Injury at work. Help!

[Scared_nurse]

Hi, I am a first year RN working in a busy emergency department. I was cleaning a patient table, between patients a few weeks ago (without gloves on) and cut myself on a tiny piece of glass that was left on the table (from a broken ampule-looked like frusemide) The glass was stuck in my finger, I pulled it out and let it bleed while running it under water. I didn't tell anyone at the time as I was embarressed. The patient who had just left from that bed, was being treated for hep b. I'm so scared now that I am going to contract this disease. I am having bad anxiety, cry, and can't sleep at night. What should I do now? I think it's too late to say anything at work.

In addition, the week after I was cut, I got sick with a cold/flu like symptoms, and last week I had on and off diarrhoea. Is this a bad sign?

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Hi, I am a first year RN working in a busy emergency department. I was cleaning a patient table, between patients a few weeks ago (without gloves on) and cut myself on a tiny piece of glass that was left on the table (from a broken ampule-looked like frusemide) The glass was stuck in my finger, I pulled it out and let it bleed while running it under water. I didn't tell anyone at the time as I was embarressed. The patient who had just left from that bed, was being treated for hep b. I'm so scared now that I am going to contract this disease. I am having bad anxiety, cry, and can't sleep at night. What should I do now? I think it's too late to say anything at work.

In addition, the week after I was cut, I got sick with a cold/flu like symptoms, and last week I had on and off diarrhoea. Is this a bad sign?

I'm sure your orientation to the hospital included a talk about what to do if you injure yourself at work. Usually, you notify your charge, fill out an employee injury report and visit occupational health (or the ER if they're closed -- so you'd be right there!). I cannot understand why you didn't just follow those steps. Given that you didn't, you need to follow them now. While the rules are different in every place I've ever worked, you usually have several days, weeks or months in which to file a report. Filing the report is a pain in the pants, but it's the only way to protect yourself.

Go to work and talk to your charge nurse or manager.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

I would treat that with a Bandaid, and forget it, if it happened to me.