Multiple IV's for one student, none for the rest... Is this usual during clinical?

37changes, ASN, RN · Apr 9, 2018

In the army we do. I dont start nursing school till this Fall, right now Im just taking pre-reqs.
Do civilian students not use each other for IV practice?

Not allowed to in our program. At all.

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · Apr 9, 2018

In the army we do. I dont start nursing school till this Fall, right now Im just taking pre-reqs.
Do civilian students not use each other for IV practice?

I graduated in 2008 (from a direct-entry MSN program for 2nd-degree students) and we practiced on each other regularly after clinicals... at least some of us did. We were not required to offer up our veins to each other and it wasn't graded, but for those who wanted to, it was a regular part of our clinical experience.

KarenMS · Apr 10, 2018

Even if you get a chance to place one or two now, the skill probably won't stick around until you get your first job. I had the chance to place an IV during one rotation a whole year before graduation. Now I'm orienting in the ICU as a new grad and had to learn the whole procedure over again anyway. They even got new IVs, so it was all brand new to everyone.

dmax32284 · Apr 10, 2018

Best thing you can do IMO is to seek out opportunities every chance you get. Personally, I let my instructors know what I want to do, as well as nurses on the floor. I also prep well, have my crap together, and don't take forever going through my assessments/medications/etc like some of the other students in my rotations. This gives me time to follow nurses, observe more, and practice skills.

***If you are allowed*** to do things other than work with your patient, make friends with wound nurse/IV team/etc and let them know you would like opportunities to practice skills if possible. Know your stuff. Be confident that you know your stuff and that you can perform the skill. Patients won't worry about you if you aren't acting like you don't know what you are doing or you are nervous.

If you are in a clinic environment that doesn't allow those things, or a have an instructor that doesn't and/or plays favorites, then impress them. If they aren't confident in your ability they aren't going to give you opportunities. (I'm not an instructor so this is obviously just opinion)

Lastly, if you are able to work and handle school, try to get on a unit that may allow you to practice some of these skills. This will likely be somewhere other than an impatient floor - think ER, CV lab, pre-op, dialysis.

DextersDisciple, BSN, RN · Apr 12, 2018

Students weren't even allowed to do accucheks let alone IVs. Supposedly against school/clinical site policy. My instructor let me stick her!

The most involved skill i used during clinical was straight cathing a mom in labor. BUT I had to ask or else I would have just watched. The nurse said "oh..sure!" Like surprised that I wanted to but happy to show me. It helped that the mom didn't care since she was numb from the waist down anyway :)

Cmdd · Apr 13, 2018

If you told your instructor then if she's good she'll come get you when she finds a patient that needs an IV but you never get a chance to do it, don't worry. When you start working they will never put you to do an IV on a patient until you've been properly trained and experienced. It's a liability to the facility.

emmjayy, BSN, RN · Apr 13, 2018

I feel that I never got enough skills or experience in clinical. I just started a preceptorship in the ICU (my final clinical placement before graduation) and have learned and done more in the 36 hours I've spent up there so far than I learned in ALL of my previous clinical placements in nursing school. I am one-on-one with a preceptor and she makes sure I see and participate in as much as possible while I'm with her. I wouldn't worry too much about what happens during clinical, because you're going to learn really quick once you're cut loose from your clinical instructor and are more independent.

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · Apr 16, 2018

In the army we do. I dont start nursing school till this Fall, right now Im just taking pre-reqs.
Do civilian students not use each other for IV practice?

In many cases, no they don't. I went to nursing school years ago and we never had an opportunity to insert IV's in school. Both hospitals we went to for clinicals utilized IV teams and students weren't allowed to start them. We also weren't allowed to practice on each other for any invasive procedure. The reason given was risk of injury and infection control. Our single learning experience for IV insertion was a lab with fake arms, the veins were filled with beet juice to simulate blood.

KrCmommy522, BSN, RN · Apr 18, 2018

I haven't read all the comments so this might have been said already. At my school, we hardly ever got chances to do IVs. In fact, I didn't ever get a chance to try one on a real patient until I did my practicum. We were never in the ER (except for 1 semester, the clinical instructor would choose 1 student to do 1 day in the ER), so patient's already had IV's started. When I did my practicum, I only got the chance to try there because the patient's IV needed to be redone. If you get a rotation in the ER, you should have more chances there.

But like some of the comments said, it's mostly about letting others know what you want to try and practice on and making yourself known on the floor as ready and willing to learn. Most of the time, they aren't going to come hunt you down and tell you there is a chance for you do to a skill. Unfortunately, for the most part, it's just about what student is there at the time it comes up. If you tell the nurse you are working with and your instructor that you want more experience with whatever skill or that you haven't gotten a chance to do whatever skill and would like an opportunity if it comes up, they are more likely to think of you when the time comes and if another student isn't already there waiting and ready to do it, they will get it. But, like it said, it usually comes down to who is there when the opportunity arises. Sometimes that doesn't seem fair, but it's just the way it is. I had one student in my graduating class that seemed to always get to do every skill opportunity that came up when I did clinicals before, I asked her how that was, and she said that she makes sure her patient is taken care of but beyond that is always close by the nurses station to listen for opportunities. That just wasn't me. I liked to help out other students that needed it, aides, other nurses, whatever someone needed when my patient's were taken care of. But, being in patient's rooms didn't leave me out at the nurse's station or in the hallway to find out about opportunities for skills.

But, you will get more experience when you do your practicum, and most of your experience you will get when you get on the floor after graduating. I graduated not having done certain skills. Focus on your knowledge base, assessment, and critical thinking skills, and be open and upfront with the nurse you are working with what you want more experience with - if you are talking to another nurse or helping another nurse out, tell them too! Tell everyone on the floor! The more you put yourself out there, the more experience you will get - overall, not just in skills. Don't worry too much about the skills. They go along with the knowledge, so they are important, but you will get plenty of chances to learn over your time in school if you are letting people know what you need and once you graduate.

On a side note, whenever there was something I needed experience with, I tried to find patient's that had it and choose them as my patient's for the day. For example, when we were learning to hang IVs and do piggybacks, I would look for patient's that had IV fluids and had piggybacks. Unfortunately, with IVs you can't really do that. Like I said before, unless you're in the ER, they probably already have an IV started and most likely won't need another. I'm surprised your other classmates have gotten so many opportunities!

Good luck!