A nurse gets a needlestick injury from a used needle. What should the nurse do first?

A. Squeeze the site to make it bleed
B. Wash the site with soap and water
C. Report to employee health for testing
D. Apply bleach to the puncture site

Show answer and rationale

Correct answer: B

Immediately wash with soap and water, then report so post-exposure evaluation and prophylaxis can start, ideally within hours. Squeezing and caustic agents are not recommended.

Source: CDC. Exposure to Blood: What Healthcare Personnel Need to Know

Keep practicing Safety and Infection Prevention and Control

This question is one of 163 Safety and Infection Prevention and Control items in NCLEXSim. On the NCLEX-RN, this category makes up 10–16% of the exam.

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Study tip

Memorize isolation by organism: airborne (TB, measles, varicella), droplet (influenza, pertussis, mumps, meningococcus), contact (C. difficile, MRSA, scabies, RSV).
Drill the PPE sequences: on is gown, mask, eyewear, gloves; off is gloves, eyewear, gown, mask, then hand hygiene.

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