Are you forced to practice IV's and injections on each other in nursing school?

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Hello! I am currently taking my pre-reqs at Scottsdale Community College before the nursing program and have a few questions about the program. Im sure ALL schools are completely different, but I was curious to know when the time comes to practice inserting IV's and injections were the students forced to practice on each other? Or is it optional? I obviously dont mind administrating the IV or injection, I just have a fear of someone practicing on me. I know sounds silly!! How do they do these procedures at your schools? Better yet, if you are a student at Scottsdale Community College I'd really like to find out what to expect in the future of the program. Thanks!! :D

We didn't. It was an insurance and liabilty issue.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Home Health.
When you do your' first stick on a patient, do you inform the patient that this is your' first time? Is the patient given the option to have an experienced person care for them?

Just curious. I recently had a glucous tolerance test and I swear I must have been the Ginny pig that day.

big-chicken

NEVER tell a patient its your first time, it will scare them. If you constantly tell patients its your first NG, IV, IM injection, Foley, etc, you will constantly be saying that because you have ALOT of first's...especially in that first year. Dont lie to them though if they ask. Lying is a big NO-NO. Always be honest. Some patients are not comfortable with having a newbie "practicing" on them (some will view it that way but some will actually be glad to be assistance to you) so dont offer that information, lol. Always act like you know what you are doing, because in essence you do. Once you graduate, you will be given the knowledge to perform these skills, even if you dont feel that you do. You will be nervous, which is normal, but you have to get practice to feel comfortable doing them. Your first anything though should be with someone experienced for support and reassurance and advice if needed. Good luck!

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Specializes in Cardiac, Acute/Subacute Rehab.

It's been a while since I've posted, but Ima graduatin' in May!!

We have to sign consent for IM injections, no subq. We are told that we are required to poke, but not required to receive. I don't think anyone refused, though. We DO have to check off correct clean procedure before doing it, though.

IV's? We practiced and checked off on a dummy forearm this past summer. This fall, we have been allowed to start them on pts in clinical (provided the pt did not refuse...some have, and that's okay).

The first time I tried in clinical went like this:

PT: Have you done this before?

ME: Of course I have.

PT: On a person?

ME: Define person. (with a big smile):D

PT: Could it (air quotes with it) say "No, I don't want to do this"?

ME: Well, I guess it could have but it would have been an obscene gesture.

Pt horse laughs at me. He figured out that it was my first time on a non-dummy hand, but we had already established a good rapport before time for an IV restart. The humor broke the ice, and maybe you had to see expressions to get the humor.

I got it on the first try, though. :yeah:

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

In paramedic school (in Texas) we did SQ, IM, and IV on each other. 2 sticks a week max. I am soooo glad that my first stick wasn't on a pt.!

Now that I am in nursing school other nursing students are stressing that they have not had the "real world experience" of sticking a bleeding human, only a sim man. Nothing compares with the experience of starting a line on an actual person.

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We practice on each other lots. Its strictly voluntary to have your arms used, but it is encouraged as a "do unto others" gesture. Nobody refused, but a couple only volunteered once. It was great to see all the things that could happen (like not applying enough pressure and having a geiser of blood come out of someone's arm!). It was also nice to practice applying and removing the IV dressings. The bad part is that our starter kits are different than the stock at the hospital so those of us who have started on real patients were totally confused about the "button". :bugeyes: Blood draws, however, are not part of our curriculum.

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I'm a pre-nursing student, and I just finished a 4-week phlebotomy course. We had to have 25 successful blood draws by the end of the course, and the only option was the 7 other students in the class! I averaged about 3 sticks a night, 4 nights a week. Actually it wasn't nearly as bad as the 10 required finger-sticks. We had been complaining that none of our finger sticks were "successful" because the blood always stopped flowing before we could get a full microtainer. So our teacher brought in Tenderfoot Toddlers- we sure got successful fingersticks with those! :bluecry1:

I'm really hoping nursing school doesn't leave me so butchered every day!

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geez! what school are you going to??

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I went to the Bay Area Medical Academy phlebotomy program. It was a really great class, I learned a lot and the instructors were incredible. I believe it is a state (national?) requirement that we have to have a certain number of documented successful procedures before we are allowed to apply for phlebotomy licensure. And after a couple students nearly cried after trying the Tenderfoots the rest of us declined and just did a better job at warming and milking our battered fingers.

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Specializes in Education, IV Therapy, Travel Medicine.

Don't see this hardly anywhere these days. We use a simulated mannikin to do all injections and IVs, Port A cath access, picc line insertion and care,etc. You learn the technique, use the needle safety equipment, get blood return, etc. I don't like the idea of starting on one another. Sounds like a liability to me.

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Specializes in Emergency/Trauma.
NEVER tell a patient its your first time, it will scare them. If you constantly tell patients its your first NG, IV, IM injection, Foley, etc, you will constantly be saying that because you have ALOT of first's...especially in that first year. Dont lie to them though if they ask. Lying is a big NO-NO. Always be honest. Some patients are not comfortable with having a newbie "practicing" on them (some will view it that way but some will actually be glad to be assistance to you) so dont offer that information, lol. Always act like you know what you are doing, because in essence you do. Once you graduate, you will be given the knowledge to perform these skills, even if you dont feel that you do. You will be nervous, which is normal, but you have to get practice to feel comfortable doing them. Your first anything though should be with someone experienced for support and reassurance and advice if needed. Good luck!

One of our instructors told us if they ask if it is our first time we can say no and not be lying because we have done it in clinical lab. Of course just say no its not my first. They don't have to know that the others were done in practice lab on dummys!

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Specializes in Telemetry & Obs.
One of our instructors told us if they ask if it is our first time we can say no and not be lying because we have done it in clinical lab. Of course just say no its not my first. They don't have to know that the others were done in practice lab on dummys!

I've said before "I can't count the times I've done xyz"...which wasn't a lie if I'd *never* done it ;)

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Specializes in LTC, case mgmt, agency.

We practiced starting IVs on each other, but it was voluntary and we signed a consent.

Definately never tell a patient it's your first time doing anything. It serves no purpose except to make them nervous.

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