Injecting local anesthetic is an essential skill for you to master. Several tips here for you to keep in mind. Draw the anesthetic into the syringe before you enter the roompatients always get anxious when they see you using a big 18 gauge needle to draw it up. Secondenter the tissue at the wound margininside the wound, don't stick the needle into intact skinit hurts more. Thirdinsert the needle as far as you can along the wound margin and aspirate to ensure you are not in a blood vessel. Inject as you withdraw the needle. Lastlyyou can reposition the needle without removing it from the tissue to avoid extra sticks. Then go to the opposite side of the wound and repeat this process.