Nurses New Nurse
Published Feb 11, 2007
You are reading page 2 of just a little vent
NotReady4PrimeTime, RN
5 Articles; 7,358 Posts
Glad I could help! These tips work really well on squirming screaming little ones, so you should be able to use them quite well with your (generally) cooperative and well-hydrated adult OB patients.
PANurseRN1
1,288 Posts
This is the kind of post that saddens me. The worst time to try to get practice starting an IV is in an emergency situation. Shame on those co-workers who wouldn't help you.
Is there any possibility you could spend the day in outpatient surgery. I work there (as well as ED) and we start TONS of IVs every day. You'd get plenty of practice on relatively healthy people in a non-emergent situation.
Good for you for pushing past your anxiety and doing the IV. As far as connecting and taping, that's something you just develop over time. Everyone has his/her own way of doing it. It's funny, I can always tell who started an IV I'm D/C'ing just by how it's taped...kind of like a signature.
KellNY, RN
710 Posts
Now, I'm not advocating this ::cough cough:: but I did my 1st three IV starts (including the wacky taping) on #1-My boyfriend at the time #2 My sister #3 My father.
jjjoy, LPN
2,801 Posts
I feel your pain. To hear "just do it" when you don't know what to do just sucks! A little sympathy can go a long way for me. And a very patient person to talk me through it.
Another way to practice the juggling part of advancing the catheter and taping it down is to start an IV on a banana. Start it on the rounded side. It won't lie flat on a table so you have to keep a good hold it on like you would on a person. It gives that similar all thumbs feeling. And you can poke it again and again with the same used equipment.