Do you start your own IVs?

[FireStarterRN]

Do you start IVs where you work? I'm doing a travel contract at a hospital that has IV therapy and most nurses don't start IVs there. I had to start a couple of IVs there other day for other nurses because IV therapy was too busy.

I guess if you work in a place with IV therapy, you just don't start IVs. I'll include a poll with this thread.

[traumahawk99]

iv starting is just one of those things... to many patients, you get the iv, and you're a great nurse... you miss twice, and you're a terrible nurse that doesn't know what he/she is doing.

the reality is you have days when it's all good and you can't miss, and then you have days where.... . not that i'm the religious sort, but i think bad vodoo has something to do with it.

[rnmi2004]

We start our own IV's. We have an IV team that inserts PICCs at the bedside and they will start IV's on difficult sticks, after the floor nurse and the charge has tried unsuccessfully. Like others have said, you have good streaks and then there are days when you can't hit the broad side of a barn.

[elizabells, BSN, RN]

My NP mentor calls it being "one with the vein". Some days you're hot, and some days you couldn't hit a hosepipe with a 24g. Even the wizzes have off days.

[CRIMSON]

I would prefer to always start my own. When I worked Cardiac Stress Lab we consented and started all of our patients IV"s. Normal was 10 or so a day each.(did this for over a year) This is when I was still a nuclear cardiology tech/assist. I definitely do not like to hand mine off, I hate to see someone butcher my patients. When I had the off day, I knew the few I trusted, the same for them when they had their off day. They called me. I almost dred the day in NS when I have to let another student try on me....knowing I will probably get the one who still shakes when they hold the needle. But I know everyone needs to learn so I will go along as best I can.

[SoundofMusic]

When we're in a hurry, we can ask our techs to do them and they are happy to do so if they're staffed well. If not, then I think we are welcome to start our own. I did my first today on the unit and it went well (new grad) and supposedly, we have to do all our own blood draws on nights -- everybody just pitches in.

I look forward to developing those good phlebotomy skills -- I'm ready to take the class -- it's a skill you can always use anywhere.

I hear IV nurses make great pay and set their own hours ...wouldn't be a bad deal for some.

[lpnstudentin2010, LPN]

iv starting is just one of those things... to many patients, you get the iv, and you're a great nurse... you miss twice, and you're a terrible nurse that doesn't know what he/she is doing.

the reality is you have days when it's all good and you can't miss, and then you have days where.... . not that i'm the religious sort, but i think bad vodoo has something to do with it.

I dont think that. :wink2: I understand that sometimes multiple sticks are needed. I always tell nurses I am a hard stick. Cuz I am. The last time I needed one they tried 3 times then had to go to my foot and get it there. I was a first for them, the first 20 year old they needed to stick in the foot.

[Drysolong]

in the two places where i work, all nurses (lpn & rn) start their own iv's. no iv team. but you can always get help from others. on particularly hard sticks, we can usually get an er nurse to do it successfully.

personally, i've only done 3. just beginning to get the hang of it.

[GooeyRN, ADN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN]

We don't have an IV therapy team.

[NursingAgainstdaOdds]

LOL that is unheard of where I work - to not start your own IVs. But, then I realize I work in a smaller hospital, so there are less resources like this.

We start every one of our own IVs, the exception being a difficult stick, when you are flat unable to gain access. We have several kind of "designated stickers" on the floor, that are notoriously good at getting an IV. If they can't get it, we beg one up from the ICU or oncology. They've saved my butt so many times.

[SDS_RN, RN]

We start our own IV's and I would prefer it that way. I love to start IV's the more you do the better you get.

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

I am from Mars and we don't have viens :lol2:

Actually, it is fairly rare in the UK for nurses to start thier own IV's it is left for the doctors or Nurse practitioners to do. The exceptions are within some specialist units such as EU, ICU CCU

up to a point depends on the hospital, certainly it;s spreading bnut it's an attitude issue as well

the old ' it would take too much time up ' line doesn't hold water , i can get a line in someone before the average SHO answers their bleep ...

[XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN]

up to a point depends on the hospital, certainly it;s spreading bnut it's an attitude issue as well

the old ' it would take too much time up ' line doesn't hold water , i can get a line in someone before the average SHO answers their bleep ...

I couldn't agree with you more. I would much prefer to get the cannula in myself and then give the drugs rather than waiting goodness knows how long for a doc to come and do it then get behind on giving IV's because of access problems.

I also think your right about an attitude thing, the amount of times I have been called to cannulate pateints who are being cared for by staff who are able to cannulate but won't frustrates me. I do understand that there are staffing problems and that sometimes they really don't have time but it's the ones with the huge viens that you know would just take a minute to do make me want to scream.