Nursing student and AIDS risk

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jul 15, 2006

Well, I was hoping you would say there was a less risk while in school. The risk of AIDS is the only things that really freaks me out. I know after school I can work in areas of less risk. Maybe Im paranoid...or just too scared to be a nurse. Is anyone else as scared as me?

What area would that be? Of "less risk", I mean? People in LTC can have HIV/AIDS, as can the expectant mother in maternity....pediatrics....oncology.....ED....school nursing....surgery.....I think you get the point. Anywhere there are people in need of health care, there is a risk of getting absolutely anything. HIV exposure included.

If you are really, truly freaked out, maybe you should reconsider healthcare. I'm not trying to be pessimistic, I hope this is just a passing curiosity, but your post shows alot of worry to me.

Use universal precautions and common sense. Actually, use that in your personal life and you'll limit exposure to a whole host of nasty things :)

NeoNurseTX, RN · Jul 20, 2006

If you're stuck with a KNOWN HIV+ needle, your chances of contracting it are .3%. Hep B on the other hand...

http://studentaffairs.medicine.arizona.edu/NeedleStick.html

LilRedRN1973 · Jul 20, 2006

I would worry more about contracting Hepatitis than HIV. It is much more difficult to contract the HIV virus than Hepatitis. As long as you are aware of what you are doing, do not rush while drawing up meds/giving injections, and use universal precautions, you will minimize your chance of contracting anything. That being said, there is always the proverbial needle that someone left in a patient's bed, or the sharps the docs leave lying around...= )

Melanie = )

chelli73 · Jul 20, 2006

Is there a high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS while in nursing school?

if you are really stressed out before a test and you go to a bar and have ten tequilas, and meet a seemingly nice person, get a hotel room and....just kidding!!

just follow the standard universal precautions for yourself and those around you, believe me, there are alot of diseases easier to catch if you dont follow the guidelines...... :uhoh3:

RMARNBSMA · Jul 21, 2006

This message is for Bonnie619. After years of teaching nursing assistants about caring for patients with MRSA, I still can't believe that health care personnel are worried about getting this infection. My main worry in the LTC setting was that they would transfer it from one patient to another. With use of standard precautions with all patients the likelihood of a healthcare worker getting MRSA is slim to none. MRSA develops when a patient is immunocompromised. This is why it is imperative that healthcare workers keep themselves healthy. There is also a risk of them carrying it home to elderly or babies who don't have a developed immune system to fight if off.

allthingsbright · Jul 21, 2006

Here is a good answer to your question:

Who is at greatest risk?
Although guidelines to prevent HIV infection in healthcare workers have been published (8), exposures, particularly through needlestick injuries, are still all too common. The risk is believed to be highest for exposures involving larger amounts of blood or higher HIV viral loads (9).
The risk of HIV infection after percutaneous exposure is low; it has been estimated on the basis of surveillance and prospective studies to be 0.3% (10,11). An estimated 500,000 percutaneous blood exposures occur in US hospital healthcare workers each year. Of these, about 5,000 involve HIV-infected blood (12). Given the 0.3% rate of infection, the expected number of occupationally acquired infections from these exposures would be about 15 per year, which is similar to the actual numbers observed.
Although the risk after mucous membrane exposure or exposure through broken skin is less well defined, it is probably considerably less than with percutaneous exposure and is estimated at about 0.09% (13,14).
In a dialysis setting, the risk of a healthcare worker acquiring HIV has been calculated as 4,000 to 8,000 times lower than that of acquiring hepatitis B or C virus (15). One study found that in a healthcare worker who is not immune to hepatitis B, the loss in life expectancy, when quality as well as duration of life is considered, was greater for percutaneous exposures to blood from an HBeAg-positive patient than for similar exposure to a symptomatic HIV-infected patient (16).
The frequency of blood exposures varies by job category, the types of procedures performed, and the safety precautions used (9). As of June 1996, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognized 51 documented and 108 possible cases of occupationally acquired HIV infection (17). (Outside the United States, at least 27 documented and 40 possible cases of occupationally acquired HIV have been reported.) Of the 51 documented cases in the United States, 41 involved percutaneous injuries with hollow-bore needles.
The healthcare workers most often involved have been nurses (18), laboratory technicians (19), and nonsurgeon physicians (9). However, if possible cases are included, significant numbers of health aides, emergency technicians, paramedics, housekeepers, and maintenance workers also have been infected (9,17).
Needlestick injuries: who and why
Needlestick injuries are common among healthcare workers, accounting for up to one third of all work-related injuries (20). Nurses sustain a large proportion of sharps injuries, including many related to recapping of needles and improper needle disposal. Carelessness is a major factor, and many exposures to HIV-infected blood could be avoided with proper precautions (19).

My emphasis above!

There is more at http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/1997/10_97/thurn.htm

NPvampire, MSN, RN, APRN · Jul 22, 2006

I wouldn't say so...just, no matter what, treat everyone like they have the HIV. Gloves for ALL...some of my fellow students and even workers I saw started IVs, gave shots with no gloves at all...aiiiieeee!

ChadleyNC · Jul 23, 2006

My 2 cents which are not much different from other peoples posts is as follows:

No your chances of contracting HIV as a nursing student are not necessarily higher than they were before you started school.

Yes you should treat all patients equally, with respect and with caution in regards to gloves, and other barriers of personal protection. I have to raise an eyebrow at the idea of treating everyone like they have HIV. Only because in my class at school there are at least 4 people who come to mind who seem to be irritated with the necessity of learning about HIV anytime it comes up. They sort of turn off, giggle a lot, and make faces. This makes me concerned that they may one day get an HIV positive patient and treat that person as less than a person, or provide them with substandard care. I've also overheard them talking about it after classes in a very negative light. So treating everyone like they have HIV would not mean the same thing to everybody. Again, I know what you are all saying. Just wanted to point out the not all things to all people are the same idea again.