Ugh!!!!! I'm an idiot

FrantasticFrantastic
edited April 2013 in VENT (keep it peaceful!)
So I'm a dental hygienist at a pediatric office in CA. In CA, hygienists can administer soft tissue local anesthesia aka give shots. We were running behind and so I got a patient numb for the Dr. Just as I finished the injection, as I was pulling out but hadn't recaped the needle yet, my patient moved and I stuck myself with the dirty needle. I know accidents happen but I'm so irritated that this happened to me. I had to file an incident report and to to the ER to get an HIV test. I know it's a low risk exposure and my patient didn't have any risk factors so I shouldn't stress too much. @captivated I'm tagging you because I think you can relate. I feel like a dumb ass for letting it happen and being pregnant makes me feel even worse that I could have put my baby at risk.

Comments

  • RTMommyRTMommy
    edited April 2013
    Accidents happen. :/ I'm sorry it happened to you, but don't beat yourself up too much for it. At least it's a pediatric patient who is low risk, as you said.
  • mommyof1g1bmommyof1g1b
    everything will be alright. ;-)
  • captivatedcaptivated
    Oh no!!! That is one of my worst fears! My medical assistant on the last day of work at my urology job stuck herself with a needle from our patient...he was hep c and HIV positive. I wrote it in big letters on his printed record that we look over and give the doc prior to seeing the patient. (We usually do that just as a warning to be sure to make even more caution when drawing blood etc). My heart dropped when she told me and I said, "Tammy!!! He is hep c and HIV positive!" She had missed my note. idk how it happened, but she had to file the incident report and go to the er. She was told to take meds for about three months. poor thing. did the patient consent to bloodwork? I'm so sorry!!!!
  • FrantasticFrantastic
    @captivated I talked with the mom and she was super nice and very sure her 10yo didn't have any risk factors for hepatitis or HIV. The Dr at the ER wasn't too worried either. She told me I could take the meds if I was concerned but since I'm pregnant and it was a low risk exposure, she didn't recommend it. Thank you @RTmommy I forgot you are a nurse as well. I'm honestly more embarrassed that this happened than anything else. I've been doing this for 9yrs and this is my first needle stick.
  • captivatedcaptivated
    I've done it before as well, but didn't break the skin. Just a teeny prick, but they said the same. Actually pricking and drawing blood from it scares the daylights out of me. I don't even think it went through my glove, but I was paranoid as hell. But yeah, an actual stick is terrifying. I didn't see how young the patient was. Yeah, i wouldnt worry too much at all!
  • 2ndtimearound2ndtimearound
    I know this isn't the same thing but your story reminded me of an incident that happened when I was a daycare teacher. We were on the playground and a kid comes up to me crying saying that another kid stabbed him. I look and there a puncture wound on his back. I find the kid that did it and he has a hypodermic needle in his hand. I freaked out...some druggie was shooting up at a school and left a used needle on the playground. The kid's mom was so nice about it, but now that I'm a mom...all I know is I wouldn't have been nice about it at all.
  • FrantasticFrantastic
    Omg @2ndtimearound that is freaking terrifying!!!! I would have a heart attack if that was my kid.
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