Never placed an IV!!!!!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I'm not sure what to do and this sounds ridiculous! I just started a new position and realized I have never placed an IV and I have never stuck anyone for blood - my last job had IV team and phlebotomy. Does anyone have any advice how to learn very quickly!! I looked at community colleges but they only offer courses that last weeks...I need to learn asap! Thanks for any advice you have to offer.

Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

I also got one of these. For the price it's not bad.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/380356908069?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_792wt_1299

Specializes in Peds ED, Peds Stem Cell Transplant, Peds.

When I went into Peds I worked on a BMT and step down CV unit, everyone pretty much had central lines, or art lines, rarely was an IV needed, or peripheral lab draw needed. I personally did not like not having the skills, so I went to working in a peds ER. I quickly learned how to start IV. Let me suggest that unless you are going to be starting them all the time, don't worry about it, because it is a skill that needs constant practice, if it is something you really want to know how to do, then put your self in a position where you are going to do it all the time, like an IV team, ER, Outpatient Surgery.

Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

I never attempted one in nursing school. My first hospital job had an IV team. I was a nurse for quite a while before I was in a position to learn how to start IV's, and then it was on the pedi and nursery patients. So, you can do it!! You will not be alone and the nurse precepting you will not let you harm anyone.

Specializes in Med-surg ICU, Adult psych.

Well, I've been nursing for 14 years, and I still pretty much suck at IV starts. As others have said, it is a skill, and one that takes practice. In my clinical setting, we don't have a lot of peripheral IV's.

Speak up for yourself, let your educator know, and work together to figure out a solution.

Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.
i also got one of these. for the price it's not bad.

pad for practice intravenous iv injection arm w stand | ebay

thank you for sharing this link i heard of it but never saw one, besides our regular phlebotomy fake arm.

well, that is shocking to me. i started doing IV's, blood draws, foleys, peg tubes, picc lines etc. during clinicals and i just assumed that everyone did.

i remember when i had only started a few IV's and the professor would be lecturing about some theory that i'd probably never actually use, i would say, "i need to be starting IVs right now instead of debating some theory." i seriously thought everyone learned to do those things in school. for the most part, the preceptors during my clinical experiences expected me to try pretty much everything and would let me under their supervision. i made it known that i wanted to get my hands on though and not just observe. there were some people in my class who hadn't done as much as i had (and probably some who did more), but they did have the opportunities....it's just that they didn't take them bc they were scared or not aggressive.

that's just strange. no wonder so many people prefer grads from my program. :lol2:

At my job now, no IV team but not allowed to do phlebotomy, lab techs do that. Go figure!

that's odd that you're not ALLOWED to draw blood.

we have phlebotomists where i work and most nurses call them to do the draws, but nurses are definitely allowed to do it instead. i always wondered why nurses would sometimes spend more time chasing down a tech to come draw the blood or sit in the break room complaining about how long the lab was taking instead of just going in and getting it.

NOW it makes sense! i had thought to myself before, "do you not know how"....i guess not.

How can any of you say that your school was "excellent" if you have zero knowledge about a skill which is critical to performing the job you went to school for?

I understand that some states don't allow practical hands-on patient experience by nursing students, but even in those situations, there should have been extensive dummy/fellow-student/cadaver training.

I did go to an excellent school at a large teaching university hospital. We had an indigent ward, where whenever someone died, nursing students and medical students lined up to place NG tubes, foleys, and any other invasive procedure we lacked skill on. Respect for the dead lost out on the need to train future health care providers.

It is disconcerting to hear about the lack of training of the future nurses of America.

What else didnt they teach you? Pharmacology? I'm sure I sound just awful and bitter to you, but I'm genuinely concerned about the quality of nursing that will be available when my family members are ill.

If I was the OP, I would contact the school and voice my concerns, while requesting they provide a lab course for future and past graduates, for all the skills you are lacking training in.

How can any of you say that your school was "excellent" if you have zero knowledge about a skill which is critical to performing the job you went to school for?

you read my mind with that statement. schools have no idea if you're going to work somewhere that you "won't need" the skill or not. they should be training as if you might work in any/every area since that is what school is for.

minnymi,

I think it's got to do with Schools trying to capitalize on the huge numbers of unemployed seeking out a quick higher education and funneling them though to profit off the grants and scholarships so widely available now. It's like an attitude of who cares how well trained they are....who cares how much debt they have when they graduate, and who cares if they can actually function competently in the profession.....Education is just big business now.

minnymi,

I think it's got to do with Schools trying to capitalize on the huge numbers of unemployed seeking out a quick higher education and funneling them though to profit off the grants and scholarships so widely available now. It's like an attitude of who cares how well trained they are....who cares how much debt they have when they graduate, and who cares if they can actually function competently in the profession.....Education is just big business now.

i don't know what the reason is. i'm a pretty recent grad myself (career changer)....the economy had tanked before i got my training and apparently the training was pretty good in comparison. at the time, i thought i should be getting even MORE hands on experiences, but now i'm seeing i should be thankful for what i got! i even went through an "accelerated" program so i had less time and got more practice?

even if the program has to funnel students through....they still have to get X number of hours in the field. if they weren't learning skills with the nurses and patients in the field then what WERE they doing? that's just weird to me, but obviously common after seeing the replies here.

Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.
wow....

totally not your fault, but....what school did you go to?

i would encourage nobody else to go there, ever.

Yeah right. SMH!

I would rather go to a good school that did not teach us this than to a bad school that did. Fortunately I went to the former.

+ Add a Comment