Easily worried 3rd semester student

[jtay21]

Hi all! This my first time posting here because I wanted some opinions from people working in the field of nursing. I'm not even sure if I'm posting in the right thread. Currently, I'm in a my 3rd semester of nursing school, and I just completed my fundamentals clinical rotation (yay!). On the second week of my clinicals, I had a patient that was a known narcotic abuser suffering from multiple ailments. This patient was known for coming to the hospital with false injuries just to get morphine.

Anyway, another made a mistake using the glucose meter, and I handed her a new test strip. As I was handing her the new strip (ungloved), her hand brushed my thumb where I had some peeling white skin but it wasn't bleeding or exactly open. I'm not even sure if the blood from the glove even touched my finger, I just remember feeling her hand brush mine. My instructor told me had nothing to worry about since the skin was intact and not "open". However, I worry and over-examine everything, and I'm wondering should I be concerned about blood-borne illnesses such as Hep C or HIV. I feel like I have nothing to worry about the worrier in me can't seem to let it go. Should I just go get some lab work drawn? I love nursing so much, but I really need to let the worrying go.

Thank for your throughts in advance and Happy New Year!

[Davey Do]

Hi jtay, and welcome to AN.com!

If you're really worried, get tested.

But I really wouldn't worry too much about a hand brush, having been sprayed in the face with body fluids, stuck with used lancets and needles, and even going as far as having an MVA victim's blood in my mouth.

Good luck to you!