Exposure to Hep C blood daily??

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I know this may sounds dumb.

But I work in a rehab where I'm the only nurse for the evening.

I haven't been taught to draw blood.

I have to do the capillary finger stick and I get bad anxiety because 9/10 is Hep C positive.

I try my best to work on my technique but sometimes it gets messy where the blood is all over my gloves and its like I'm having a full on panic attack inside. I don't trust gloves! needless to say. I still feel super expose.

I asked for the vacuum that sucks the blood up but my job says its too expansive and then if i have to stick them more than once they tell all the other patients about it.

I make sure to wipe everything down and to keep my cuts covered. But then sometimes after i sensitize I notice a cut on my finger.

None of the other nurses draw blood its only me and take sometimes 10 mins doing it this way. Is it worth it to take a phlebotomy course?

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Yes you can get any blood borne infectious disease this way. BUT it is very very rare, you'd have to have open cuts on your hands, and even with that, IT IS VERY VERY RARE.

Now if you could educate me. What are you testing the patient's blood for? I'm not familiar with that many blood tests that are routinely done with finger sticks?

Are you an RN or LVN? If RN I'd think a charge nurse or any nurse could teach you phlebotomy. If you're an LVN I'm not sure if maybe you'd need certified training to do phlebotomy?

To answer your question, yes I think you should take a phlebotomy course.

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Yes you can get any blood borne infectious disease this way. BUT it is very very rare, you'd have to have open cuts on your hands, and even with that, IT IS VERY VERY RARE.

Now if you could educate me. What are you testing the patient's blood for? I'm not familiar with that many blood tests that are routinely done with finger sticks?

Are you an RN or LVN? If RN I'd think a charge nurse or any nurse could teach you phlebotomy. If you're an LVN I'm not sure if maybe you'd need certified training to do phlebotomy?

To answer your question, yes I think you should take a phlebotomy course.

Hi it's required for syphillis.

I'm an lpn and I've asked over and over to be trained but no one has offered.

Taking a phlebotomy class would cost me $300 out of pocket. We can have up to five admits per day. And most of them are hep c carriers due to IV use.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Spend the $300 and take the class. You're in charge of this.

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
Spend the $300 and take the class. You're in charge of this.

Especially after hearing blood is "all over" the OP's gloves. I understand stuff happens, but in my 5 years or so in the ED, I can't think of one instance of blood getting "all over" from a straight stick blood draw (let alone a finger stick).

If it is causing full on panic attacks, then it is time to do something. Approach your employer first about getting properly trained. If not, for your own safety and peace of mind, you will have to pay for the course if you want to stay in your current job.

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Especially after hearing blood is "all over" the OP's gloves. I understand stuff happens, but in my 5 years or so in the ED, I can't think of one instance of blood getting "all over" from a straight stick blood draw (let alone a finger stick).

If it is causing full on panic attacks, then it is time to do something. Approach your employer first about getting properly trained. If not, for your own safety and peace of mind, you will have to pay for the course if you want to stay in your current job.

Right. I just wonder if I've exposed myself to help c and if I should get tested.

We have to catch the blood inside the container and sometimes the blood runs everywhere. I've asked for the vacuum that sucks the blood via finger stick but they say it's out of their expense.

I'm just really paranoid. My technique is not up to par. He $300 class is cheapest I can find but it's hard because I'm taking prerequisites for my BSN and these courses can go up to 9 weeks

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.

We have to catch the blood inside the container and sometimes the blood runs everywhere.

So you finger stick them and then hold a container underneath as you "milk" blood from the site of the stick? Not trying to be rude, but are you sure you are doing this correctly? Is are in the US? What you describe sounds pretty unsafe. Curious as to what regulatory agencies would think about this.

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I assume where you work has to follow federal, state, and OSHA regulations.

If so your employer has to follow up your blood exposure with free testing of you and the patient.

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Specializes in NICU.
Right. I just wonder if I've exposed myself to help c and if I should get tested.

We have to catch the blood inside the container and sometimes the blood runs everywhere. I've asked for the vacuum that sucks the blood via finger stick but they say it's out of their expense.

I'm just really paranoid. My technique is not up to par. He $300 class is cheapest I can find but it's hard because I'm taking prerequisites for my BSN and these courses can go up to 9 weeks

I mean, this sounds not dissimilar to the technique we use to obtain heelstick samples in NICU. Even with a baby kicking, there still isn't "blood running everywhere."

Also, gloves are part of PPE. Their entire point is to keep your bodily fluids from mixing with the patient's. Why do you think they won't do their job if you're using them correctly?

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I have to wonder like others if this is a US-based scenario.

I've done finger sticks and venipuncture (both labs and IV placement). Except in a patient that is on a heparin infusion or super platelet/clotting factor depleted I can't think of a time I encountered anything like what you described, certainly not from a finger stick.

I work in the OR now. My gloves are often covered in blood and body fluids. We have regular old non-sterile gloves which can be worn for most patient care. But we also have sterile gloves which are better (thicker, less likely to tear). Nothing prevents me from wearing sterile gloves if I decide I would like to (even for regular patient care). I have - for some trauma patients, worn sterile gloves as a circulator.

With that said, I have had several needle/sharp sticks (almost impossible not to ever have one in the OR). I've been exposed to Hep C before. That was scary, the whole monitoring period. Our employee health NP told me most likely if I tested positive the hospital would have offered the (at the time) new vaccine. For what it's worth, even with a hollow bore (could have twice as much blood on the needle - inside and out) the documented seroconversion rate is actually pretty low. That said, I have documented all of my needle/blood exposures just in case something comes up later.

Why not just take the class? I feel like more information might help make you feel better about understanding your risks.

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It's not uncommon for me to have to poke a patient's finger twice for a finger stick glocose check because I can't get a good drop of blood.

What are you using to get so much blood flow from their finger?

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It's not uncommon for me to have to poke a patient's finger twice for a finger stick glocose check because I can't get a good drop of blood.

https://ayassbioscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/genetic-testing-specimen-collection-instructions-8-1024x690.jpg

This is how it goes? But sometimes the blood doesn't run in the tube and all over my gloves. They don't have the best gloves and wondering is drawing blood this way putting me at risk?

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