[TazziRN]

I landmark by finding the iliac crest and sacrum-I make a triangle shape with my hands and in the middle is where I do the inj. I was taught this by an RN where I work and have had many since him support that method. I never go into the middle of the buttock, always to the side.

Um.......that's how you should have been taught in school. That is the proper way to find your site, and the middle of the butt should never be used.

Great that you're painless inj nurse, not everyone has that quality! I had one pt tell me that he'd received a butt shot from my then-coworker and it had felt like "she was digging a hole in my a** with the end of a pipe!"

[TazziRN]

double post, sorry

[arv]

Hi Tazzi!
I really enjoy your posts. Just a quick note from nursing school on the East Coast - when we covered IM injections the first semester; we were told to disregard the DG site. It was on some of the handouts and lecture stuff, but we were told that (for the most part) IM's shouldn't be given DG because of the danger of hitting the sciatic nerve, I believe. That's been quite awhile ago & my brain moved on to other things since then, but I think that is the reason we were given. I remember them telling us to cross out the info; and I know we were only checked off on the other 3 sites.
Have a great day!

[TazziRN]

Originally Posted by arv

Hi Tazzi!
I really enjoy your posts.

Thanks!

[friendly one]

I work in a physc unit where im's are a daily. You give them where you can as fast as you can. These are severe behaviors with ativan and haldol mix. I gave an im in the delt on a small man using the smallest needle possible. This man gets im's every 4 hrs and can only get them in the delt. When I gave his im it caused a big bubble of fluid under the skin. I've never had this happen before. Is this going to cause an abscess? The man gets antibiotic Iv bid for infection already.

[Epona]

Hi. I will be a new RN student starting in Jan. How many shots, IV's, IM's do we give each other in RN school?? Do we take each other's blood?? I am guessing we do all this, but just wanted some insight.

eyes:

Thanks! Epona

[NurseWi_JennJenn]

We learned all the IM injection sites second semester... I didn't give an IM injection until I started working as a RN during orientation and by then needed a refresher of the landmarks...

[StudentNurseBean]

I learned them in my first semester of holistic fundamentals. I know how to find the area on the glute and adminster one. I have administered all ways. I have even had the opportunity to do a ppd and today I drew blood. But my point is, I have NEVER used the IM except for the flu vaccine clinic, but I do know where all areas are and how to find the two ways of finding the correct area on the glute so I don't hit the nerve

[lauralassie]

Know what you mean. Many days I think nursing schools need to get back to the basics. I really think that is why so many new grads become stressed to the point they leave nursing after only a couple of years. They have no practical training. I don't see the point in all the book work with no hands on. It's like training a pilot with books and then woundering why they can't take the stress of a real flight. New grads, don't be mistaken,we had just as much book work but three full days of gut wrenching clinicals on top of it.The BS they learn in school these days!

[Epona]

Do RN students take blood from each other?? Give shots to each other??