Fear of Blood and Needles

tfleuter, BSN, RN · Dec 27, 2009

Any idea what exactly caused it? Was it just the actual sight of blood (as in, seeing a tramatic injury involving blood loss would cause the same problem) or is it the needle going into someones arm? I'm sure there have been nurses and nursing students who struggled at first with these same issue and were able to overcome it, but I guess it would depend on how severe your reaction is to the situation. Hopefully you can get some good advice or suggestions!

MegoEgo · Dec 27, 2009

I think it is a needle thing. Because I hate shots etc. I am not really specifically sure, but maybe blood is part of it, too. I have very little exposure to this, so maybe that would help?

tfleuter, BSN, RN · Dec 27, 2009

I would think that more exposure would definately help, unless your reaction to it each time is really severe and more like a phobia. I think I would have had the same problem as you had I not had some exposure to it before hand. I used to work as a vet tech and would give injections and do blood draws on animals all the time. For some reason seeing it done on cats and dogs didn't give me the same skeevy-jeevies as with people. I am sure that this really helped prepare me for similar work in nursing as a student. Any chance you can pick up some part time work as a vet tech?

Angel@MyTable, RN · Dec 27, 2009

In my 20's I never would have thought that 20 years later I would be going to school for nursing (graduate in May 2010). The sight of blood, injections, cuts, serious wounds made me feel faint. However due to becoming a single mom, a CNA had one of the best per hour wages than many other jobs I was qualified for. So I learned to deal with big people incontinence, pressure ulcers, blood, vomit, things that initially made my stomach turn, and eventually over the years I acclimated. I began to request to watch nurses dress extremely bad pressure ulcers (4th stage), etc. I have also caught vomit in my hand; my patient was an older lady with a hiatal hernia, who when she was stressed out would throw up. I knew it was coming and there was no time for grabbing a bucket, so I cupped my hands and then very nonchalantly went and dumped it (it was much easier to do that than to have to clean that up).

So I decided to go back to school, which I should have done years before.

I guess what I am trying to say is to try to hang in there, if you can! I did it, and so can you. It really is a mind over matter thing!

animal1993 · Dec 27, 2009

I must say that I am greatly impressed by the tolerance being shown in the above posts! I have seen other threads similar to this one where people have pretty much told the OP to either get over it, or get out of nursing!

I have come a LONG WAY with overcoming my fear of blood and needles. But, I know that there will be times (at least for a while) that it will still get to me. I had no idea if I would be able to get past it, which is a scary thought when you consider how much time and money you are investing in your education!

There is always the possibility that you won't be able to overcome you fears. But I really think that you will. Remember, most of the time it is a fear of the unknown, and how the body works, that causes people like us to have this aversion.

Good luck!

shrimpchips, LPN · Dec 28, 2009

I think that having more exposure to needles and blood will really help overcome your fears. Fear is what tends to hold us back and the only way to overcome it is to just walk right into that fear and face it. :heartbeat

I was afraid that my fear of needles would be a problem, but really I have no problem handling needles and giving injections and things like that...but if I'm on the receiving end, it's totally different. My sympathetic nervous system kicks in and I tend to get really dizzy and lightheaded if I'm receiving injections or even some simple like a blood draw or mantoux. For work purposes (and also for school...since employee health at hospitals generally vaccinate and do titres for free) I had to get a tetorifice, hep B booster & TB quantiferon done in the same day...I thought I was going to pass out! When I was getting my wisdom teeth removed, they first gave me some laughing gas to relax me. They also hooked me up to a little heart monitor. My HR was a nice, steady beat, within normal limits. After awhile they said to me, "okay M, we're going to start the anesthesia now" and then BOOM - instant tachycardia :lol2: but I survived!!!

If injecting needles into another person bothers you, try to look at the injection area as just the area and not as part of the person. Now obviously you don't want to hurt your patient, but I think that thinking in that sort of mindset helps people overcome those fears. For example, when I'm giving an IM injection in say, the deltoid, I talk with the patient, use identifiers, verify the med orders, and all of those other steps along with cleaning the site with alcohol. I find my landmarks, and then it's the injection spot that I am completely focused on - and I just think of it as a spot, not some arm that belongs to a person. But again, don't hurt your patient!! I hope this is making sense. Think of in surgery how they place sterile drapes over areas and expose just a small area that they are going to be operating on - I guess it's kind of like of that!

Abishag · Dec 29, 2009

You can only do what you tell yourself you can do. I understand why the instructor said that because from my first semester until my last all we ever did was injections, accuchecks, etc. We didn't draw blood but if you are in med-surg or ICU or something like that you will be dealing with blood on a regular basis. I'm not sure what area you could go in where you would not deal with needles or the site of blood (i'm really wracking my brain but nothing is coming at the moment). However, I have nursing instructors that are appalled (sp?) by certain smells (some emesis some feces) which really took me back. I thought when I started nursing school you had to have a stomach of steele. But its not so. Some nurses who have worked years in the field still have certain things that gross them out or bother them. We're all human!

I would say the best thing for you to do...is get all the passing out done in nursing school. I actually told myself I wasn't sure how I was going to react when my first patient died. So when I was in the ICU rotation and we had withdrawal of care, I requested to be assigned to the patient. I handled post mortem care and everything and I was fine. I'm still a little grossed out by doing residuals on stomach contents but I get 'er done. So my advice is do injections and watch blood draws as much as you can possibly stand (ask for diabetic patients and lots of them!). Even if you are feeling whoozy. Tell the nurse/instructor you know you have a problem with it but you plan to work through it. If you observe 20 blood draws or do 20 accuchecks/insulin injections and you pass out every time...I would think maybe its something to worry about.:icon_roll

kayskate · Dec 30, 2009

I think you will get by this problem. Do expose yourself to the situation more often. Even look at videos of things that make you uncomfortable. When another SN or RN is giving an injection, drawing blood, etc.; go and watch. I think you need to be desensitized. Another person suggested focusing on the site as a site, not as part of a person. That is good advice. Also practice on the mannequins in the lab. The more confident you feel w your technique, the more comfortable you will be.

I was nervous the first time I gave a shot. However, I practiced a lot in the lab and passed the skills test. When it came time to give insulin to a real person, it was a technical activity. I talked and joked w the pt and gave the shot. The prof was in the room. Everyone was comfortable. You are doing something your pt needs. Sometimes just thinking about your pt's needs is enough. Keep practicing, observing, and thinking about your pt. You can do this!

Kay

JessicaLynn412 · Dec 31, 2009

Hi!! I am currently in my 3rd out of 4 semesters of nursing school. Before I started the nursing program, I was horrified by the sight and thought of blood, wounds, injections, etc. I still had the strong desire to be a nurse in spite of my fears. After my first clinical rotation, I totally lost any fear that I had. I think that knowing what to do when something happens was a large part of my overcoming it. So... you can do it!

Abishag · Jan 5, 2010

I finally figured it out! You can be a Radiology Nurse. :chuckle I'm not 100% sure, but I don't believe they put in lines or draw blood?? At least when I brought my patients for X-rays and CT's I didn't get the impression they saw the patients for very long? Someone correct me if I'm wrong! But that might be a good route for you or even Case Manager??

These are just ideas I'm throwing out. I told you I was trying to think of one! You thought I forgot huh? :wink2:

Serlait · Jan 5, 2010

Megan,

Was wondering if you were just observing or were actually drawing blood when you got dizzy. There is a BIG difference between watching and being the one doing the draw. When you are doing the draw you are concentrating on being sure you are hitting the vein the first time....using your fingers (senses) to locate the vein, etc. It could be that when you are the one doing the draw you won't be bothered at all. If you want to be a nurse, just keep on going. You can do it!