New Grad in Public Health

[MeganStar]

Hello all,

I am a new grad nurse. I just started part time at a home health/public health agency. I may be moving to full time in the coming weeks.

With that being said, I will be helping out with the flu/immunization clinics this month. I have never given a shot to anyone under the age of 16. There will be plenty young children and babies coming to these clinics. Any advice on how to make the child/baby feel more comfortable before and during the shot?

I am comfortable administering shots to adults, but I am somewhat nervous over giving shots to screaming babies. Any advice is much appreciated.

[vickymarie]

Whenever possible, allow mom (or dad) to hold them while it's happening. If they're old enough to communicate with, feel if they're tensing up around the site where you're going to administer and coax them into breathing until you actually feel the muscle relax.

Also, each child is different. Let them feel like they have a little control. Don't order them to look away, or try to show them the needle. Tell them something like, "You can look away. Do you want to look at mommy?". It also helps if the parents are engaged - but they won't always be.

Center yourself and breathe before entering the room with the shots - a shot from a shaky hand hurts more, and the kid is more likely to flip out if you're nervous. For babies, you might need to comfort the parent more than the child in some cases - especially new parents.

And if it's available at your clinics, offer the FluMist for those that qualify and save yourself the heartache of seeing a sad little face after they get a shot. There's usually more laughing and confusion when you administer the mist because people don't know if they should snort or tilt their head or breathe.