Threat of needle sticks!!

twotrees2 · Jul 26, 2006

If I usually get stuck at least three or four times a day on average some days a little more others a little less.

wow - even with my essential tremors i dont think i have had that many sticks in my career- yikes - thats a lot. hope you get the hang of it soon.,

twotrees2 · Jul 26, 2006

Wow! Everyone has been really helpful in shedding light on the threat of needle sticks. Thank you!
Ok... I am going to be really honest here.. from the last post tridil2000 mentioned a LOT of incidents can occur when working as a nurse. I am not doing that period. I am not cleaning poop or thick nasty secretions. Not doing it. Just not doing it.
What I envision myself doing is ordering tests, helping diagnose illnesses, talking to families, educating patients, etc. I do not see myself cleaning poop, cleaning up vomit, etc. I am not trying to be offsensive here at all, just stating that I am not doing that. I have been accpeted to nursing school for next spring so I still have time to back out. I was planning on going straight from RN to MSN to nurse practitioner. I would have gone right into medical school, but do to health limitations I cannot. But honestly, is that what you all do??? I do not want to be a floor nurse or work in a hospital!!! I honor you all for doing that, but that is not what I envision for myself....
HELP!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!

my opinion if ya cant do it all then you wont do well even in a supervisory positon - i have never once been afraid to ask my superiors where i work now from DON to administrator to help with procedures and never have they refused ( LOL though i thin k my administrator thinks twice helping me with caths as for some reason EVERY time she ends up holdiong the end and getting urine on her roflmao ) anyhow - if you WONT do these things you will find yourself in a hotspot of anger an resentment from your sataff ( i ahve worked at places like this and i tell you they are very unpopular and find it hard to keep good staff ) any ways - if my opinion counted which i am sure it doesnt but i will say it anyhow - perhaps you may want to consider a differnet career - perhapos in social working or something that is less likely to encounter this ( although at my current place even the social workers help lol) good luck on your decision - i know you will make the choiice that is right for you. :)

twotrees2 · Jul 26, 2006

Thank you everyone and I do appreciate your honesty here.
I know I will have to do a year or so of clincial and I can bare it for a year or so, BUT doing the poop cleaning and vomit cleaning and so forth for a life long career... no. I can bear it to "do my time" so to speak, but I do not want an everyday diet of it.
I am hoping to get my NP and work solely in a doctor's office. I want to educate, help diagnose, read stats and such. Again I think very highly of hosptial nurses and where would we be with out them, but that is not what I want to do.
No hospitals for me for the long hall- a year or so of clincial I can muster- but not for the long hall..... I am thinking in a docs. office I will have less exposure to poop and such here. Sorry.. I am just being honest.

i have not worked in a doc office but my aunt did and i knmow for a fact she was ofetn full of bodily fluids - lol - so i dont know that is what you want either. again i reiterate - if you arent willing to do the jobs you wont be having very good work relationships so think long and hard - the shadowing is a good idea someone mentioned and id do it more than a few days to get a GOOD feel for what your getting into.

ellen1042 · Feb 3, 2009

i just got my 4th needle stick in 21 years. twice by the same pt.i really need to stay away for him. 3 insulin and 1 im. all dirty. whats the average. i'm kicking myself.i give about 600 injections a year. figure at least 12000 in my career