Need help re: tb skin test

bee212 · Mar 14, 2009

My program did the same thing..its just a safety precaution. It usually doesnt hurt and it makes double sure that you dont have an infection and that you wont spread it around to your residents.

waitingforthedream · Mar 14, 2009

I have recently been told that there are 2 parts to the tb skin test (not the reading of it) Like you have to have the injection and then another injection and then a reading I have never heard of such a thing if there is something new I would love to know about it...please let me know if anyone has a clue

You have a ppd done just under your skin, come back in 48-72 to get it read. Then you need to wait another 7 days to have another one done and get that read in 48-72 hours. No pain, just a sting! It is called a 2-step PPD, most nursing schools require them.

tammy07 · Mar 14, 2009

Is that the only place you run into that because I have had several of them in the last 2years and they have never had me do that..thanks for your response

p_hawk · Mar 14, 2009

You have a ppd done just under your skin, come back in 48-72 to get it read. Then you need to wait another 7 days to have another one done and get that read in 48-72 hours. No pain, just a sting! It is called a 2-step PPD, most nursing schools require them.

from what i understood the 2 within a week-ish thing was when you've never had a ppd before, and that after the first time you do this, for every subsequent ppd (when your year's up and you're due for another one) you only have to have the one done.

anyone else heard this? my brain's quite mushy recently so no tellin' what's gonna come out of it...

waitingforthedream · Mar 14, 2009

We were required to get a 2 step PPD done before starting nursing school, now that I am working in health field they require a single PPD every year. So yes, the 2 step in nursing school was the only place that I needed this done. Then yearly once in the health field (but only 1 PPD, not the 2-step).

Ack_RN · Mar 14, 2009

From my understanding (and I could be wrong) the second step of the test gives a boosted response... sometimes you can falsely pass the first step, but the little extra gives a better result.

I had to have one for my nursing program, no big deal. (Although the woman who did step two tried to give it to me IM instead of SQ!)

SaraO'Hara · Mar 15, 2009

From my understanding (and I could be wrong) the second step of the test gives a boosted response... sometimes you can falsely pass the first step, but the little extra gives a better result.
I had to have one for my nursing program, no big deal. (Although the woman who did step two tried to give it to me IM instead of SQ!)

I hope she ended up giving it intradermally, like it's supposed to be given? :nurse:

I had to have a two-step for my CNA program - positive on the second step, so now it's a CXR q 4 years.

Ack_RN · Mar 15, 2009

haha yeah, that's what i meant! closer than IM though! :)

suanna · Mar 15, 2009

We don't even do them yearly any more. Yikes- twice in two weeks. I guess I'm a bit over sensitive because the place I work used to have the "light duty" RNs who are off on an injury doing them. Most of them, like myself, haven't done a intradermal injection in YEARS. It is always more painful and rarely serves a purpose in that I usualy end up with a hematoma at the injection site that make accurate readings a bit impossible. Thanks for the thread- I've got another reason the love my employer.