Anyone make it through med school with no needlestick/ TB exposure?

[brotherbloat]

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Hi,

I was wondering if anyone has made it though med school without getting a needlestick injury or getting exposed to TB and having to take the drugs for 6 months.

If so, how do you think you did it?

A related question: if you're a pregnant med student/ resident, as I will be at some point, and you get stuck or get exposed to TB, what do you do in terms of not wanting to expose the fetus to harmful substances? Have these prophalyxis drugs really been studied long enough to determine that there are no risks to the fetus, especially in the first trimester? If you're pregnant can you get out of entering isolation rooms?

Thanks,

BB

 

[doc05]

how to avoid? don't do anything stupid. needlesticks usually happen because of carelessness. so be careful. TB? wear an appropriate mask and you won't be exposed.

 

[brotherbloat]

Right, but you don't always know when you're being exposed--like in the ER, etc. For instance, my hubby was exposed but doesn't know when or how in med school--and never entered an isolation room.

Thanks,

BB

 

[tupac_don]

Right, but you don't always know when you're being exposed--like in the ER, etc. For instance, my hubby was exposed but doesn't know when or how in med school--and never entered an isolation room.

Thanks,

BB

Its a risk you take by choosing this profession. Particularly true in the ED, you don't know if you are exposed or not. Needle sticks are a little tougher, b/c you can mentally prepare and be more cautios. But unknown exposure is the risk of the job. You just roll the dice and pray for the best.

 

[kinetic]

Don't get paranoid. True "TB exposure" requires a number of things: close and prolonged contact with the patient coughing. If a patient has TB and isn't coughing, there's pretty much no chance of spread. It's much more important to worry about people who live with the person, rather than people who have had a few minutes of contact.

 

[typeB-md]

Brotherbloat,

i have seen your past posts and if you'd like my honest opinion, i think you would be better suited for a different profession.

it seems you are overly paranoid about catching items routinely encountered in a medical setting. you are quite a bit older than the average medical student and why would you want waste more time to find out that you probably will not like practicing?

you say you want to be the decision-maker and you are an artistic personality, no? i think you also said that your husband is an anesthesiologist which means that his income will likely be able to provide very well for bills and you could run a business for extra money.

it also seems to me that you have been somewhat depressed and maybe experiencing a mid-life crisis/identity crisis. i think you should deal with these issues before making decisions about stopping medicine or such.

also, can i ask what type of exercise plan you currently use?

PS. i make these assessments based on having read through your other posts. i feel that your personality lends to managing a personal business rather than a career in medicine. i don't want you to take this as a dis.

 

[Seashelley]

Brotherbloat,

i have seen your past posts and if you'd like my honest opinion, i think you would be better suited for a different profession.

it seems you are overly paranoid about catching items routinely encountered in a medical setting. you are quite a bit older than the average medical student and why would you want waste more time to find out that you probably will not like practicing?

you say you want to be the decision-maker and you are an artistic personality, no? i think you also said that your husband is an anesthesiologist which means that his income will likely be able to provide very well for bills and you could run a business for extra money.

it also seems to me that you have been somewhat depressed and maybe experiencing a mid-life crisis/identity crisis. i think you should deal with these issues before making decisions about stopping medicine or such.

also, can i ask what type of exercise plan you currently use?

PS. i make these assessments based on having read through your other posts. i feel that your personality lends to managing a personal business rather than a career in medicine. i don't want you to take this as a dis.

I apolgize if I'm making any unwarranted assumptions, but I have to agree with typeB-md above. I started noticing your posts because I shared some similar feelings about a few hesitancies you said you were experiencing. I've also been going through a depression/self-identity crisis that centered around what my "career should be"... It turns out the career wasn't the central issue, really, it was more about the fact that I was changing as a person since graduating college and that I have been really scared of not having a prescribed path all set for me to follow (ie, being a pre-med, then med, then doctor: around 10-11 years all laid out and easy to follow).

If it's of any interest to you, I was an art and art history major in college with the intent of pursuing architecture. The best advice I'd ever received was from a doctor who I shadowed who told me, "Only be a doctor if you can't imagine doing anything else." Hope it helps.

 

[Tina Sheen]

I apolgize if I'm making any unwarranted assumptions, but I have to agree with typeB-md above. I started noticing your posts because I shared some similar feelings about a few hesitancies you said you were experiencing. I've also been going through a depression/self-identity crisis that centered around what my "career should be"... It turns out the career wasn't the central issue, really, it was more about the fact that I was changing as a person since graduating college and that I have been really scared of not having a prescribed path all set for me to follow (ie, being a pre-med, then med, then doctor: around 10-11 years all laid out and easy to follow).

If it's of any interest to you, I was an art and art history major in college with the intent of pursuing architecture. The best advice I'd ever received was from a doctor who I shadowed who told me, "Only be a doctor if you can't imagine doing anything else." Hope it helps.

It is possible that more than person is using this account. In October she said she was 28, but in February listed her age as 27. In a thread about Jewish people in medicine, she said she was married to a lawyer, but then recently spoke of her resident husband. Either her story isn't straight or there are multiple people signing in on this account.

And yes, I agree that in medicine you cannot be scared of sick people (even if it's only sick people with certain diseases like HIV/AIDS or TB). You should certainly use precaution, but outright refusing to be in a city with patients who are sick raises some red flags (as the OP implied about SF and other metropolitan areas). Entering medicine is a calculated risk. If one doesn't feel that risk is acceptable, it is definitely worthwhile to reconsider entering the profession.

BB, there's nothing wrong with feeling the way you do. I just don't think it's suitable to a career in medicine. And IMHO, Medicine cannot serve as some form of intellectual legitimacy either.

 

[Doc 2b]

I agree with the above posts. It sounds like you are suffering from depression after reading your posts, and that you are not fully committed to life as a physician. If you this scared now, are you going to be paralyzed during your rotations? My advice is to take some time to reevaluate your motives, come to grips with your anxieties, maybe include a professional in this to help you figure things out. Good luck!

 

[doc05]

depression? I don't think it's depression. But it's definitely something...

 

[tigershark]

how to avoid? don't do anything stupid. needlesticks usually happen because of carelessness. so be careful. TB? wear an appropriate mask and you won't be exposed.

Yeah of course you will always know when to wear an appropriate mask.

On my medicine rotation I was working up an inmate in the prison hospital for ARF and after I'd been talking with the guy for about 30 minutes he says "oh, yeah before I went to jail I was diagnosed with TB but never took the medicine"

I mention this little tidbit to the team and they placed him on airborne precautions, next day he has dx of disseminated TB.

 

[tupac_don]

I apolgize if I'm making any unwarranted assumptions, but I have to agree with typeB-md above. I started noticing your posts because I shared some similar feelings about a few hesitancies you said you were experiencing. I've also been going through a depression/self-identity crisis that centered around what my "career should be"... It turns out the career wasn't the central issue, really, it was more about the fact that I was changing as a person since graduating college and that I have been really scared of not having a prescribed path all set for me to follow (ie, being a pre-med, then med, then doctor: around 10-11 years all laid out and easy to follow).

If it's of any interest to you, I was an art and art history major in college with the intent of pursuing architecture. The best advice I'd ever received was from a doctor who I shadowed who told me, "Only be a doctor if you can't imagine doing anything else." Hope it helps.

No offense but I have to agree too. That's like you want to be a boxer, but you don't wanna get hit. By picking medicine you are taking somewhat of a risk, but so is everyone else and it is very reasonable, especially if you are not reckless.

 

[brotherbloat]

Hello,

It's the OP here. I guess I'm surprised that so many people aren't as worried about the risk of infections as I am. I guess if I were 22 and right out of college, I wouldn't be, either, but when you're thinking about getting pregnant soon (I'm 27), you're thinking for two, not just one. Plus, I was always the type of person to be really, really careful about things like this, such as getting all my sexual partners tested for HIV and Hepatitis in high school, on top of using condoms religiously. I don't think many of my peers were doing the same at 16 years old, but I just think one's health is too precious not to be anything than 100% as careful as you can be.

Anyhow, I still want to be a doctor, I work in a hospital now full-time and really love it, I love being with patients, and I'm not afraid of contracting most diseases, just Hep C, HIV, and TB. To me, those are by far the scariest things to contract. I just wondered what people's thoughts on getting through med school "without a scratch," so to speak. I understand that getting stuck is an occupational hazard, just like dying in a blaze or getting shot is the firefighter's and police officer's occupational hazard, respectively.

I don't think this fear should automatically cause one to reconsider one's professional goals, it's just something to be aware of and extra villigant about. I've weighed the pros and cons of being a doctor, I understand the sacrifices I'll have to make as a 29-year-old starting med school, and at the end of the day, "I can't see myself doing anything else."

I am looking for people with something meaningful to contribute to this thread--please don't jump all over me. It's really not very nice.

-BB

 

[DrMom]

I don't know what else people can tell you. Infectious disease exposure is a risk. You can do some basic, logical things to reduce that risk, but you cannot guarantee that you won't be exposed to something ominous at some point in time. I recommend you read up on needlestick transmission stats (to see how low the risk really is). Maybe that'll make you feel more comfortable.

 

[Perrin]

I was TB positive when I was in elementary school, so I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore. I took the medicine and came out pretty normal. Though I would say that the medicine tastes like @ss.

 

[Skialta]

Have you ever asked anyone about what the realistic chances of contracting these diseases are? I could be wrong but I think that the risk of HIV from hollow bore needle stick is 1/1,000, and the risk of Hep C is 30%. So HVC is much more of a risk, but remember it is not a death sentence, even if you were infected and did nothing there is something like a 25% chance you would clear the virus. Obviously you would be tested and treated.

I am concerned and take precautions, but I don't think there is any reason to panic or become obsessed with the thought of being infected. Something that I think is more troubling is an emerging viral illness like SARS. In the end you just have to decide if the risks are worth it for you.

My advice for pregnancy would be have a child at the end of 2nd year, take a year off and finish 3rd and 4th year without the fear of contracting anything. Good luck.

 

[Wednesday]

You should probably be more worried about the dangers of pregnancy and child-birth.

 

[ptolemy]

Hello,

It's the OP here. I guess I'm surprised that so many people aren't as worried about the risk of infections as I am. I guess if I were 22 and right out of college, I wouldn't be, either, but when you're thinking about getting pregnant soon (I'm 27), you're thinking for two, not just one. Plus, I was always the type of person to be really, really careful about things like this, such as getting all my sexual partners tested for HIV and Hepatitis in high school, on top of using condoms religiously. I don't think many of my peers were doing the same at 16 years old, but I just think one's health is too precious not to be anything than 100% as careful as you can be.

No offense, but I wasn't thinking about getting my partners tested when I was in HS, probably would have been a good idea looking back, but I definitely was not thinking about that (gee.. what was I thinking about ... oh.. I was gonna get some). I can only imagine what you're thinking about now if you were THAT worried in HS.

Anyhow, I still want to be a doctor, I work in a hospital now full-time and really love it, I love being with patients, and I'm not afraid of contracting most diseases, just Hep C, HIV, and TB. To me, those are by far the scariest things to contract. I just wondered what people's thoughts on getting through med school "without a scratch," so to speak. I understand that getting stuck is an occupational hazard, just like dying in a blaze or getting shot is the firefighter's and police officer's occupational hazard, respectively.

Anyone you see in an airport, on an airplane, in a grocery store, on a bus/train, etc. could have any of these diseases. That shouldn't prevent you from living life. yes, they are scary to contract, but when you handle needles, be careful. if you are careful, the chances of sticking yourself go way down, and if you figure the chances that the pt you were doing whatever on when you stuck yourself has some communicable dz, combined with relatively low transmission rates from needle sticks, I'd be more scared to drive home. TB is slightly different b/c it's airborne. but it is a risk, whether you are in medicine or not. granted the risk is higher in medicine.

 

[peterson]

the original poster has some symptoms of paranoid personality (cluster A) and you all have some narcissistic traits, condescension, and a little bit of grandiosity from what i gather from your replies... 🙂...reading psych this morning...

 

[typeB-md]

the original poster has some symptoms of paranoid personality (cluster A) and you all have some narcissistic traits, condescension, and a little bit of grandiosity from what i gather from your replies... 🙂...reading psych this morning...

ah, i see you suffer from small-pen0s syndrome. you know, always worrying about what other people are doing. quick to pass judgement without being asked your opinion. not that it matters, i mean, it probably fits in your pants really nicely.

/analyze that

 

[dara678]

THe chance of HIV infection from a needlestick is 0.4%, but that depends a lot on if the needle had blood on it, where it stuck you, etc. etc. The chances of working with patients with HIV and getting HIV is like slim to none. So just be careful when working with needles and wear gloves. You can't completely prevent it, but that's about as much as you can do.

 

[ishaninatte]

the original poster has some symptoms of paranoid personality (cluster A) and you all have some narcissistic traits, condescension, and a little bit of grandiosity from what i gather from your replies... 🙂...reading psych this morning...

So true...if ever there was a place to go to get advice flavored with a little bit of condescension, Allo forum takes the prize. Are they going to turn me into a prick next year?