Nursing Faculty Experiences With Students' Needlestick Injuries

Nursing students are at increased risk of needlestick injury (NSI) due to limited clinical experience and underdeveloped skills.

The purpose of this study was to describe faculty experiences with nursing students who sustain an NSI.

A retrospective cross-sectional survey design was used to examine nursing faculty experience with student NSIs occurring during clinical practicum experiences.

Thirty-four percent (n = 904) of nursing faculty respondents reported having supervised at least 1 nursing student who experienced an NSI while providing care to a patient. Only 47% (n = 1112) of faculty indicated that a student could access effective exposure management.

Structured simulation activities in which faculty manage a student NSI would provide faculty with essential NSI exposure management experience. Integrating blood-borne pathogen exposure management simulation into faculty development activities would bring a level of realism to the training that a lecture or written policy cannot provide.