Please help me and tell me I am not alone… am I alone? I have been a hygienist for three years. However, my anxiety over giving injections has not gotten any better. I get shaky and feel like my fear is written all over my face. I am the only hygienist who is licensed to give injections in my office. I think my boss knows my fear exists and never asks me to anesthetize his patients or the other hygienist’s patients. I am so embarrassed by my anxiety, it makes me want to throw up. I lose sleep over an SRP the night before! I feel I’m a good hygienist, but this demon has got the best of me, and makes me want to leave my job. Am I alone?
You are not alone in having anxiety about giving injections! My best advice is not to shy away from giving injections because you are nervous. In fact, you should do the opposite and give as many as you can. The more you do it, the more comfortable you will feel. It’s like hygiene school; I bet you didn’t feel ready to see “real” patients. However, even though at first it may have felt like you were thrown to the wolves, the outcome actually made you learn even faster and become more comfortable and confident.
I think being honest and telling your doctor you’d like to “become more comfortable giving local anesthetic” would be in your favor. If you have time in your schedule, and if it’s okay with your doctor, anesthetize your doctor’s patients for practice. Even peek over your doctor’s shoulder when he anesthetizes. Remember your schooling and don’t hesitate to look through your anesthesia book, especially if it came with a DVD. Check out YouTube for injection techniques. If your co-workers wouldn’t mind helping you face your fear, and if your doctor is okay with being there for supervision purposes, practice on them. Though it may seem embarrassing and might give you anxiety in itself, have your doctor watch you practice giving injections so he can give you tips. When practicing, you don’t have to deposit anesthetic, just go to the deposition point and pull out, as you did in hygiene school.
Again, you aren’t alone. Like you, I was not overly excited about giving injections at first. By not overly excited I mean, when I have my blood drawn, I have been known to pass out, so I can relate to your anxiety. Surprise! That’s embarrassing! However, the first permanent office I worked in after attending hygiene school was a very high-volume office; the doctor saw on average 50-70 patients per day (don’t get me started on how unethical this sounds – I’m not there anymore!). I anesthetized many patients for him; upwards of 20 of his patients per day, multiple injections per patient, on top of my own SRP patients. Needless to say, I am extremely comfortable giving injections now! Looking back, being thrown in and forced to do several injections per day was the best thing for me in the long run, even though it didn’t feel like it right at first. While that office wasn’t the best fit for me, the experience was priceless.
My point here is practice will make you comfortable, I say this from first-hand experience! Don’t leave your job over your fear of injections because someday you will have to face it, and it’s best to get it over with so you can move on. Facing your fear head-on is sometimes the best way to conquer it. Be confident in your skills and practice; you got this!
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SEE ALSO: VIDEO: Maxillary Anesthesia Injection Techniques
DON’T MISS: VIDEO: Mandibular Anesthesia Injection Techniques
