How do you pick your vein for an IV?

[Chandra Lancaster]

As a nursing student, I try to take every chance I get to practice IV's on patients, I still suck at it. Every time I start one, I get kind of nervous that I won't find the right vein, or that it will blow on me. My last clinical I got 3 out of 5 in, but this is not the usual for me. Any suggestions on getting it in the first try? And what veins to avoid? Any help is appreciated!

[fromtheseaRN, BSN, RN]

don't rely much on your eyes as looks can be deceiving....learn to palpate and appreciate veins...

i completely agree. a lot of my classmates wanted to practice on me because my tattoos make it impossible to see my veins.

also, do you have practice arms in the lab at your school? i would spend hours practicing IVs in the lab, and i have successfully placed every IV i've attempted (knock on wood).

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

I scope out my husbands' veins while pretending to caress his arms lovingly, lol!

I do have to say to those saying "don't listen if a patient tells you they're a hard stick"... I am one of those hard sticks. I have what look like pipes but VERY thin walled and I have a LOW HR/BP so especially when I'm laying down - valve city. Getting an IV in me is generally a long, very painful process. I had an outpatient procedure done a couple of years ago and started hemorrhaging after they had pulled my IV to discharge me. It took several nurses and IV therapists 4 hours and TWELVE sticks to restart me. You'd better believe by the time the last IV therapist came in my room, I was in tears before the stick.

Listen to your patients, don't be arrogant. There's no reason to cause someone pain because of your ego.

I know I personally never said "don't listen if a patient tells you they're a hard stick"! I said don't let it fluster you (or something along those lines). No sense letting your head tell your hands that "they said they're hard, so that means I'm never going to get it in" Arrogance has nothing to do with it, IMO

[wantccu]

I know I personally never said "don't listen if a patient tells you they're a hard stick"! I said don't let it fluster you (or something along those lines). No sense letting your head tell your hands that "they said they're hard, so that means I'm never going to get it in" Arrogance has nothing to do with it, IMO

That, I get - but I've had nurses try to prove a point when I tell them I'm a hard stick and where a good site is - On more than one occasion looked at my veins, said "no, you're not" and proceed to stab me where I told them not to and blow a vein. I always come out looking like an abused woman with bruises up and down both arms/wrists/hands. After my first child was born, my husband couldn't been seen with me in short sleeves for a month because of the dirty looks he'd get!

[Chandra Lancaster]

When talking to coworkers or strangers... do you ever catch yourself admiring the veins on the hands and arms. LOL

All the time!!

[Chandra Lancaster]

i completely agree. a lot of my classmates wanted to practice on me because my tattoos make it impossible to see my veins.

also, do you have practice arms in the lab at your school? i would spend hours practicing IVs in the lab, and i have successfully placed every IV i've attempted (knock on wood).[/quote]

I do have practice veins at school, but they are nothing like poking a real live arm..to me at least. Maybe I'll go in and practice some more, but for now, I just ask to start as many IV's on the floor as I can!

[DixieRedHead, ASN, RN]

My problem is not starting an IV. I can put an IV in a raisin. BUT, drawing labs is so very hard for me. Never had to do it before LTC. Help?