Needle Stick Injury

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How common it is to have needle stick injury in LTC/ Sub acute during first year of nursing?

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I've had one, I've not finished my first yr yet. Not fun at all...

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Specializes in Critical Care.

If you practice safety and follow the guidelines you've been taught on needlestick prevention then you should not get stuck.

Be aware of your surroundings and location of sharps at all times. Be prepared for those patients who might squirm prior to injection and put you at risk.

I've been a nurse for two years and a tech who drew labs nightly. I've never had a needlestick injury. It's really all about paying attention and immediately discarding used sharps.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

I would say it depends a lot on the safety conscientiousness of the person using the sharp, the frequency of use, the use of safety needles or not, the ease of access to sharps disposal boxes, and other factors. While it would be impossible to generalize to nursing as a whole, the occupational health nurse/office should probably have information related to sharps injuries.

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