

Have you heard the bleat of a sickly 4 day old lamb as you shove a tube down its nose or mouth................makes me feel sooo bad! Pt are a lot easier usually to explain why you are doing it to them!

But remember you cannot put your pt in a modified headlock like you might with a lamb to put an NG in :D :D

Nor can you you hold them between your knees to keep them steady while you are injecting them, mark them on their head with a crayon and push them to one side!

its also frowned upon to get a sheep dog to round them up and move them along :D Some days it is tempting though!

I'm an Irish farmers daughter from a relativly small farm about 200 sheep. Not like the Aussie farmers out here. They haven't the time to invest in one or 2 sickly lambs like we could. More of a live or die attitude on farms here! My 6'3' irish farmer father is as soft as butter when it comes to his animals though! The dogs get hot porridge in the winter when they get up before they go out working. An the 4 donkeys are spoilt rotten since us kids have all left home....... Dad says he just replaced the 2 legged kind he had (us kids) with 4 legged ones who don't give him half as much stress!

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When giving IM injections flatten the skin with your thumb and index finger and dart. When giving SC injections pinch the skin that way it separates the fat/ adipose tissue from the muscle.

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Specializes in MED/SURG STROKE UNIT, LTC SUPER., IMU.

I have found that the taunter (sp?) the skin the easier it is for the needle to slide and easier on the patient. Bevel up too, like others have said. I have had many a patient tell me that they couldn't believe that it was done already. They never felt it. Subq.: get a really good pinch and IM: really flatten that skin out.

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Have you heard the bleat of a sickly 4 day old lamb as you shove a tube down its nose or mouth................makes me feel sooo bad! Pt are a lot easier usually to explain why you are doing it to them!

quote]

I spent a lambing season on a farm in Stratford Upon Avon, UK. If the farmer didn't have students, he never would have tubed the lambs either. Thier cry broke my heart, but they all survived! So after the first couple it was much easier to listen them. I still remember the names we gave them!

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