ScaredNewNurse

How many of you were scared to give injections to known HIV+ patients? I think that I have PTSD from an incident in my youth were I was worried I could have been faced with possible infection. I have physiological symptoms when dealing with these patients, to the point of obsessing for days of whether or I not I accidentally stuck myself. I mean I would know if I did right? I mean, can you ever "stick" yourself and not know it? It's to the point that my own mind plays tricks on myself identifying every nick or spot on my hands saying that I got hurt by these patients. I know that as a nurse you have to deal with this. I knew this getting into the profession, but I had no idea how hard it would truly be once I was out of school in the "real" world. I am not looking to be berated here. I am looking for some advise and answers to my post. I need mental health assistance for possible PTSD or OCD. Another thing, how do you ask this when making a phone call to a mental health professional? I have an abnormal paranoia?? Please advise me on how to cope and more specifically how to shut my mind up and let me live in peace...

I don't see any harm in saying.... "I really appreciate the opportunity you are giving me. In thinking over your offer, I have one issue that is of great concern. I will have an extra long commute to your facility, and quite honestly I will suffer a pay cut to accept your offer especially given the cost of gasoline. For a different salary of X.XX, I feel it will make up for that cost. I feel confident that this is the right nursing fit for me, and it would be a shame for both of us if I am unable to accept your offer based on the current salary."

I graduated in the spring, passed boards, and finally went back to work the following year once my newborn was a few months old. I never had experience and most employers I interviewed with found it refreshing that I waited. That way, I wouldn't be stressing out with a new job and being increasingly uncomfortable as I become larger. I put it like this in an interview, "I didn't think it was fair to myself or my employer...blah,blah,blah........" --- they ate it up!

(I posted this in new nurse forum, but most folks over here.) Hi all! I'm obviously a new nurse. I recently received my first RN nursing job at a private practice office. I have been on the job three full weeks. Yesturday, one of the CMA's assisted a physician with an excision. During the surgery, the physician struck the coworker's hand with a pair of pointed, small surgical scissors. The incident broke the skin and resulting in some bleeding. Afterwards, the concensus was that the patient would go for a HepC,B panel and HIV test. The doctor who owns the practice said that given the patient profile, the CMA was at low risk, and if the patient came back negative, she would be OK. He told the patient to have the bill sent to the office and told the office manager to send the patient flowers. He also told the CMA that it was unlikely for her to contract any illness. Basically, that the patient was getting tested and the necessity for her to be tested was not that large. Also, the chances of her "catching something" was so slim it was not worth the side effects from the AZT prophylatics. I told the girl today that I would go get tested now, six weeks and three months out. She should not really rely on the patient as NO ONE really knows what goes on in someone's private life. In my education, I was told that there was a three month window. So that patient could have a had a one night stand last night, the night before or two weeks ago. Also, the patient's husband may have had an indiscretion. For my own piece of mind, I would get tested. I would start AZT prophylatics. I called CDC and Univ. of CA exposure hotline today. According to UCA, someone would typically seroconvert in 25 days and with near 100% certainity know in three months that they would remain negative. Did I do the wrong thing in telling my coworker my opinion? I don't want her to be upset, but I don't want her to blindly believe that if the patient tests negative now, she will be OK. She doesn't want to work with that doctor anymore and rightfully so. Today, I was the unlucky one who had to take over and assist with this physician's surgeries. I'm afraid I'll get stuck working with her for the remainder of my employment. I was in an incident with this same physician previously when she nearly poked me with a suture needle. I am appalled at the way the primary physician handled the whole incident. They didn't even give the poor girl the rest of the day off paid!:angryfire I would have been livid. I didn't want to be put in this situation. I didn't want to have to assist this physician. What about the employer sending flowers to the employee that was exposed due to the partner's negligence? :angryfire What would you guys do?

I apologize, but what I meant to imply was what about the employer sending flowers to the injured employee due to his partner's negligence.

Hi all! I'm obviously a new nurse. I recently received my first RN nursing job at a private practice office. I have been on the job three full weeks. Yesturday, one of the CMA's assisted a physician with an excision. During the surgery, the physician struck the coworker's hand with a pair of pointed, small surgical scissors. The incident broke the skin and resulting in some bleeding. Afterwards, the concensus was that the patient would go for a HepC,B panel and HIV test. The doctor who owns the practice said that given the patient profile, the CMA was at low risk, and if the patient came back negative, she would be OK. He told the patient to have the bill sent to the office and told the office manager to send the patient flowers. He also told the CMA that it was unlikely for her to contract any illness. Basically, that the patient was getting tested and the necessity for her to be tested was not that large. Also, the chances of her "catching something" was so slim it was not worth the side effects from the AZT prophylatics. I told the girl today that I would go get tested now, six weeks and three months out. She should not really rely on the patient as NO ONE really knows what goes on in someone's private life. In my education, I was told that there was a three month window. So that patient could have a had a one night stand last night, the night before or two weeks ago. Also, the patient's husband may have had an indiscretion. For my own piece of mind, I would get tested. I would start AZT prophylatics. I called CDC and Univ. of CA exposure hotline today. According to UCA, someone would typically seroconvert in 25 days and with near 100% certainity know in three months that they would remain negative. Did I do the wrong thing in telling my coworker my opinion? I don't want her to be upset, but I don't want her to blindly believe that if the patient tests negative now, she will be OK. She doesn't want to work with that doctor anymore and rightfully so. Today, I was the unlucky one who had to take over and assist with this physician's surgeries. I'm afraid I'll get stuck working with her for the remainder of my employment. I was in an incident with this same physician previously when she nearly poked me with a suture needle. I am appalled at the way the primary physician handled the whole incident. They didn't even give the poor girl the rest of the day off paid!:angryfire I would have been livid. I didn't want to be put in this situation. I didn't want to have to assist this physician. What about sending flowers to the employee that was exposed? :angryfire What would you guys do?