Hoping and praying the results for you will be clean and pure so you may be assured nothing awful was transmitted. I have the deepest respect for you and all of your "nurse-mates" [female and male] as yours is one of the most stressful and high risk careers there can be on this planet. Thank you for being YOU and caring for all who need medical attention!!

don't know what to say
my sister has been a medical assistant
who specifically to draw blood
and pray no accidents
she worked all her life
graduating from the school
there have been close calls

when i was in the hospital
for my pfcd in recovery was an
elderly woman hip surgery
handled her accident in bed #2
about an hour later she comes in and
undoes my urine bag without gloves
she askes me if i needed anything she
came on the evening shift
my nurse not after the next
thing that happened
told her my meds would be nice
helps me with my pillow
an her hands smelled
poopy
i blurt out
what is that horrible
smell
it was her hands
hope that lightened
your long horrible
clearance
familiar through sister
praying

someone who cares

Oh dear, you've been dealt a rough hand. This happened to my dtr in law recently, but it was a small prick about six months ago and think she is ok, though she's worried herself sick.
You hang in there, and somehow feel yourself surrounded by the love and hope. Take care!

I have been in the same place as you were Pooh. In my 40 years as an RN, I received 2 dirty needle stick injuries, and just before I retired I was stabbed with a pair of dirty scissors from an "at risk" patient. You're right! All those tests are a pain in the neck, and that 3 month wait seems like forever. But it WILL be OK. I'll be thinking of you and praying for a negative result. I "knew" mine would be negative and it was! Your's will be too!

What a shame I didn't know that you were a nurse too before we both left the profession. We could have chatted hospital type gossip and had a good old natter.

As of this date I am still trying to be a nurse. Each day is harder then the last.... the upper management does not understand patient acuity (how ill and or how many it takes to care for each patient) today I was told to call off a LPN-C for the night shift @ 9am. This was against my old nurse better judgment, we had only 3 patients on the floor at that time HOWEVER one was a total mechanical lift, one was demanding, wanting something every minute or two more to see people then for true wants or needs. And the other 2 required 2 staff to ambulate....
So about 4pm the flood gates open up The 1st admit is another mechanical lift, has many open wounds needs to be fed, is also dependent on staff to do basic cares (turn clean up etc.) This also requires 2 staff to do. The next patient was a very nice but VERY confused 90 year old lady with pneumonia and small blood clots in her lungs. We put her in a room that I can oversee while doing the admission paperwork, entering medications verifying those same medications. I did turn a bed alarm on her to give me a "heads up" should I be focusing on the computer instead of the patient (so hard to get the computer work done with out focusing on computer: Good-Luck:) Last patient is a rather heavy set my again very nice lady with a fractured pelvis. All three of the admits have at least 17 pages of orders The DON was notified of the fact that the night shift would be VERY short staffed, "They will be ok" At 8pm my shift was finally at and end yet another 14 hour day with no breaks, lunch was had at 5:30 pm at the aforementioned computer.
And the higher ups wonder why nurse turn over is so high. Just so tired of working here there and everywhere in the facility...
Still waiting to hear my blood results..... Saw my own provider yesterday for some concerns, this clinic visit was questioned my the infection control nurse and human resources "why would she need to do that?? I also relayed the fact that I am just not able to find my way out of this pit... Of course he voices concern this am when he finds me as the charge nurse... "Are you ok to work? Have you talked to the shrink? My therapist? How is your pain today? and finally "I will keep praying for you"

The last helps, as well as the fact he is a personal friend as well as my caregiver, and my coworker
The kind caring attitude of my employer, my spouse and other non-nursing staff is killing me. I wonder if I can take disability due to my pain, my depression and my just plain reaching my limit on the burnout scale

Just so tired of it all

Oh Pooh .... I hear you!

Shades of my evening and night shifts while I was working. I had evenings just like that one, and I worked the night shift after the evening that you had, so I do understand the conditions that you're working under. It's a shame that you couldn't demand an extra staff member, but I know that nearly always impossible!

If only we all lived in a perfect world......

At one stage I heard there were more registered nurses working in Myer (a chain store here in Australia), than there were RNs working in hospitals in the whole of the state. With the conditions that RNs sometimes have to work under, it's no wonder that they cannot retain staff.

I hope you feel better soon. Meanwhile, please know that I understand at least some of what you're going through. I may be retired now, but I do understand.

One last try
Dear poo
What do you have to loose
If you are ready
DO IT

Someone who cares

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO wanting to be able to provide some sort of credible help to you. I write. I pray. These things are not much but they are what I have.

Plus, I CARE,
Caring even now,
Yup

Still waiting not so patiently for my lab results.. Mark has been trying to help me cope with the
'everything". I appreciate his efforts as well as all of you here....Very frustrated with work at this time. Would like to change employers but I do not think that would be helpful in the long road. am hoping my trip to the city will bring some sort of hope to my world... Will continue to lurk...
Thanks again

Well today I finally got the results of both my blood work and the patient. We are both negative at this time. However I will still have to have blood work drawn at 6 and12 weeks the 6 months. Both docs from the "city" made changes in my meds and plan of care. I will return for follow-up visits in 1 month. I finally have gotten the schedulers in both clinics to work with me so I only have to make 1 trip Things at work are continuing as before. One nurse is out on bed rest for her and her baby's health. I will already have overtime this week so they are leaving me alone so far... The monster is having swimming lessons so there is more coordinating of help to get her there when I am working late. I will be glad when this week is over but suspect that things will continue for some time.
I hope this finds you all coping with the world....