Mel

I am still seething. Sterile procedure is one of the FIRST things nurses are taught. It is repeated over and over again thru out your education....then when you are hired, they go over it again...every nursing agency has a procedure and policy written regarding this...this is so elementary, it makes me wonder if your nurse is really a nurse. You are usually required by your employer to demonstrate sterile technique every year in a skills test.

This could not only cost her, and should cost her her nursing license, or at least her job. Her judgment is so poor, she needs to start all over...step 1 of training.

This could cost your home care provider their license or certification, certainly if the state or joint accreditation heard about this they would immediately discipline or fine the agency. It is THAT serious of a screw up.

Feel free to PM me for more info. For all of you....do not let any one ever stick a thing into you that is not sterile....no double picks with a needle....no leaking IV bags or tubes....Even a leaking tube requries dumping the bag, as stuff can travel upstream. Think of how many germs live on the head of a pin...

You should call the nursing agency's oncall number and you tell them what happened now...it needs to be written up....and you need a new nurse. I am sorry you are emotionally bonded with this person, and that is tough, but this action is so incredibly professionally obscene I won't sleep all night!!

Mel, you and Alan are the nicest people. This kind of stuff should not happen to you....It should not happen to any one. This is malpractice.