To complain about immunisation nurse.

[LEMtheoriginal]

My dd had her HPV vaccination today. I'm all fairness she is a big wuss and finds the whole thing too much.

She was very scared and kept pulling her arm away and was crying. The nurse was not sympathetic at all. Fine! I was actually quite firm with dd mostly because there were smaller children in the same room and I didn't want her upsetting them.

This is my issue "if you don't have this you might get cervical cancer and if you do they will put a big probe inside you and burn it away" I mean was that really necessary??

Then after the jab dd became faint and she pushed her head down on her knees so hard that she nearly hit her head. Twice she did this and told dd off for sitting back up. In the end she had to lay down on the floor as she was about to pass out.

Now I'm the first to admit that dd doesn't handle this sort of thing well. Which is weird because she is a real toughie if she hurts herself. So yes actually do please be firm to get the job done but then fucking acknowledge she was brave and be kind.

It's the comment that has upset me. I know only too well how important this is as uve had that horrendous treatment she spoke of. Now I'm worried dd won't have the booster.

I should complain shouldn't I?

FFS. Totally unacceptable. I have a terrible needle phobia which started when I had my tonsils out when I was 4. It built until I was 18 when I had a terrible accident where I almost amputated my arm and it was reconstructed while I was conscious. I've had to have literally hundreds of injections, blood tests and drips in the last 25 years and the only thing that's made it more bearable is the manner of the person doing it. Some nurses, i literally don't feel it because of his gentle and efficient they are. Last year I had an emergency section and the spinal took 7 attempts - they got it in just as they were prepping the general. Since then I've been unable to cope with needles at all - went for some blood tests a couple of months ago and it didn't go well (dry veins, many failed attempts) and it was totally manageable because of how considerate she was of whatever I needed to do to get through it.

Her comments about cancer are just completely out of line. I would definitely make a complaint. Why do people like this go into a caring profession when they have no empathy?

She assaultedtlur daughter, you do realise that right. When you agree to a vaccine you don't consent to having a nurse repeatedly shove your head into your lap. What a strange way to behave. Also the CC comment was not only unnecessary and unuseful but also untrue.?

holla did you join MN today just to drop nasty comments on threads?

So many people on here are utterly unsympathetic to a child in distress. It’s appalling frankly. A phobia is NOT something you can control or “get over”.

LEM, sorry that your daughter was treated so unkindly. I used to be a nurse with the immunisation team in my area and we NEVER would of treated a child in that way. You were right to complain and I hope that the nurse gets reprimanded.

My God there are some vile people on this thread - the lack of empathy is astonishing. It takes nothing to be kind and friendly, a brusque unfriendly manner will make people tense up and things will hurt more.
It is not being a drama queen to have a phobia. Lots of people adults and children are irrationally frightened of things (although jabs is not that irrational since they hurt). Why can;t people accept that just because they don;t suffer with particular phobia then it doesn;t exist. A with a phobia it is not a question of telling someone to 'manup' or pull themselves together - if you think that then you have clearly never actually experienced a phobic fear.

The idea of using cancer treatment as a bogey man is appalling,loads of people are going to need cancer treatment at some point in their lives - it's never pleasant, but you don't need HCP's making out it is something to be terrified of - having cancer is bad enough without building in a fear treatment into young people.

As a contrast I had to have some blood tests yeterday. I am not needle phobic, so no problem for me, but the nurse came to the waiting room call my number, as we walked to the treatmetn room she chatted to me, asked me straight away how I was with needles and would I be OK , talked to me in a friendly way the whole time while prparing her test tubes, labels etc etc. So it took no more time than it would have if she'd been rude and unfriendly. This was her normal manner in dealing with people having jabs/tests - how is that hard to do ?
,

My sons class recently had their Gr. 6 shots. Most will be 11 some may be 12 yrs old. Apparently 1 person fainted and 1 person almost fainted. My point being it’s not unusual for it to happen. I believe due to it being at school and protocol they ended up having to call an ambulance.

The nurse was definitely over the top. I am meddle phobic. I can deal with a lot but needles, nope. I always tell the person taking blood or giving needs and they have always been kind and gentle with me. Always.

I am Canadian and we also have universal healthcare that is usually stretched to the limit. There is no reason she couldn’t have been firm but friendly. Over the top and escalated things unnecessarily.

Needle! Not meddle!!! And however many more typos, sorry, should have previewed and checked.

I'm really sorry this happened LEM

I think she needs retraining and to be given some feedback on appropriate ways to speak to people

Laughing (sardonically) at people who say things like: needles aren't something to be afraid of, cervical cancer is.

Well, I'm more afraid of spiders than I am of cancer. The defining quality of a phobia is that it's irrational. I do marvel at people who seem to reach adulthood not only never having suffered a phobia but apparently never having come across the concept.

But then we also have a whole load of people who use a thread like this to advertise their nastiness. It's as if they're proud of how horrible they are.

People are very strange.

Wow holly you are a real delight!

Again thanks for the support. We have had s lovely day today. I'd like to say all forgotten but dd has asked about it a lot.

I should point out that this has been the first time we have had a poor experience. A few weeks ago dd burnt her hand and needed to go to the walk In. Dd pulled her hand away from the nurse when she was dressing it but the nurse was kind in her mannerisms and dd was calm. Totally different experience. So generally I'd say that NHS nurses are great

I'd be looking to get your daughter some help for your daughter as she won't have you to hold her hand when she is older and might pass on important vaccinations

The only other one I'm aware of is the men Y (?) anyway the meningitis one which you get in year 9 or 10 in England.

I doubt she'll need any more after that - possibly a tetanus booster. Otherwise only if she decides to travel to a country where something is required or has a profession where it's required. Presumably if the needle phobia is that bad she'll choose a different career and spend her holidays in Europe and countries where other vaccinations are not required. Hardly that big a deal. I have only had one tetanus booster since I had my rubella jab at 12. And I don't have a needle phobia.

By the time she's 65 and needs stuff like flu jabs she'll probably have got over it.

As a teen I'd have been more worried about the immediate pain of a jab than the fear of cervical cancer that I may never get and in any event is very treatable if you keep up to date with your screenings.

It's not vaccinations you need to worry about as she gets older, it's other things. I was in and out of hospital from 17-22 when I was diagnosed with endometriosis, I almost amputated my arm at 18, had my eyelid cut open when I was 20, and my fear of epidurals absolutely ruined my entire pregnancy (turns out I wasn't wrong - the spinal for my section was one of the worst experiences of my life as it took so many attempts and was truly horrific). Sadly needles aren't something you can necessarily avoid, especially if you develop an illness. I wish I could do something about my needle phobia - have tried hypnosis but made no difference.

Well I can't say from experience because my daughter is not having any of her jabs, but I would deffo complain. She didn't need to say that at all. Poor thing!

I seriously hope that every person defending the nurse, trying to explain why she behaved in that way and having a go at the OP are not nurses! And if any of you are nurses I would seriously advise you to spend some time studying your NMC Code of Conduct, then read the post again. If you still agree with the nurse, please just hand your uniforms back in the morning. Its shit enough working in the NHS without working with nurses who behave that way or agree with that behaviour. A nurse with that attitude wouldn't last 5min on my ward.

Well said MrsRyanGosling

I don't understand why some professions can't be criticised on mn. There are shit people in all walks of life - and plenty in the public sector (I work there).

If you can't do your job professionally then don't do it at all. And busyness/paperwork is no excuse.

ANNE unfortunately I have worked with nurses with that attitude. Even from being a student nurse many years ago, I will call them out on it every single time. It pisses me off so much. Being a nurse is a position that requires patients to have trust, respect and confidence in you under extremely difficult pressures. If you cant do that with kindness and compassion even on the last 5 min of a 14hr shift, then just leave.

I am horrified!! I have been the person reassuring people before having the treatment the nurse described so horribly to your DD! I have been the person holding their hand on the way to surgery and seen it done! I have also been there afterwards, when they were relieved it was dealt with. They were not traumatised by the treatment, more by the potential future if they had not had that treatment!

She can go hang, and if that happens as a result of the complaint you have made, then so be it!!

Your poor DD! Bless her. I only hope she can get over this.