Blog #5

Hello Group,

I can officially say that I am burned out and exhausted. I had a Calculus and Chemistry II test on today back to back, and the amount of information that I had to cram put my mind into overload. I spent an entire week studying for these tests, and I feel as if I failed both of them. It is sad to say that I get excited to go to work because that means I do not have to do any school work. I am counting down the days to spring break!!!

Question of the week

I did this assignment last minute because I was unsure about what I would do. I wanted to share with you the REAL thoughts that were streaming through my head when I first read the QOTW. First, I was debating whether or not I would actually pull over. I have heard so many bad stories about the “Good Samaritan” getting sued by the victim or their family because of improper first aid. I do not want to be responsible for anyone’s life, let alone have the guilt on my shoulders if that person did not make it. The death of that person would haunt me for the rest of my life because I would constantly be thinking about what else I could have done. Also, the fact of possibly being infected by HIV from a complete stranger scares me. I am an extremely cautious person, but under stress and panic I am sure to make mistakes because I am not thinking straight. Seeing as my career is in healthcare, I am sure if this situation were to happen I would put all thinking aside and help this victim. I always drive myself crazy thinking about the “what if’s” in life, and I think that if I just kept driving I would always wonder if help ever came to the accident scene.

Did You Know?

If a healthcare is accidently pricked by a needle, the first step is to press the wound under running water for a minimum of 5 minutes and clean with chlorhexidine ("Needle prick injury," 2009). Next, the patient history needs to be looked up to see if they are HIV positive ("Needle prick injury," 2009). If they are, a prophylaxis treatment will be applied to the healthcare worker ("Needle prick injury," 2009). According to wisegeek.com, prophylaxis is a term used to describe measures taken to prevent symptoms of the disease (Grosvenort, 2010). The healthcare worker needs to also take note of the exact day, time, location, and description of the incident.

Needle prick injury. (2009, July 7). Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/17273646/Needle-Prick-Injury

Grosvenort, C. (2010). What is Prophylaxis?. Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-prophylaxis.htm

Blog #4

Question of the Week
This week I asked my Daddy, Grandfather, and boyfriend five questions that allowed conversation on a topic that we would not usually talk about. I was amazed by their answers, and the lack of real knowledge that they have on HIV. I have never had serious conversations with my Dad unless it had to do with the government; therefore, his answers were the most surprising to me. I could not believe that if he was to become infected with HIV he would not tell his own family. He also stated that he would feel less of a man if he had HIV. I look forward to having these types of conversations with my Dad in the future in hope of understanding his true feelings.

Module #2
This module went a little better for me than the first one. I started working on this the day I finished Module #1, so I took my time and focused on the small details. I am still having problems with citing, but I think I should have it down by the next assignment.. hopefully. I loved studying the immune system and how it relates to HIV. I found that HIV is a lot more complex than I originally thought. It is important to understand how it is formed before we can find a way to stop HIV from spreading.


Did You Know?!
There are several types of needles that can help prevent needle stick injuries from occurring?

The "Self Re-sheathing Needle" allows a guard to be placed around the needle after use ("Needlestick/sharps injuries," ).


The "Syringe with Retractable Needles" allows the the needle to go back into the syringe after use ("Needlestick/sharps injuries," ).


The "Add on Safety Feature" lowers over the needle once the user is finished ("Needlestick/sharps injuries," ).



Needlestick/sharps injuries. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/hospital/hazards/sharps/sharps.html

Blog #3

Module #1
I am pretty upset with my first module. I worked on the assignment for a total of nine hours and I had to keep saving it to my email so I could open it at work, home, and my boyfriends house. I had twelve of the questions answered before I went over to my boyfriends house to finish it. The six questions that I did at his house completely disappeared when I posted it for my grade. I kept pushing save after every question that I answered, but for some reason it did not save to his computer. So after all that hard work that I put into the assignment I ended up with a 45% because I did not realize the questions did not save until it was graded :(. I learned a very important lesson.... always open your assignment when you are posting your grade to make sure everything is the way you want it.

HIV Test
Last week I got tested for HIV. It was a little nerve racking because I hate needles, and I have not had my blood checked since the end of 2008. The doctor found it a little strange that this was for a class at UCF and I had the feeling she thought I was lying. They called me today to let me know that everything looks great! Even though I was sure that nothing would come up on the test, I still found myself waiting anxiously for them to call me. I spoke to my friends the day I had the test done, and they had told me that they have never been tested before!! It opened up a good conversation about how important it is for women to have their yearly and blood checked at least once a year. They have all been sexually active before, and never felt comfortable going to get tested. So today I took them both to Planned Parenthood!! I plan on doing that for my sister too because she is 17 years old, and has been with her boyfriend for two years. I do not ask questions about what she is doing, but I am still going to make sure that she knows how important it is to go to the doctor.

Did You Know?!
Did you know that only about 2% of needle stick injuries a year involve a needle that contains blood with HIV?

"The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that of the some 800,000 injuries each year, only about 2 percent (approximately 16,000) involve needles that are likely to be contaminated with HIV. Of those 2 percent of needlestick injuries where HIV-infected blood is known to be present, the chance of HIV transmission is estimated to be between 0.3 and 0.45 percent. The risk of transmission may be increased, however, if the needle is visibly bloody, if the procedure involved placing the needle in one of the patient's veins or arteries, or if there was a deep injury. Obviously, since 98 percent of needle-stick injuries do not involve HIV-infected blood, your chance of getting HIV from a random needle stick is significantly lower than the above figures" ("HIV from a Needle Stick," 2001) .

Hiv from a needle stick?. (2001, April 20). Retrieved from http://www.goaskalice.com/1887.html

Blog #2

*PCP Assignment*

This simulation was yet another learning experience for me. I chose to have my boyfriend hold a pillow over my face because it was a good indication of the trust I had in him. Throughout the assignment crazy thoughts came streaming into my mind... Was he going to obey the panic sign when I gave it to him? Do I have control of whether or not I am able to breath? As the minutes past it became harder and harder for me to suck in air. Some symptoms that I experienced were a headache, fast heart rate, anxiety, dizziness, chest pains, and tingly extremities. I think if I worked out more and took more vitamins, this assignment would have been easier for me to finish. It allowed me to see why people who have weak immune systems are more prone to PCP. During my research I found out that "PCP is the most common serious infection in people who have advanced HIV disease in the United States" (Pneumocystis Pneumonia 2007).


*Blogging Add On*
GHESKIO Relief in Haiti

With the death toll in the thousands due to the recent earthquake, I thought it would only be necessary to research an organization in Haiti. According to the GHESKIO official website, the GHESKIO Center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti was the first institution in the world dedicated to the fight against HIV/AIDS ("In the heart," 2007). GHESKIO began its mission in Haiti in 1982, and have done everything in their power to keep their doors always open. Due to the catastrophe, the GHESKIO center was heavily damaged. They are asking for people to donate what they can to ensure that they are up and running as soon as possible. This organization is one of the reasons why Haiti's HIV prevention has become better in the past twenty years.

Their mission is to

"provide integrated primary care services, including HIV counseling, AIDS care, prenatal care, and management of tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections. Through the conduct of research, GHESKIO defines HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention models for Haiti. Through training, GHESKIO expands these models to the national level" ("In the heart," 2007).

There was one aspect of the organization that really caught my eye and that was the counseling that they provide to patients:

"All patients tested for HIV receive pre and post-test counseling. Counseling includes an assessment of the patient’s knowledge of HIV transmission and the development of a personalized HIV risk-reduction strategy for each patient. All patients are encouraged to visit the family planning clinic, where condoms and other family planning options are offered. Individualized counseling is provided for each HIV-positive patient" ("In the heart," 2007).

In the heart of port-au-prince: gheskio relief in haiti. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.gheskio.org/


*Did You Know?!*

Did you know that ten percent of all hospital personnel are injured a year due to needle stick injuries? This percentage is still high considering all of the regulations that have been put forth to eliminate this problem. The number one thing on every Healthcare workers mind should be their own safety, but this could in fact stress them out to the point where they mess up. I recently just left a job because the managers took up so much time explaining the mistakes that could cost you your job. Every time I went to work all I thought about was trying not to mess up. This put so much anxiety on me in everything that I did; therefore, I was consistently messing up.

Did you know that "One of the most common and dangerous injuries sustained by Healthcare workers is an accidental needle prick from contaminated needles? According to one study, at least 20 pathogens including the AIDS virus and Hepatitis B virus are transmitted by accidental needle stick injuries" ("Health concerns," 2009-2010).

Health concerns. (2009-2010). Retrieved from http://www.desertinc.com/HealthConcerns.html