Nursing Students General Students
Published Jul 25, 2003
PJMommy
517 Posts
Finally had the opportunity to attempt an IV start on a real, living and breathing person yesterday. It was my last day of med/surg clinical and I'd yet to get an IV start. My CI finds me and tells me they have someone who needs an IV. I'm nervous...hoping for a 20ish man with great veins, y'know? I walk into the room and find a 90-something lady with advanced renal disease.
Not a vein to be found...we work it and work it and work it and finally sort of find one in her forearm. Can you believe I hit it one the first time!!
The best part of the story is that the patient also suffered from Alzheimer's dementia AND had a history of schizophrenia. The dialogue went something like this:
Pt: "Who are you?"
Me: "I'm the nurse."
Pt: "You're a son of a b___."
Me: Mmm...hmmm.
(30 seconds later)
Pt: "You're a son of a b___. What do you know anyway?"
Me: "It's a beautiful day outside."
Pt: "I don't give a d___. You are a son of a b___."
I figure if I can hit my first attempt at an IV on a first stick with this dialogue going on...I've lost all fear for doing it in the future.
Just had to share!!:chuckle
CVnurse08
175 Posts
Great job !!! You should be proud !! Thanks for sharing !! :)
Flynurse
250 Posts
Happy Day! Congrats!!
Carolanne
612 Posts
Great story, congrats!!!
justjenn
171 Posts
That tickles me. Bet she didn't know what hit her.
palesarah
583 Posts
Congrats!
maire, ASN, RN
1,173 Posts
I'm laughing but I'm happy for you. Congo rats! :)
JudithL_in_NH
355 Posts
Wow, what a great story! It sounds lile you handled the whole scenario really well! Congrats!
RNIAM, BSN, RN
1,214 Posts
LOL. That is an awesome story and it is even better that you got it on your first try! Good job.
NurseDixie
419 Posts
That's great, you hit it on the first stick! Our nursing school doesn't even teach us how to start IV's. They say we can learn on the job after we graduate. I wish we could have practiced on a fake arm or something like that. I've had patients like the one you described, sometimes you just gotta grin and bear it.
Good Luck!
Thanks everyone. :) One of those moments of nursing school that I will never forget!
RNsweetie
153 Posts
Great job and even better story to go along with it. I have yet to have the oppertunity and can't wait, hope I'm as collected as you sounded.
Erin