May the Nurse's Force Be With You

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    Joe V
    Editorial Team / Admin

    Joe V

    7 Articles; 2,622 Posts

Specializes in Programming / Strategist for allnurses.

When a Nurse enters a hospital room carrying an injection, patients react in many different ways. Some pull the covers over their heads, many show immediate signs of relief, others start to whimper, and some have been known to prepare for a knock-down-drag-out confrontation. Hopefully, you have never had a patient become violently aggressive. What kind of reactions have you seen?

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I've had widely varied reactions to injections: One very burly tattooed biker was terrified and shrieked and squeezed his wife's hand over a flu shot. Another time I was giving toradol IM and said "this might burn for a minute" the guy looked at me and said "Honey, I used to do heroin I think I can handle it"

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Specializes in Med Surge, Tele, Oncology, Wound Care.

I had a male patient in his late 40's who started to pace around the room, he was sweating. I asked him if he would sit down because I started to worry. He sat down, picked up his phone and called his mom. He had his mom talk him through the "shot" which ended up taking several minutes before I could even administer it!

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I had a teenager once faint just from me wiping her skin with alcohol prior to me drawing blood. Her mother was asking me if that was "normal", I said apparently for her it is

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

Once before I gave an injection a patient asked, "Is this going to hurt?"

I replied, "Well sometimes, while giving the injection, my arm cramps up a little, but other than that, I feel no pain. And thank you for your concern!"

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

When my daughter was maybe 15 or 16 I literally had to chase her around the exam room and corner her before the nurse could give her a flu shot. I was mortified. The kid finally caved and gave up after a few laps around the room.

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I hang my head in shame - *I* am dreadful when getting shots, or worse still a blood draw or IV. I kicked a doc right between the legs once, and I've been known to scream, cry, shout, pull away, and dive around the bed like a maniac.

I'm terrified of needles....it's all in the mind though, because invariably it doesn't hurt!

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Pokymon,I get pokes all the time,that's what some of them say!

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Usually the patient is already violent and/or aggressive and that's why they are getting the shot!!

The thing that impressed me during psych inpatient rotation was folks getting IM long acting antipsychotic and it's like injecting cement, but the patient doesn't even flinch...but other patients freak out about th insulin needle...its all subjective

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