crna school and iv skills

CRNA, DNSc · Jul 11, 2007

I'm wondering if any crnas or srnas can give me a little insight. I am currently working in NICU and MSICU, but I do not have good IV SKILLS. Usually the patients have Central lines and I do not have much experience. Will I have a hard time if I entered CRNA program, or would you say that in the program, they will fully train me and enhance my confidence? Any suggestions??

Come on- find a way to improve your IV skills before CRNA program- Does your hospital having training classes- can you spend time with the IV team or in a location where they frequently start IVs- like pre-op. This is so basic a skill that there really is not alot of time or instruction on it in CRNA programs because there is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much else to do and learn in a very short period!!!!!

KsMICT · Jul 11, 2007

I'm not a CRNA but I would like to add a question to your question. CRNAs seem to have a rep of the greatest IV starters anywhere. It seems I've heard more than once that people who are hard sticks need anesthesia providers to start their lines. Is this true? If so, why? Is there an intense level of vasculature anatomy training in CRNA school?

(BTW, I start a lot of lines in my current ER job and my suggestion would be to shadow a lab tech sometime for some extra practice. That was my best opportunity to learn when I was in paramedic school.)

japaho41 · Jul 11, 2007

I think that can be quite common especially when you have a lot of central lines. I would not really worry about your IV skills at this point. Some programs are front loaded and you might not touch a patient for a year so think of the things that you do easily that will become a challenge when you are not accustom to doing them.

-So keep trying, ask someone that is really good to help you. If your unit has to float to the ER, offer to go even if it is not your turn you will get plenty of opportunities there.

ralatek · Jul 11, 2007

you'll get plenty of chances to start IVs and you'll catch some heat for not being good at it. That is a skill that most of your CRNA instructors feel you should have mastered as a ICU nurse. Practice, practice, practice...

allnurses Guide · Jul 11, 2007

I'm not a CRNA but I would like to add a question to your question. CRNAs seem to have a rep of the greatest IV starters anywhere. It seems I've heard more than once that people who are hard sticks need anesthesia providers to start their lines. Is this true? If so, why? Is there an intense level of vasculature anatomy training in CRNA school?
(BTW, I start a lot of lines in my current ER job and my suggestion would be to shadow a lab tech sometime for some extra practice. That was my best opportunity to learn when I was in paramedic school.)

I don't know that SRNAs have intense "vascular" anatomy course in anesthesia school, but in my school we are 10 weeks of gross anatomy over the summer to help us to learn anatomy.

ready4crna? · Jul 12, 2007

Dude- you gotta have it down pat before you go to school! if you get into a front loaded program, you may not see a patient for a year! You gotta be able to do it, ask to go to your hospitals ER for about 8hrs to just do IV's (preferably on 80 year old steroid dependant diabetics :))

confused1234 · Jul 12, 2007

thanks to all for the honest answers....and good suggestions...

piper_for_hire · Jul 12, 2007

My school doesn't teach you about IVs at all - you're expected to know how to do them. Yes - there is a certain irony there since I can't recall ever starting an IV in the ICU as everyone had central lines. Still - it's a pretty easy thing to do and you can pick up a shift in the ER and get tons of experience in one day.

-S

Focker, CRNA · Jul 14, 2007

I know everyone else says you have to have it down before going to school, but I can tell you that I had minimal IV skills when I started CRNA school. Like a few other people have said, my ICU patients had central lines a lot of the time or they came up from ER with IVs, so I didn't do that many iv starts. You have the knowledge to do an IV what you need is practice; in CRNA school, you will suck at first, then when you get more practice/gain more confidence you will be great at them, after about a hundred or so IV starts, noone will ever know you used to suck at them. That said, if you do have the opportunity to get some more practice in before you start school, go ahead and take advantage of it. Starting off a case with a smooth, pain-free IV start in your patient can make your short time with the patient all that much better, it may be the only thing you do for them that they remember.

dfk, RN, CRNA · Jul 14, 2007

thanks to all for the honest answers....and good suggestions...

hey confused, i wouldn't sweat it. like many others have said, just take every opportunity to get as many attempts as you can. let others at work know that you would be willing to do their IV starts. as for being great at them, again, don't worry. also, don't tell the adcoms of your IV potential. that may hurt you in an interview, and it may not. but why take the chance. if they ask, just say no problem with IVs. once you get into CRNA school, there are ALWAYS chances to start IVs. and many are on different levels, so again don't sweat it. our program had us spend two days in the pre-op holding area, where all they do is IV starts.

and this is to CRNA, DNSc's reply. i think that sounded a little condescending. and although it may be a basic skill, it is still a skill, that is learned on many different levels. give the inexperienced some slack. i'm sure you were in a similar boat at one time or another.

dfk, RN, CRNA · Jul 14, 2007

I'm not a CRNA but I would like to add a question to your question. CRNAs seem to have a rep of the greatest IV starters anywhere. It seems I've heard more than once that people who are hard sticks need anesthesia providers to start their lines. Is this true? If so, why? Is there an intense level of vasculature anatomy training in CRNA school?
(BTW, I start a lot of lines in my current ER job and my suggestion would be to shadow a lab tech sometime for some extra practice. That was my best opportunity to learn when I was in paramedic school.)

this is true to a sense. they are good b/c they get so much practice over the course of the day/year/profession. much more so than an icu nurse or er nurse does. as for the vascular anatomy, yea, you get to see a vast number of veins that you never knew were there. does this mean an iv will/can go into them? nope. it helps to know where the major and lesser veins are, but remember, people's anatomies are quite different. you have to have a good sense of where you are on the person, where the pattern of veins are going and what direction the vein goes so you can tell if the vein will even accommodate an iv catheter. sometimes, when you can't see much, you sort of have to use a sense. almost close your eyes and let the force guide you. of course, their are techniques you can use to liven up them there veins, such as hang the arm, tell the to make fists, heat pack the arm, use a double tourniquet, etc...