98,000 people killed each year by medical mistakes

I got bitten by a snake earlier this week and got a tetnus shot the day after and it's still sore. The nurse gave me a shot and injected the needle to high. Its weird that ever since graduated as a medical assistant I observe the nurse injecting medications to make sure they are injecting it right.

 

The snake was a redtail boa and was about maybe 1 1/2 foot long. My thumb is still a little bit numb and they say it should be gone within a week. Well, it's been a week now and still kind of numb. Maybe I will give it a few more days.

When I was doing my externship, I gave this guy an injection with an 18 gauge needle. The needle was big and I new it was going to hurt but the doctor was right there and she was the one who set up the needle. I was nervous because some the staffs were watching me and the patient was talking and when I stuck that needle in, he stopped talking and closed his eyes and had his mouth opened. I felt bad for this guy but I did what I had to do for a grade.

 

Its not as easy as it seems. Seriously. Ive watched someone miss on the biggest veins. they can be huge and not well anchored (by your own body) and they twitch from side to side with each gush of blood that rushes through them... coulda hit a valve and it didnt want to push in... I learned a lot about why people miss while giving blood, or have labs taken, or having an IV inserted from the Phlebotomy class.

Now back tot he main topic, yes it is sad that people die of such silly mistakes that could easily be prevented.

 

The worst mistake is when they leave a tool inside of your body. I still can't comprehend how this happens.

 

This is a shocking fact. That is a lot of people dying from medical mistakes.