Scared of the Tetanus Shot

When a nurse trying hard not to laugh

A rugged-looking heavily tattooed man was wheeled into the emergency room, his face twisted in pain. His wife followed closely behind, her eyes filled with worry and fear. She explained that he had fallen off the roof of their home, but thankfully a nearby bush broke his fall, sparing him from more serious injuries. However, his body was covered in shallow puncture wounds, cuts, and scrapes. The doctor immediately ordered a Tetanus booster because of the debris the man may have come into contact with during his fall.

After cleaning and treating his superficial injuries, I went to prepare the Tetanus booster for him. The moment his gaze landed on the syringe clutched in my hand, his mouth contorted into a terrified scream. "No way! You ain't gonna do that!" he shouted, panic lacing his voice. “It’s gonna hurt!”

With a heavy sigh, I braced myself for what was to come thinking, you allowed the tattoo artist to puncture your skin a million times, and yet you’re scared of one measly tetanus shot. Oh, boy! I knew it would take some effort to calm him down, explain the importance of the booster, and convince him to let me administer the injection. But to my surprise, after only two minutes of reasoning, he reluctantly agreed to go through with it.

However, as I prepared the needle and approached him, he threw up his hands in protest. "Wait until I'm ready!" he warned, his eyes darting between me and the syringe.

Another two minutes passed as I patiently waited for him to feel mentally prepared. Each time I lifted my hand with the syringe, he flinched back and yelled, "Not ready yet!" It seemed like we were back at square one, despite our initial progress.

Feeling pressed for time, I resorted to an old trick I had learned as a young nurse. With determination in my gaze, I positioned myself to shield the entrance door from the man's view. In a hushed tone, I whispered under my breath, "Oh my God!" The man immediately perked up; his curiosity piqued as he craned his neck to catch a glimpse of what was happening. With wide eyes, he asked, "What's going on?"

It took me a second to give him the shot while he focused on the door, and I said while putting a band-aid on his arm, “All done.”

“What?” he asked and looked at me with such a confused expression on his face that I couldn’t hold back a giggle.

“I just gave you the Tetanus booster.”

“You’re telling me that you gave me the shot? You really gave me the shot!” It dawned on him as he touched the band-aid on his arm, wincing. “You’re good. Thank you! I didn’t feel a thing!” he announced.
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As he filled out the patient satisfaction survey, he couldn't help but praise the ER and its staff. "The injection I got here was top-notch. I didn't even feel a thing! This is definitely the place to be if you need a shot!"