[color=#002060]i am a hard stick, too many iv's and too many steroids over the years. my veins are shot. when the nurse comes in to start an iv they search and poke to no avail. it is at this point i ask if i can make a suggestion. the younger nurses look at me as if i have grown three heads and then ignore me, not all the young nurses, but a good many do. they poke two (2) times, then call another nurse. the next one in does the same. if i get five (5) young nurses in a row i get pokes ten (10) times and they have spent an hour or better and no iv. it is at this point i request nicely for an older nurse sometimes they will call one sometimes we go through three (3) or four (4) more rounds of poking. then i put my foot down and tell them no more get me someone older. why an older nurse, i find they are more willing to listen to me. i get an older nurse tell her my tale, tell her where she will find virgin veins and wala they get the job done. i am not trying to be rude, i am simply tired of being poke and the nurses are frustrated because they can't get the iv in. is there a better way of conveying my information so we don't have to do this dance every time i go to the hospital or every three days when they must change the iv or change the iv because it has fallen out.
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[color=#002060]i know in the scope of things this is not a big deal, but it sure does make for a more pleasant stay for all concerned. thank you for any suggestions as to how i can be more diplomatic in explaining things.
[color=#002060] why an older nurse, i find they are more willing to listen to me. i get an older nurse tell her my tale, tell her where she will find virgin veins and wala they get the job done.
the op thought an older nurse would be more willing to listen. i'm not sure that's true, but that was her rationale for the "older" nurse request. she did not say the older nurse was the better sticker.
as others have stated here, the best course of action for the op would be to request what they want, and be firm. i have had pt's who were hard sticks point to the part of the arm that would provide me with the best "target". i have had frequent flyers request a particular nurse. i don't find either of the above offensive, it just makes my job easier.
Why don't you get a port? Then this is a moot issue.
If you can't or don't want to get a port, you simply say "I am a terrible stick, and I want you to get your best IV nurse to do this. Also, can you wrap my arms in warm blankets?" When the IV nurse comes in, you say "Your best luck would probably be here (whichever arm/area is typically the best)."
Simply stating " I don't want to be one of those patients, BUT, I am a hard stick and it might be easier and quicker for all of us if you get your best do do this" or " Do you have an IV team? I'm a super hard stick..yeah, I know you hear that all the time, but I really am" Be firm.
Well I would arrive with a warming pad, already in place over a good vein.
Also ...remember a lot of p'ts and families are really quite undiplomatic when requesting an 'older nurse' or a certain nurse.
They can appear too assertive and really quite rude.
Smile, be warm and friendly and gain rapport with your nurse up front.
Very nicely say ...this is where I think I've got a good vein.
Though, depending on the IV medication and your disease process ... your 'good' vein may not be suitable.
I have many p'ts requesting a certain 'good' vein ..... often I find it's the one the phlebotomist uses for blood collection at a community lab ....this doesn't mean I will be able to place a cannula in it
1. Don't say "I'm a hard stick", before the nurse looks. (Makes them nervous)
2. Insist on warm wet towels 15 min before.
3. Try to hang your arm down, helps to "pop" the veins up.
4. If you see the nurse is having trouble with the first stick, insist on someone else looking. Alot of times if they can't get it on the first, they will have trouble on the second.
5. It's even all right to have the most experienced IV nurse to look, (the other nurses will sometimes be relieved, lol )
I thank each and everyone of you for your input. I am sorry I did not mean to imply it was an age thing, I should have, as pointed out as stated experienced.
I don't believe that I am reading too much into her post- I take it at face-value like the post read.
When you specifically request an "older nurse", you're alienating the "younger nurses", in whose care she's in. Asking for an experienced nurse who's versed in making sticks would have been more appropriate. It's not just nurses who have to be diplomatic, patients do too.
Actually, patients DON'T have to be diplomatic. They just are who they are, and we have to find a way to help that sick, frightened person lying in that uncomfortable bed surrounded by strangers.
Getting yourself het up about jargon only highlights your OWN insecurities (or prejudices, as the case may be).
One of your great talents as a nurse is to be able to read into what your pt. is saying or expressing with his body language. Or did you think those Psychology and Sociology classes were "just" requirements?
imintrouble, BSN, RN
2,406 Posts