Making the decision to become a nurse is a difficult decision. The nurse must put aside her own feelings, beliefs and judgments to provide the best care possible to her patients. Being a nurse can be a rewarding career but there are risks associated with the profession. Nurses not only face injuries from caring for patients, but they also face violence in the workplace. Nurses face injuries from needle sticks, handling dangerous medications such as cancer drugs, musculoskeletal injuries resulting from lifting and transferring patients, exposure to bodily fluids, and workplace violence. . Nurses are at greater risk of injury if they work shifts. Working long hours at a time can wear out the nurse and increase the risk of injury to the patient and nurse. Nurses are at increased risk of needle stick injuries. Infectious diseases, especially blood-borne viruses, are transmitted through needle stick wounds. The biggest concern is the injection of injectable fluids, especially blood, also with the possibility of injecting dangerous drugs. Some hospitals report that one-third of nursing staff suffer such injuries each year. Nurses suffered the most exposures, 485, and needlestick injuries were the most common, 320 (Needlestick Injuries, 2005). Nurses can reduce the risk of needlestick injuries by not recapturing the needle, placing the used needle in the sharps container, and using needles in which the needle is retracted after injecting the medication. Nurses can be injured by dangerous drugs. Nurses who must administer dangerous medications on a daily basis are at greater risk of experiencing problems resulting from the medications. Studies have shown that workplace exposure to dangerous drugs can cause both acute and chronic...... half of article ......ld: Healthy work environment. (2013). Retrieved November 17, 2013, from American Nurses Association: http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/WorkplaceSafety/Healthy-Work-EnvironmentSedlak, C. (2004, September 30). Overview and summary: Nurse safety: have we addressed the risks? Retrieved November 15, 2013, from the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing: http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/Table of Contents/Volume92004/No3Sept04/NurseSafetyOverview.aspxThe Joint Commission and Commission Resources joint. (2004, July 27). Retrieved November 17, 2013, from U.S. Department of Labor: http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/alliances/jcaho/jcaho_20040727_agreement.htmlWorkplace Safety & Health Topics. (2013, March 6). Retrieved November 17, 2013, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/healthcare/