A nursing professor, now administering Covid-19 vaccinations as a volunteer, looks back on her 40 years of giving injections. The first one was the hardest. 

‘I could have easily given up that day.’

I reviewed the chart the night before—“40 units of NPH insulin subcutaneous before breakfast”—then went home to practice the technique. With a tiny needle and a small volume of medication. I used an orange to simulate the skin and gain confidence in how to puncture the skin and push the plunger to inject the medication.

As I entered the ward with my fellow classmates the next morning, I felt prepared to give my very first injection. I removed the insulin from the refrigerator and began to warm the vial between my fingers. I carefully selected the 100 unit insulin syringe. As I slowly drew up the dose, nervously flicking the air bubble out of the top of the syringe, my clinical instructor watched from the side.

Before we went into the room I checked the record for site rotation—right side of belly. I swallowed hard. We knocked and entered the room, introducing ourselves and our plans for the patient’s morning insulin. The older man lying in bed nodded approvingly. When I pulled up his gown and searched the right side of his belly, I began to have doubts. I hadn’t practiced an injection in the belly and the man’s skin was dry and wrinkled—nothing like the smooth skin of the orange I’d used the night before.

I swabbed the area with the […]