The Sticker Effect

Back again at one of my favorite places, the Tully Health Center in Stamford, CT. This time I drive up on the day before my birthday. Last time was the day after Christmas, to get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination. This time is the second and last dose. I will soon be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

A lot has happened in the past few weeks. I was able to sign up for training to become a vaccinator myself, which has never been allowed before. Dentists may become very proficient in giving injections in the mouth, but for some reason we were never allowed to give vaccinations which are routinely given intramuscularly, like in your arm. Now we are. But like other healthcare professionals – including veterinarians – we have to be trained. Since my last vaccination, I completed the online training portion and in a few days I will complete the one on one in person training. So today, I am excited to get the vaccine to develop immunity AND to watch the vaccination from a different perspective. As a student.

Again, the Tully Center is fairly quiet. No lines, no crowds, no red carpet. I take the elevator up to the same place I went to before, check in, and am taken in to a room with a nurse who will be giving me the injection. In my mind I am remembering everything from my training. Patient should be sitting, exposed arm, arm hanging at rest, identify the deltoid muscle (upper arm)……. The nurse starts talking with me and I tell her why I am so excited to get this injection. So she goes through each step like she is teaching a class, and it all went so quickly, again, I didn’t feel a thing. I told her I hope I do it as well as she does when I get my chance. She laughed at me. She said giving an injection in the mouth is way harder than in the arm – it will be easy!

I waited in the waiting area. This time though, before I walked out, I found the basket with THE STICKERS. This is what makes it official. Think about it. If you have that sticker on your coat, maybe the people in line near you in the grocery store won’t be so afraid of you. Maybe they will be nice to you. Have you ever noticed how people in general, in public places, are just afraid to be in public? I know my patients were thrilled to hear I got the first injection. They said it gave them more confidence in getting the vaccine for themselves, it helped them feel better about coming in to the office. If that’s what it takes, I want more of those stickers!! I put my sticker on my coat on the way down in the elevator. I am hoping for The Sticker Effect.

So what will be different for me? Well, nothing much for now. The CDC reports it takes a few weeks for the vaccine to take effect. I will let you know if the sticker has the positive effect I am hoping for. I do know that soon I will be the one giving the injection, which will be a whole new world for me. So stay tuned for my adventures out of the mouth, and into the arm!!