I am starting LVN school next week. I went to the doctors office to tie up my last vaccination. There is a new Medical Assistant,MA, (older woman)being trained by a young MA. The young MA had drawn the vaccination. This was out of my sight. The new MA comes in and give me the shot. One, The new MA would not put the safety device on the needle as she transport to the sharps bin. It came too close. Also she did not let alcohol dry naturally. Vaccine had burned @ injection. uggh!
I asked for proof of the shot. I run my errands and return home. As I am walking up the steps. I noticed, Immunization Admission Report says www.gardasil.com. ***** I dont believe in this vaccination. I just knew this was a typo. I called the dr's office and left a message .. hey! Ya'll made a mistake!
*ring.. ring* Hello! It's my Dr. I'm thinking, Why is she calling me?
Dr Says: Oh Smiles! I'm so sorry .. we really gave Gardasil. No you could not have gave me Gardasil.. ***** Smiles, we need you to come in to get your chxpox shot.. Are you *bleep bleep bleep * Serious! So I'm going off about the evils of Gardasil. She said I gave my daughter this shot.. My response: So! In the 60's or early 70's Do you remember the drug that it was given to pregnant moms for nausea. It made the daughters sterile. I would not want to do that to a chile. Gardasil is not needed ..
I did not realise Garadasil was 3 shot series. What's happens to me? I only got 1 out of 3. I read,folks were having side effects
I get back to Dr office. Dr is all calm and tries to convince me that I'm ok.. I said Yeah If I turn into the Fly or Zombie.. or dead.. I'm sure I'm ok.. So i cant convince you that you were not harmed by this shot, she asks.. NO! I said. The Dr also told me that Both MA's were highly skilled. When a vaccine incident is made the whole office feel bad. (I hope this is a rarity) Smiles, I do not think you are harmed by the vaccine.., The Dr says again. Smiles, my most educated patient should not believe everything on the internet or blah blah said the Dr. I looked at her with a death stare.
I'm not paying for the Garasil or chixpox shot. either. My Garasil arm hurt for 2 days. Tylenol was no help.
The new MA comes in.. No apologies..and ask for my arm.. She shows me the vial to prove its chixpox shot , give me the shot and blood is running down my arm from the injection. MA cleans it up. I had to tell her that she is to put on the safety device per transporting it to the sharps. Also, I asked her to let the alcohol to dry before injection. So it would not burn. Why did she blow on my arm? So where is the sterilization again?
I guess I had so too many points.. She finally ask me, Who are you? What are you? I said I'm a patient who has had phlebotomy training and one who reads and writes presidents of medical groups and hospitals .
She says oh!
The young MA was hiding per the checkout patient rep..
So I'm looking for a new dr.
What I have learn from this experience?
Yes, Folks are human. BUT, 2 pairs of eyes should have looked at the vial. So, they should have recheck the script.
When a patient comes in questioning a situation. I will not blow her off. If she or he wants to see the needle pulled from a new wrapping.. I will show up.
I will try my best to look at the script twice.
Is there anything else that I should have learned from this experience?
sorry about your experience. no, imo, i wouldn't use this dr. again either because the dr. & ma's treated it as no big deal. yes, mistakes can happen, but the ma's didn't sound too kosher in the way they were handling the vaccine, hence the big mix-up! the administration too, that you described...ugh!! since you are 40 yrs. old, i wonder why they didn't run titer first? please self-report this to vaers. things of this nature are so often *under reported and it's not just healthcare professionals that can report to vaers; you as a vaccine recipient can report. *cya.
report it as:
administered by: ma
symptoms: inappropriate drug administration; wrong vaccine given to 40 yr. old woman.
write-up: 40 yr. old woman was given injectable merck gardasil vaccine instead of injectable merck varivax vaccine.
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Do MA's learn the 5? I feel two eyes had to see the vial. If you drew the from the vial and hand me the needle, i am going to check the vial.
Myself b/c my license or job is on the line.
Thanks for the reply! I cant wait to learn and experience (good or bad) in my new adventure.
I don't know if they use the 5 rights, but they are taught how to properly give medication and common sense tells you to check as well. My mom is a CMA was certified back in 96, I guess it's a lot different now in the schools. She gives awesome injections (as far as method and feeling) and blood draws and I am a hard stick. But anyway, I have to imagine they are taught some method of proper checking even if it's not called the 5 rights. I mean nurses are taught and so many have made med errors as well so their will always be room for error. But just the whole nonchalant attitude towards given someone the wrong injection itself is extremely worrisome.
I am still thinking it is a big deal both in the administration of the wrong vaccine, and then their response. I think a sincere apology and corrective action goes a long ways. If they told you that after this error they have changed the way vaccines are ordered to attempt to prevent future error then it would be different.
No, the Gardasil did not come in a premeasured syringe. It came in a vial. I saw the actually vial. It has a cream color label with Garadsil in brown lettering. The varicella shot had a white label in bluish letter of varivax? I've never bleed like that from a stick.. so I was concerned.. but if you lovely folks says its normal.. I'm cool with the stick.
!
Don't ever be afraid to question what you are being given. I know sometimes people feel its wrong to question the "experts", but in the long run everyone will be happy you did.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Agree with those who find the doctor's attitude a problem. I agree, that "mistakes are made" as a nurse. Most of my jobs have involved giving a lot of injections, and vaccines, travel immunizations and allergy shots can have dangerous and/or fatal consequences and should never be made light of. Nurse co-worker of mine mixed up a father's and son's allergy mixtures. One died of anaphylactic shock.
alcohol doesn't sterilize the prepped area, but blowing on it isn't kosher either. "wait till the alcohol dries so it doesn't hurt" - you really said this to the ma? like seriously thinking that it's not the needle going into your arm that made it sore or the injected material, it was the alcohol? wow. i understand 70% etoh needs to dry to effectively be absorbed by the bacterial membranes and denature the cell. that's what your complaint should be about, not the fact a one and one-half inch piece of steel was driven into your shoulder (or leg/buttocks) and it didn't feel good for a few days. injections don't tickle; they pinch, poke, and are typically uncomfortable.
it was an im, since you were bleeding so badly, did they aspirate prior to injecting? my experience working in a doc's office lends me to believe that gardasil injections do tend to bleed more than any other im i ever gave, but i always thought it to be the pre-filled syringes with the auto-eject needle.
in any event your whole experience was a mistake front to back, including your assumptions as well as that horrible spelling and grammar.
Am I missing something? MAs giving shots? I've never had anyone but a nurse or doctor give me an IM. I didn't even know it was legal for a MA to administer a med. Wow- if this is common, nurses need to start protecting out turf.
MAs give injections or do anything else the doctor they work for instructs them to do. I would imagine the only constraint would be what is allowed from one state to another. I have received injections from MAs for years and my last flu shot was administered by my pharmacist. Now that was interesting to wrap my head around. And for that matter, his technique seemed to be the best I have ever encountered. He would make an excellent nurse, at least as far as injections are concerned.
mizfradd re: my vent and what i will learn from it?
sorry about your experience. no, imo, i wouldn't use this dr. again either because the dr. & ma's treated it as no big deal. yes, mistakes can happen, but the ma's didn't sound too kosher in the way they were handling the vaccine, hence the big mix-up! the administration too, that you described...ugh!! since you are 40 yrs. old, i wonder why they didn't run titer first? please self-report this to vaers. things of this nature are so often *under reported and it's not just healthcare professionals that can report to vaers; you as a vaccine recipient can report. *cya. yes ma'am cya.. that's my only thought!
report it as:
administered by: ma
symptoms: inappropriate drug administration; wrong vaccine given to 40 yr. old woman.
write-up: 40 yr. old woman was given injectable merck gardasil vaccine instead of injectable merck varivax vaccine.
alcohol doesn't sterilize the prepped area, but blowing on it isn't kosher either. "wait till the alcohol dries so it doesn't hurt" - you really said this to the ma? like seriously thinking that it's not the needle going into your arm that made it sore or the injected material, it was the alcohol? wow. i understand 70% etoh needs to dry to effectively be absorbed by the bacterial membranes and denature the cell. that's what your complaint should be about, not the fact a one and one-half inch piece of steel was driven into your shoulder (or leg/buttocks) and it didn't feel good for a few days. i know my body.. i've been with it many years
injections don't tickle; reading is fundamental.i said the blood trickle down my arm. they pinch, poke, and are typically uncomfortable.
it was an im, since you were bleeding so badly, did they aspirate prior to injecting? my experience working in a doc's office lends me to believe that gardasil injections do tend to bleed more than any other im i ever gave, but i always thought it to be the pre-filled syringes with the auto-eject needle. nope, it was my chixpox arm that it bleed badly.
in any event your whole experience was a mistake front to back, including your assumptions as well as that horrible spelling and grammar.
wow! look at you! this is what my new experience will be like from the crabs.. i say thank you and bless you!
MAs give injections or do anything else the doctor they work for instructs them to do. I would imagine the only constraint would be what is allowed from one state to another. I have received injections from MAs for years and my last flu shot was administered by my pharmacist. Now that was interesting to wrap my head around. And for that matter, his technique seemed to be the best I have ever encountered. He would make an excellent nurse, at least as far as injections are concerned.
I've had shot by MA's before.. I walked into a store with a pharmacist doing flu shots. I walked back out. I went to a nurse practitioner for a flu shot.
It came too close. Also she did not let alcohol dry naturally. Vaccine had burned @ injection. uggh!
So i cant convince you that you were not harmed by this shot, she asks.. NO! I said. The Dr also told me that Both MA's were highly skilled. When a vaccine incident is made the whole office feel bad. (I hope this is a rarity) Smiles, I do not think you are harmed by the vaccine.., The Dr says again. Smiles, my most educated patient should not believe everything on the internet or blah blah said the Dr. I looked at her with a death stare. 
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mizfradd, CNA
295 Posts
sorry about your experience. no, imo, i wouldn't use this dr. again either because the dr. & ma's treated it as no big deal. yes, mistakes can happen, but the ma's didn't sound too kosher in the way they were handling the vaccine, hence the big mix-up! the administration too, that you described...ugh!! since you are 40 yrs. old, i wonder why they didn't run titer first? please self-report this to vaers. things of this nature are so often *under reported and it's not just healthcare professionals that can report to vaers; you as a vaccine recipient can report. *cya.
report it as:
administered by: ma
symptoms: inappropriate drug administration; wrong vaccine given to 40 yr. old woman.
write-up: 40 yr. old woman was given injectable merck gardasil vaccine instead of injectable merck varivax vaccine.
http://vaers.hhs.gov/esub/index :pntlft:
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