I figured this was the place to get the most answers. I think several of you are nurses. When I was practicing, I gave a ton of shots. Well in the past couple of years, when I got a shot at the doc's office, they never aspirated the injection before proceeding. (For others, that means pushing the needle on the syringe into the muscle (or wherever), but pulling back on the plunger first, to be sure you're not in a vessel, then injecting the substance.
Today I got my pneumococcal injection, and she didn't aspirate it first. I asked her why they don't do that anymore and she didn't know what I was talking about. I tried to explain to her that it was pulling back with the plunger while in the muscle, to be sure you're not in a vessel. She didn't have a clue what I was talking about. I said "Maybe getting blood back happens so infrequently, they don't teach that anymore." Then I told her that it happened to me a couple times.....where I got blood back, and needed to reposition the needle. She said "Well I HOPE I wouldn't get any blood, since it's in a muscle!!" Oh dear. Here's hoping what she gave me at least was the right stuff.........
So....did/do you always aspirate when giving an injection?