Help getting over bloodwork?

SnowStar4 · May 16, 2011

There are a lot things that you will have to do that might make you nervous at first. Honestly, you have to just jump right in and do it the first time. After that it's all good. When I gave my first injection I was very nervous, but I walked in there like I had done it a hundred times. It went fine and she had no idea it was my first (she even said "well that didn't hurt a bit"). There was a rush of joy in my brain and I never looked back!

FutureNurseKaturah · May 16, 2011

That is what I was thinking. Honestly I guess I'm thinking more of patients who are afraid themselves. I guess I will just have to build up the nerve. :)

Thank you!

Autumn_Owl · May 16, 2011

No advice to offer, but I'd assume it's like any other of the millions of 'first time jitters' we all go through. I always wonder how I will do with placing IV lines. I'll be starting nursing school this fall, I look forward to the part where I've done a few and fell more confident about it.

Good luck!

FutureNurseKaturah · May 16, 2011

Thank you! I'm hoping to get some shadowing work in my senior year. Good luck to you as well :)

Pixiesmom, BSN, RN · May 16, 2011

Katurah I hate to have a needle pointed my direction but I have found in my case it truly is better to give than receive.

FutureNurseKaturah · May 16, 2011

Katurah I hate to have a needle pointed my direction but I have found in my case it truly is better to give than receive.

:) I honestly think I would feel that way too. I'm iffy on shots but IVs and stuff and no biggy for me. I hope this is true in my case as well. I guess it is something you will have to get use to.

Thanks!

mustlovepoodles, RN · May 17, 2011

I felt just like you, OP. I was very young in nursing school, graduated when I was 20. I was afraid of a lot of things, but especially afraid of giving shots. It didn't help that I suffered crushing anxiety during clinicals. My first attempt at giving an injection was a spectacular failure: the patient jumped & shreiked, which caused me to drop the needle. Of course, that meant she had to get the shot again. The patient was screaming and calling me everything but a Christian woman and had me thrown out of her room by a family member. Remember, I was all of 18-19 years old and not wise in the ways of the world. No one had every spoken to me like that. My instructor took over and gave the lady her shot (and a short dose of "Shut up and don't be a big baby!") I was just devastated. I really felt like I was going to fail nursing because i could NOT seem to overcome my anxiety.

We had this one really wonderful, calm instructor. I was crying and just poured my heart out to him. He was so gentle and kind. Of course, I knew I still had to learn to give shots, but this instructor took me by the hand and walked me through it. I had to give a big shot of Morphine to this old man who had a fractured hip pinned (this was back int he day when a fractured hip meant a minimum of 2weeks in the hospital.) So the guy is on his side and the instructor showed me how to find just the right spot, how to hold the syringe and how to "throw the dart" with a minimum of pain. Then he told me "It's okay, he can't really feel it." Now i don't know if that was true, but i believed it. I threw my dart...and that's the last thing i remember. When I woke up I was in the next bed with my instructor and another nurse calling my name. My patient slept on, apparently unaware of the fact that his nurse just passed out beside him.

But you know what? That was a turning point for me. After that, I felt i could do ANYTHING. After I graduated one of my instructors took me aside and told me she was really proud of me. In the beginning, they didn't think I would make it. In fact, they were pretty sure that I was going to wash out. But I surprised them all and she was proud. I can't tell you how much I needed to hear that.

FutureNurseKaturah · May 17, 2011

I felt just like you, OP. I was very young in nursing school, graduated when I was 20. I was afraid of a lot of things, but especially afraid of giving shots. It didn't help that I suffered crushing anxiety during clinicals. My first attempt at giving an injection was a spectacular failure: the patient jumped & shreiked, which caused me to drop the needle. Of course, that meant she had to get the shot again. The patient was screaming and calling me everything but a Christian woman and had me thrown out of her room by a family member. Remember, I was all of 18-19 years old and not wise in the ways of the world. No one had every spoken to me like that. My instructor took over and gave the lady her shot (and a short dose of "Shut up and don't be a big baby!") I was just devastated. I really felt like I was going to fail nursing because i could NOT seem to overcome my anxiety.
We had this one really wonderful, calm instructor. I was crying and just poured my heart out to him. He was so gentle and kind. Of course, I knew I still had to learn to give shots, but this instructor took me by the hand and walked me through it. I had to give a big shot of Morphine to this old man who had a fractured hip pinned (this was back int he day when a fractured hip meant a minimum of 2weeks in the hospital.) So the guy is on his side and the instructor showed me how to find just the right spot, how to hold the syringe and how to "throw the dart" with a minimum of pain. Then he told me "It's okay, he can't really feel it." Now i don't know if that was true, but i believed it. I threw my dart...and that's the last thing i remember. When I woke up I was in the next bed with my instructor and another nurse calling my name. My patient slept on, apparently unaware of the fact that his nurse just passed out beside him.
But you know what? That was a turning point for me. After that, I felt i could do ANYTHING. After I graduated one of my instructors took me aside and told me she was really proud of me. In the beginning, they didn't think I would make it. In fact, they were pretty sure that I was going to wash out. But I surprised them all and she was proud. I can't tell you how much I needed to hear that.

Wow! Honestly thank you so much for this reply. This is honestly a mirror image for me. I will be graduating HS at the age of 16 and entering my college of choice at the age of 17 in the fall semester. I will graduate when I am 20 as well. I can actually feel myself in the same situation as you.

And noticing that you are in the NICU/PICU/Peds sparked my interest more! Mind if I PM you? I have so many questions :)

EDIT: Or better yet do you have an email/FB? I'd love to talk that way!

tokmom, BSN, RN · May 17, 2011

It's always scary to go into a room and do a procedure on a completely lucid patient. However, once you see how easy it is, you will probably enjoy doing more of them. Seeing that flash in the IV cannula is sooo beyond cool. :smokin:

FutureNurseKaturah · May 17, 2011

It's always scary to go into a room and do a procedure on a completely lucid patient. However, once you see how easy it is, you will probably enjoy doing more of them. Seeing that flash in the IV cannula is sooo beyond cool.

Ha! The lady that did my blood work when I was last in the hospital said she loved doing blood work and setting IVs and all of that good stuff. I was like waaaa?? :confused:

I guess once you get good at it you would want to do more of it :)

Miller86 · May 17, 2011

Hey!

You will definitely get the hang of it once you do it. At least I believe that, and your fears will lessen with practice. I was completely out of this world nervous when I had to give my first injection (more nervous about IMs). I literally lived in the practice lab because I feared hitting the sciatic nerve! After giving a few and getting good at it, I almost forget at times that I had a fear to begin with!

Every skill will need practice, there's still so much for me to learn and so much to be nervous about. But I know I will get through it.

And so will you!

Best of luck!