Bad "sticker" needs help

All of the above poster have given some really good tips. I work in a surgical prep area and put in about 4 to 5 IV's an hour.

Another thing I like to do if I have someone that seems to be a difficult stick, is sit them up in the bed and hang both of their arms straight down (let them dangle). I let them do this while I arrange my supplies. Make sure you have good lighting and are comfortable (pull up a chair). Once I sit down and I am ready to go, I tie the tourniquet a couple of inches above their wrist. I like to have the patient place their thumb on the inside of their hand, it helps stabilize the vein. Have the patient tilt their wrist however you need to straighten the vein for you. I've never learned to enter the vein from the side, I have always went bevel up through the top. My angle depends on how deep the vein feels. Once I get my flash I straighten out my angio, advance slightly, then slide the angio off the needle. Then I release my tourniquet.

As the other poster said, the size of the needle and the location of the site will all depend on the reason for the IV.

Keep working at it and you will develop your own style that works for you.

Good luck!

Just a quick thought-

If you have nice nurses on the floor that you work with- see if you can practice on them! Thats how I learned The girls I worked with took me into our treatment room (it was a peds floor) and let me practice on one with another one standing right next to me guiding me. It really helped. I was able to do 7-8 IV's without hestitation on people who were guiding me before I went in to do them on real patients.

We were always told in my orientation that if you a having trouble with IV's to ask for it. Just remember it seems like each nurse has a different style, so you have to find one suited to you! (ie, arranging items, how you tape the IV, etc)

Also, if your hospital has one, you could ask to go with the IV nurse/team for a day and learn techniques. That would always help

Just try and jump in there and do all the IV's you can do- practice makes perfect technique , and just remember, everyone has bad IV days.

GOOD LUCK!!

Another place to get practice at IV's if you have no IV team is the pre-op holding areas. If you can get permission to do nothing but IV's there for a day or two it would be helpful.

When we inserviced medical students on IV insertion, our IV team always had them put an IV into each other. That way they could get their apprehensions about the first stick out of the way in an environment where they could be themselves. I have to say that I've only seen a handful over my many years in IV therapy who were any good at the first stick (and, I'm including myself in that group)--so, practice is very important. You just have to be persistant about getting in there and doing them. For me, it was always a great feeling of accomplishment when I was able to cannulate a vein in someone who had been labeled by the rest of the staff as having bad veins. This is your second warning, however, if you get really good at this you are going to get volunteered to start the difficult IVs by everybody else who won't face their own inability at it.

Just remember.....even when you are "great" at starting IV's......we all have days that we couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!

Thank you all for this advice! I sure needed it! I have had 3 attempts at starting an IV and haven't got one yet. I passed up 2 because I was just so sure that I couldn't get it. I'll make sure that I keep asking for the chance because I desparately want my first successful stick!

Is there anyone that will allow you to try on them? Usually, Paramedics are wonderful at IV's and will not only let you try on them, they will talk you thru it. Do you know anyone in your ER?

Keep the faith!