Left or right side for vaccines?

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Hello new nurses and seasoned professionals alike! I am a new nurse, been in my clinic about 5 weeks now, and just starting peds. Was wondering if I could pick your brain about where you, personally, give vaccinations to your patients. It seems each of the nurses I've trained with has a different system and they assure me ill develop my own but I'd love to get a head start. My thoughts are giving vaccines to a baby or even older child is scary enough without second guessing where I put 8 needles (worst case scenario)

With children of writing age I would think that PVC, VZV/mmr/mmrv, and HPV would go in non dominant arm side since those are more painful or uncomfortable as I understand it. For younger ones it makes sense to follow suit.

Any suggestions for someone trying to gather their own system and to make memory recall easier? I've considered printing out pics of babies and kids and drawing a "game plan" ahead of time to chart right after.

Any advice and or techniques for peds is much appreciated.

Thanks!

Heathwr

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I've been a pedi nurse for almost 3 yrs. I follow that same kind of system. Also remember that any vax with tetorifice in it (dtap, tdap) is painful as well. I usually put the more painful vax in the pt's nondominant hand (if they are fine with that). Another key point is to always try and split up the vaccines (one in R arm, one in L arm) if there are two. Certain age groups may need one in each extremity! Also, do the less painful one first! I learned that the following vaccines are "more painful": HPV, PCV13, tdap/dtap, mmr, varivax. Hope this helps :)

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Thank you so much! I tried posting reply earlier but it didn't work. This info is helpful as I wasn't aware that dtap and forms of this were painful as well. As the day progressed I ended up giving a bunch of shots. Thus far I'm just trying to split to the less painful with the more painful ones, maybe I got lucky maybe not but most kids said the shots didn't really hurt them today; hope I was doing it right - lol!!

I appreciate your help again. Really hoping ill be able to develop a system to remember the shots better soon. Like PCV/HPV/DT or TD in the left side and others in the right side. We always do PPDs on the left anyway where I work so...

;)

Heather

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Actually, I think you should give the more painful injecting IN the dominant side.

The reasoning is that it will be used more, thus 'working out' the soreness more quickly.

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Specializes in Pedi.
Actually, I think you should give the more painful injecting IN the dominant side.

The reasoning is that it will be used more, thus 'working out' the soreness more quickly.

I agree and this has been the trend recently. You use your dominant arm more which supposedly helps.

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Specializes in peds palliative care and hospice.

Just out of curiosity, have any of you personally experimented with that theroy?

(I ask because I'm curious, and flu shots are coming!)

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Specializes in Pedi.
Just out of curiosity, have any of you personally experimented with that theroy?

(I ask because I'm curious, and flu shots are coming!)

Two years ago when my hospital mandated flu shots they asked you if you were a righty or a leftie and then didn't give you a choice. They would only administer the shot in your dominant arm. I don't remember if it made a difference or not.

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As someone who just got a whole bunch of shots and is right handed...tdap in left arm and three weeks later arm is still sore. Didn't hurt as much going in. MMR right arm. Not bad going in. Not bad after. Twinrix hurt going in (1ml). Nothing after. Pneumovax hurt then nothing. I think tetorifice is the long term hurt. Anything over a ml or live( MMR) hurts while injecting.

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