Fears

elkpark · May 8, 2008

Well, yes, it does hurt, but only for a jiff. Lots of things we do in nursing hurt people, but they are necessary procedures for the person's recovery/improvement.

Things like injections and IV sticks tend to hurt more if the nurse (student) hesitates and falters doing them. The more confident and competent you can be about doing those kinds of technical skills, the less they hurt the person. And, the more you do them, the better you get at them.

racing-mom4, BSN, RN · May 8, 2008

Seek out a sedated and or possibly a sedated pt in restraints to start on!!! That was my 1st IV start, he was sedated and in restraints, also a basically healthy 32 yr old male. Since he didnt flinch or even respond I got over my fear, I could actually take my time and pay detailed attention to what I was doing with out having to try and calm him down while my fears were soaring.

Once you get over the initial fear and fumbly fingers you will be fine---there was a great- great post on this subject awhile back, search IV starts and you may find tons of great tips.

cpnegrad07 · May 9, 2008

i imagine you will practice on each other first--that is what we did. And when your partner sticks you, watch it from a neutral perspective. Then when you are doing the sticking, you will be less personally involved and will know that it is a minor amout of pain you are inflicting. I know from experience that if you are concerned about your pt's pain, you are going to do it too slowly, too gingerly, and increase the pain and failure rate. :twocents:

yellow finch, BSN, RN · May 9, 2008

We never stuck each other in school. I learned to start an IV with a simulator. Not exactly the best way.

You pretty much just start sticking people. Most of the patients are expecting an IV so they don't typically fight you. The hospitals in my area have IV teams who do all that work except for the ICUs where we start our own and draw our own blood, so the pressure is off for most nurses.

Practice makes perfect, but there are lots of times you just can't get the vein. No biggie. It happens.

Wishing you lots of luck in your future!

elkpark · May 9, 2008

i imagine you will practice on each other first--that is what we did. And when your partner sticks you, watch it from a neutral perspective. Then when you are doing the sticking, you will be less personally involved and will know that it is a minor amout of pain you are inflicting. I know from experience that if you are concerned about your pt's pain, you are going to do it too slowly, too gingerly, and increase the pain and failure rate.

I thought of that, too, because that's how I learned in school -- we practiced on each other. But that was back in the Dark Ages (when people actually learned how to do necessary skills in nursing school :rolleyes: ) and, nowadays, it's considered much too risky, legally and safety-wise, to let students practice on each other. The schools all have those latex arm "simulators" (which are as much like sticking a real person as using a wooden 2x4 would be ... :uhoh21:). I can never understand why, if the students aren't considered safe to stick each other, it's okay to inflict them on the unsuspecting public :rolleyes: , but, as usual, no one asked my opinion about this ... :chuckle :chuckle :chuckle

But, you're right -- the first time I attempted to stick a client in clinical, I had already practiced and been checked off by my instructor in skills lab on a live person (a classmate), which made it a lot less scary and stressful than it must be for students who've never stuck a live person before.

palee · May 9, 2008

I'm glad you brought this up because I have this fear too! I will be starting my preceptorship next week and have only given a couple of IM injections and one MedPort blood draw. I am afraid because I have experienced so much pain with others trying to get MY veins, and it is my biggest fear to inflict pain on someone and not even get the catheter in right!

At school we aren't allowed to practice on each other, either In fact, they have threatened expulsion if we "go behind [their] backs" and they hear about us practicing on each other, or on people outside of a supervised clinical setting. "You will learn all of the PRACTICAL skill when you get out there." (yada yada yada!!)

hikernurse · May 9, 2008

It helps to think of it in the long term. My kids get vaccinations, which hurt, but I know they're trading a short amount of pain for a much longer bout with an infectious disease. A short poke with an IV start will help patients with hydration, antibiotics, pain meds, etc.

Elkpark's right. Just do it, all that dithering--esp. if it involves a needle--is uncomfortable, both physically and mentally. I have great veins and I will let new nurses/students practice on me (although I am firm on the two poke rule, LOL) and the ones who just do it, even if they don't get it right are much preferable to those who get the needle slightly in and then try to poke around.

I'm not very good with starting IV's myself, although I'm a whiz at talking people through them :rolleyes: . But, all of this does get better :).

GrumpyRN63, ADN, RN · May 10, 2008

No pain, no gain (just kidding), lots of things you will do will hurt people iv sticks, dsg changes/packing, IM's, walking them, turning them but they are essential to getting them better. Back in the day we never stuck a human until after passing NCLEX and on the job, we stuck each other for injections in school, I still let the newbies stick me, I have great veins, It takes the edge off when they can be successful before starting on a pt. As you get better and gain confidence your fears will cease, good luck, your fear of hurting people means you care :)

kck605 · May 10, 2008

I got to start iv's on folks in the pacu. the needles were huge and we gave them lidocaine first...which helped me focus on what I was doing...not the pain of the stick.

NWGeorgiaFutureRN · May 10, 2008

It will hurt them. Alot make the pain out to be worse than it is, so just do it fast and right.

nursemike, ASN, RN · May 10, 2008

I sometimes tell my patients that unless something goes terribly wrong, this will hurt you more than it hurts me. One of my mentors, right before sticking, says, "Say Ouch." My patients say ouch without being told, so I tell them it's okay to cuss me, just don't hit me (because I've got this sharp needle in my hand).

One patient apologized to me after inadvertantly pulling out a perfectly good IV. Without really thinking, I told her, "That's okay, I need the practice, anyway." Fortunately, I think she thought I was joking, but I've since decided not to put that kind of pressure on myself. But I did get it pretty easily, on the first stick.

Some patients are hard sticks and they know it, so the very idea of getting an IV upsets them. I promise them I won't just poke and hope--if I don't find a vein I'm pretty sure I can hit, I'll get someone else. It's funny, because a lot of times I get them easier than the ones who look like an easy stick.