Giving injections for the 1st time this evening

[Catma63]

It's flu vaccine time! The hospital has agreed to let RN students administer the IM flu vaccinations to the patients. This will be my first. Am I nervous? Does a syringe have a hub?

I've read the text and practiced briefly (well, we had to take turns) yesterday in class giving an IM to a mannequin....and also drew a blank when the instructor asked how would I go about locating the injection site? I knew it; just couldn't think of it. So I'm like, "Okay, it's down from the greater trochanter, etc etc..." Yeah, okay, again I'm brain-locked on the terminology. Some students practiced via the deltoid area...I got the hip. Anyhoo, most of the pts today will get it via deltoid but I'll admit I'm still nervous. I know the site is three fingers from the acromion process. Heavens, I hope what I've palpated on my husband was his acromion process. :stone

Anyhoo, wish me luck. Pray that I don't get nervous and hurl all over anyone in my immediate vicinity. Pray that I don't tremble so much that I break the needle. Pray that I remember to aspirate. Pray!

[colleen10]

I'm so sorry you didn't get an opportunity to give more injections.

I'm sure if you did you would be feeling much more confident about everything, but to be honest with you, I don't think 2-3 times is enough to really feel confident in giving them, let alone just once. I had given about 10 or so and I had a needle actually bend and just nick the skin of the genlemen I was giving it to. Had to pitch it and start all over again.

Even after giving flu vaccinations for 3 hours straight two Saturdays ago, this past Saturday in the hospital I had to give another one to a patient and I was still nervous.

Do you have a Visiting Nurse Foundation or another volunteer group that gives flu and pneumonia vaccinations in your area?

If you are still feeling nervous maybe you could donate some time and get in some extra practice. I know at our flu clinic the nurses were more than happy to let us students handle the injections while they answered questions and took care of paper work.

Good Luck with everything, at least it sounds like your instructor is very understanding and knows how nervous you all must have been.

[Catma63]

Thanks again, y'all. Your posts really DO help me feel less like a total boob....I'm working hard on trying to keep my thinking positive.

I told the instructor last night, truthfully, that I wished I'd been able to administer more because I felt I was leaving dissatisfied. She assured me that, come next clinical, she'll let the ones who didn't get to give as many shots handle any injections. Hopefully next Tuesday I'll be able to show that ole needle just what I'm made of.

Big thanks for all the support I've received from y'all.