Do you have to start everyone's IV for them?

Do-over, ASN, RN · Mar 10, 2011

I pretty much always give it two tries before I ask anyone else. I am OK at starts, not great.

BluegrassRN · Mar 10, 2011

I am also the go to person for IVs on my floor. For the new nurses who are just nervous or timid, I always ask if they have tried. If they say no, I tell them that they need to try twice before I will do it. I offer to go with them to help them, but they need to at least try.

For older nurses...well, some people just suck at IVs. They know whether they can do it or not. Those nurses always say something like, "Would you please try my patient in 410? I'll pass meds on your other patients/get your vitals/insert that foley in room 417 for you while you're doing it." That's fine with me! For those who are just being lazy, I say "How about we trade? I just promised my gal in 404 a bath; you do that and I'll work on your IV."

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2011

When I was a night supervisor I can think of very specific nurses who did the samething time after time. So I decided to give them a markable skill.......I would take them with me to "teach" them the "tricks of the trade" (with the patients consent) Watch them try and then start it if they fail. If I decide while assessing the veins that I ahd better do it first I do......but I always have them come with me to "help".

3dayRN · Mar 10, 2011

Some nurses are just lazy about even trying. Now if I am TRULY busy I will ask the charge nurse to try. Some nurses don't even get the IV tray in the room they are THAT lazy. At least get everything neededd to start the IV before asking someone.

mentalhealthRN · Mar 10, 2011

I agree with the trade of tasks. When I worked in medicine I had the same problem......and I was not even charge. I would get the IV bucket to do one on one of my patients and every time I'd hear....."hey while you're at it would you mind doing my guy in 12, his line just blew and his ABX is due.....etc" Before I knew it I'd have done like 4 or 5 in a row. I didn't mind but that always would put me behind. So I began the trade! lol Task for task. Most had no problem doing this. I would do this with the LPNs on the floor too....We had a lot of PICC lines on the floor and they couldn't flush them, hang first dose or do the dressing change on them......the charge was suppose to cover them for any tasks needing an RN but she was busy sometimes so I would help out. And again the trade would happen.......if about to do something they would take over and do it while I went to do their task. I think this is the only way to keep there from being resentment. I found on our floor it worked.

nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2011

We've all got our thing. If I've got a chemo, dialysis or burn pt who might...might...have one vein, I'm going to get the best sticker around for the pt's sake. I'm ok at IVs, but not great. However, I can get an NGT in just about anybody (no head injuries, please, no desire to irrigate someone's frontal lobe, thanks). No idea why I'm good at it, I just am. So, rather than have someone bore out a pt's sinuses, I'd rather they called me before they got everything bleeding and swollen so I could do it quick with less pain to the pt. It's teamwork. If I've got someone working with me who can't take a goopy trach, I'll take their patient and they can take the burn pt that grosses me out. We do for each other in the best interest of the pt.

NoviceRN10 · Mar 10, 2011

I don't consider myself lazy, but I am scared to do IVs. I was trained during orientation for a measly 3 hrs, with someone over my shoulder showing me what vein to go after, etc. I don't feel comfortable doing IV starts, I haven't done one since orientation. We have IV techs that we can call, and our nurse aides are supposed to be trained to do them also. When I first started my job a few months ago the aides would try and do IV starts if needed, now they don't seem to at all (they also do blood draws). I know I should dive in and try, but I am very timid about it. Not sure how to get over that. My pt population are mostly people that have hidden veins (obese pts) or have tiny veins, which doesn't help.

mama_d, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2011

There are two of us on nights that have a rep for being good at IV starts. (I know I'm second best, but don't let word get out that I admitted to it!)

We've had shifts where we walked on with four or five sticks to do that days saved for us...and often are asked to do IV starts and labs for our night crew too. We're LPNs, ao I really don't mind doing sticks for those who are willing to help out with our pushes...but there are about four who just can never seem to find the time to do something as simple as a Pepcid push for us who expect us to drop whatever we're doing as soon as they need a stick. Regardless of how busy we are, and never with any offer of help with our pts, even if something comes up while we're doing their sticks.

We even go to other floors to do their sticks for them.

When both of us are working we'll team up together, or else we trade off based on who is best able to spare the time. We're the go-to team for those pts who tell you "last time I was here they put one of those line things in me".

It does get irritating with certain nurses, but I just try to keep in mind that it's for the best for the pt if certain nurses don't even try. Although there are times that I pop an 18 in on the first time and come out and feel like saying "Seriously?"...but I don't...well, very rarely.

enchantmentdis, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2011

There are a lot of lazy nurses in acute care. They love to pass on some of their work to the charge nurses. When i was in charge during most of my career i felt like a glorified babysitter. Nurses are basically a pain in the @#$%.

error · Mar 10, 2011

im an RN and a phlebotomist, so yes. i should be an infusion nurse lol but wait nevermind they only hire RN's with "experience".

mentalhealthRN · Mar 10, 2011

just an aside here ......I was shocked reading here that there are any facilities that allow non-licensed people to insert IVs. Especially when I have worked in places were they only allow the "IV/PICC team" (a nurses only team) to put in all IVs. I guess when they allowed all floor nurses throughout the hospital to place them they had way too many cases of Phlebitis, infection, etc. Having techs do Phlebotomy is different then IVs-- being that the IV stays in for a period of time. Can't say that when I am a patient I would ever let someone who was not a nurse put in my IV (other then a paramedic, but that is different--they have the training.)