Really Nervous about Everything. Should I reconsider nursing?

[Kiroppi]

Hi guys,

So I am a nursing student who has done her first Med Pass today. But now I am so worried, my patient needed insulin today. So when I was drawing up the insulin, my stupid self got nervous and slipped and got a NEEDLESTICK!! The thing is I wasn't wearing gloves, and my nurse didn't say anything about it. I was in the nurse's station when I was drawing up the medication. The needle was not used and it was clean. My nurse saw me stick myself, she said "it's a clean needle it's fine". I also informed my instructor and she said since it was a clean needle, I should not worry. However, I can't stop worrying. I wasn't wearing gloves when I was taking up the insulin but the needle was clean. I am so stressed and I feel like maybe I am not cut out to be a nurse. What do you guys think? What are your advice? Should I get my blood tested? Should I reconsider my career?

[MunoRN, RN]

9 minutes ago, perc71 said:

The key phrase is "unless you anticipate blood". When administering injections - from intradermal ppd to deep IM shots. Everytime you puncture the skin there is that potential for blood exposure so it is a safe practice to wear gloves to protect yourself.

There's not a reasonable expectation of risk of blood exposure with an insulin injection. I think you're confusing a very remote possibility with a potential blood exposure. It's extremely unlikely that when you walk into a patient's room they will spontaneously explode, is that sufficient reason to wear full head-to-toe PPE when entering a room?

[perc71, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP]

9 minutes ago, MunoRN said:

There's not a reasonable expectation of risk of blood exposure with an insulin injection. I think you're confusing a very remote possibility with a potential blood exposure. It's extremely unlikely that when you walk into a patient's room they will spontaneously explode, is that sufficient reason to wear full head-to-toe PPE when entering a room?

I agree. I failed to mention that that if the clinician administering the medication have an open wound - even a mere paper cut then using gloves is warranted. Sometimes " the remote possibility" becomes a reality. It is just Murphy's law.

[CommunityRNBSN, BSN, RN]

In nursing school I KEPT sticking myself with clean needles. Just like you did— I would be nervous and my hands would shake and I’d stick myself. For me, it was when I was pulling the caps off of needles. It was humiliating but I eventually got the hang of it. Now that I’m out of school and giving shots daily, it’s no longer an issue. I’ve also never stuck myself with a used needle (knock on wood; it happens a lot at my work unfortunately). You’re just nervous. Your hands are probably shaky and sweaty. Just tolerate the nerves and they’ll eventually calm down! I promise!

[ems007]

Don't be nervous. The chances of infection are pretty slim. I've had some needlestick scares before as well.

[Wuzzie]

What exactly is the risk of blood or body fluid exposure when drawing up the insulin that would require the wearing of gloves? ?

[TheDudeWithTheBigDog, ADN, RN]

On 2/10/2020 at 12:08 AM, MunoRN said:

There's not a reasonable expectation of risk of blood exposure with an insulin injection. I think you're confusing a very remote possibility with a potential blood exposure. It's extremely unlikely that when you walk into a patient's room they will spontaneously explode, is that sufficient reason to wear full head-to-toe PPE when entering a room?

None of this matters... In a hospital, do you REALLY want to touch somebody that's sick without wearing gloves?

[Orion81RN]

44 minutes ago, tonyl1234 said:

None of this matters... In a hospital, do you REALLY want to touch somebody that's sick without wearing gloves?

I think you should study routes of transmission, portals of entry...

[Wuzzie]

10 hours ago, tonyl1234 said:

None of this matters... In a hospital, do you REALLY want to touch somebody that's sick without wearing gloves?

Tony, I very often disagree with you but I usually just bite my tongue but this statement has so much wrong with it. My first inclination was to be insulting and derisively remind you that you can't catch diabetes or cancer but then I thought perhaps you would respond better to a different approach. There is something to be said for the emotional/psychological part we, as nurses, play when taking care of other human beings. While it's true there are some really nasty patients the larger portion of them are lonely, sick and scared. We need to treat them as human beings they are not fomites. We take precautions when we are potentially at risk but the vast majority of the care we provide is very low to no risk and that can be mitigated with good hand hygiene. I can't imagine holding the hands of one of my cancer patients who just found out they've progressed whilst wearing gloves. That human to human contact has healing properties in it. Maybe not physically but certainly emotionally, psychologically and spiritually (not in the religious sense). It's what we DO as nurses. We humanize health care. We reassure the patient we have to clean up, we touch, we listen, we call patients by their name not their disease, sometimes we cry with them while other times we laugh, we regret the second IV attempt or the NG tube insertion...we feel for them. Learning to think that way is difficult for some but without it you will be missing a large chunk of what makes nursing so very important. I hope that you are able to see your patients as human beings who deserve to be cared for in a manner that does not diminish them. If you don't think you can then maybe you should adjust course and look for a career that doesn't require it.