6 weeks into school, I got stuck and i don't know what to do

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi all...so, i'm in my 6th week of nursing school and i got stuck w/ a used diabetes lancet...my prof. rushed me to student health services where they took my blood to test for everything, gave me my 2nd Hep A&B immunization and told me to come back tomorrow to talk w/ medical director & get put on antiviral "cocktail":o

at some point the PA suggested i get a Hep "immunoglobin" (have no idea if i spelled that right) but then the nurse said that they're like $350.00 and i should wait and see what my titer says

(just FYI - the diabetes lancet was from one of about 5 people at a senior center in a "medically underserved area" and had been used AT LEAST (probably more than) 30 min before i got stuck w/ it)

PLEASE tell me what I should do - should i go on the cocktail? what about the immuno...thingy? should i make the school pay my medical bills?

any help y'all might provide will be greatly appreciated!

Sarah:rolleyes:

Sarah,

Have you talked to anyone at your BON? They might be able to at least give you some advice on the legal issues in nursing education. I know the school is not bound to pay for medical costs except...... a paid employee is directly responsible for your injury, the direction from the instructor they hired and pay was dangerous and unfit, NO nursing student should EVER be taught that to recap, dig around in a sharps container, or in any other way handle sharps after use is acceptable clinical practice. I still think that your instructor is not clinically fit and should not be entrusted with the education of new nurses. I just wonder what would happen if she was found unfit either in a legal setting or by members of her own profession if the school would then be libal for your injury. You might be able to do this without any laywers, check it out with your local congrass person how to file an offical OSHA complaint against the instructor, the program director, the nursing porgram, and the school board of directors. That should get you some type of response. OSHA won't mess around and I think they have to at least investigate an offical compliant. You might also be able to file a complaint under workemans comp., not for funds as you are not covered, but for unsafe workplace practices. Your local representative's office should be able to help you out. As a last case, consider going to your local paper with the story (or at least letting them think you will). As educators of future nurses your program is entrusted to keep you and your patients safe from your inexperience while you learn. Would your community like to know that one of the instructors entrusted with maintaining safety advocates and even sets an example for recapping used sharps. The nursing shortage and the crushing need for new nurses is hot news anywhere. If your local paper won't interview you state your case in a letter to the editor asking the reading public if they think this might be just one reason for the nursing shortage. You'll get print with that one. I can just see it now: "How Training Nurses Contributes to the Nursing Shortage" "Dear Editor, I am a Nursing student at XYZ School of Nursing and as such I am in the unique position of being able to assess how the clinical instruction of sutdent nurses may be contributing to the lack of bedside nurses. As a studnet I..." then you go on to describe your experinece with community health nursing, the response of your instructor, and the response of the program director. End you letter with: "If I remaine healthy I intend to continue my nursing education since I am dedicated to the profession of nursing, however it will be at a differeng school, one which is committed to producing nurses with only the best clinical and classroom education." Should work. Good Luck.

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Sorry, but in the state of Illinois, as of January 2000, you CAN INDEED test the source patient WITHOUT his permission if a needlestick or body fluid exposure incident has occurred!!!! I have worked in other states, Indiana, Nevada, Alaska and overseas in Korea, Spain and Japan and Illinois is one of the few states that do allow it. THANK GOD!!!!

Are you still at this school????

Sarah, are you in the United States or another country?

To the others: do you think the instructor should be reported to the BON as a complaint against her license?

Call an attorney!!!!! REPORT to everyone you can think of!!!!

Get a family member - mom/dad someone to help you walk through all of this - and to listen in on conversations. TAPE everything!!

Report the incident to BON, file any complaint you can get your hands on.

This prof. does not belong in the nursing field at all!! Much less teaching students..... You were there to LEARN.... you don't enter into a school knowing it all (or why bother going to school?!?)

AAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGggggg

You definitely need an attorney. Don't agree to anything the school says, don't sign anything. If worse comes to worse you may need more than anitvirals. Get an attorney before speaking to anyone at the school. Be aware that they(the school) will tape record your conversations on the phone or in person. Get an attorney now!

Youda,

Im with you. She should be reported to the BON.

Sarah, I'm so sorry this happened to you, but you will be a great nurse at the enc, and thos will be a good teaching lesson to younger nurses. The school is responsible for this and it is OUTrageous how the director spoke to you. What morons.

well...i attempted to contact several lawyers today: medical malpractice said it was personal injury, personal injury said it was workmans comp, workmans comp said it was personal injury...

finally, i called the bar assn. and they gave me a guy that was quite helpful but still said i don't really have any case unless i am actually sick...so if in 6 mos. i test positive for hiv/hep c then we can really go after them...

he did say it looks like the school is liable but the medical fees would be nominal and "anguish" has to be in conjunction with an "actual" injury (i guess, as opposed to the imaginary / fake injury that already occured:( )

i reminded him that i am on antiviral meds w/ major side-effects, the uncertainty of not knowing for the next year+, the question of how i interact with my husband...

apparently not enough to sue...:o

so...i guess i'll be looking into the bon and/or osha route tomorrow

btw - i am in central florida and, for the time being, i am at the same school (it's the only bsn in town...)

thanks again to all of you!!!! y'all have been an amazing source of support and encouragement

i'll never forget how great y'all have been - ever:kiss

sarah :rolleyes:

OK. Sarah, here's some information for you in Florida. Check out the OSHA laws (no distinction between an injury and an illness from a needlestick), and the attorney who wrote the article at the bottom of the page.

http://www.hklaw.com/newsletters.asp?ID=237&Article=1354

Here's an article about a school district being sued for not PREVENTING a needlestick. Although the facts are much different from yours, the stuck person wasn't ill when the lawsuit was filed, and the article also gives the name of the attorney (that you might call, if for no other reason than to find out how this lawsuit turned out).

http://www.sptimes.com/News/112801/TampaBay/School_district_sued_.shtml

Here's a website to locate an attorney specializing in needlestick injuries (I don't know if this referral service is any good or not, but worth a try):

http://www.personal-injury-lawyer-referral.com/pages/needlestick_injury.html

Here's an article about a specific law in Florida that mandates certain behaviors concerning universities and schools. It is very possible (I'm not an attorney) that the school has violated the law and criminal charges could be filed against them as well. Read this article:

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/disease_ctrl/aids/legal/hartog.pdf

More Florida laws your school has probably violated:

http://www.prescribersletter.com/pletters/ce-documents/161200.pdf

(Thanks to google.com)

If I find anything else interesting or if it seems to fit your situation, I'll post it.

Spoke with a friend of mine who is a District Court Judge. It is not necessary to wait to find out if you are ill before filing a lawsuit. In fact, if you wait that long, the statues of limitations will be expired and you will not be able to file.

He said that you have already experienced "loss and injury" as a result of the needlestick. At this point, the losses are not as great as someone who has contracted HIV or Hep from a stick, but loss and injury nonetheless.

He said a good attorney should be able to get compensation for all your medical expenses with an open-ended judgment for future expenses, should you need them, including life-time loss of potential wages "if you should become ill."

He suggested what I already said. Keep a meticulous journal, including anxiety, psychological distress, and any physical symptoms or side effects of the anti-viral meds.

He thought you had a winner, based on the info you posted, and thought that a jury trial would be a blast for him, because he thought he could rip to shreads the things they said to you, and did and didn't do.

He's checking to see if he might have any legal contacts in Florida that might help. If he can get me a name, I'll PM it to you.

Sorry, but I'm taking a personal interest in this because I feel that education is so important. It blows my mind that an instructor could do this, and that a school could put a student at such risk!

originally posted by youda

spoke with a friend of mine who is a district court judge. it is not necessary to wait to find out if you are ill before filing a lawsuit. in fact, if you wait that long, the statues of limitations will be expired and you will not be able to file.

he said that you have already experienced "loss and injury" as a result of the needlestick. at this point, the losses are not as great as someone who has contracted hiv or hep from a stick, but loss and injury nonetheless.

he said a good attorney should be able to get compensation for all your medical expenses with an open-ended judgment for future expenses, should you need them, including life-time loss of potential wages "if you should become ill."

he suggested what i already said. keep a meticulous journal, including anxiety, psychological distress, and any physical symptoms or side effects of the anti-viral meds.

he thought you had a winner, based on the info you posted, and thought that a jury trial would be a blast for him, because he thought he could rip to shreads the things they said to you, and did and didn't do.

he's checking to see if he might have any legal contacts in florida that might help. if he can get me a name, i'll pm it to you.

sorry, but i'm taking a personal interest in this because i feel that education is so important. it blows my mind that an instructor could do this, and that a school could put a student at such risk!

i can't believe how wonderful you are being!!!! i am literally in tears!!!

there should be way more of this in the world...:kiss

thanks... so much...

Sarah, check your PMs (personal messages) if you haven't already.

Originally posted by traumaRUs

Sorry, but in the state of Illinois, as of January 2000, you CAN INDEED test the source patient WITHOUT his permission if a needlestick or body fluid exposure incident has occurred!!!! I have worked in other states, Indiana, Nevada, Alaska and overseas in Korea, Spain and Japan and Illinois is one of the few states that do allow it. THANK GOD!!!!

Are you still at this school????

Here in Washington State it gets a little convoluted...the "law" mandates that the source patient be tested...but the patient can refuse...and a Superior Court Judge is mandated to sign the order allowing the test without the patients consent.

This was all current as of 4 years ago when I got stuck and the demented patient's family refused the testing because they didn't see that the MANY units of blood products she received during the repair of a disected AAA in 1985 place ME at risk (she was neg).

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