Practicing on each other

1. Did you have to stick/be stuck by other students in nursing school. I am okay with being practiced on with blood draws and shots but I cannot imagine having someone practice an IV on me. I really hate IV's. I know our school has a simulated patient but I want to know if I am going to get stuck. My godmother is an RN and she had to but that was 30 years ago.
   
   Thanks,
   
   Andrea
2. 

   About ayndim

   Joined: Jan '04; Posts: 488; Likes: 24
   Former School teacher heading back to finish nursing school

   43 Comments

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3. 
   Feb 27, '04

   Occupation: Operating Room Nurse Specialty: 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER ; From: US ; Joined: Jun '03; Posts: 17,036; Likes: 1,007

   We practiced on each other. Stick and be stuck was the rule. It really wasn't that bad though. Maybe you could be the volunteer for the instructor if they say everyone has to participate. Or it's also possible there might be a couple of people who don't mind getting stuck more than once for practice.
4. 
   Feb 27, '04

   Joined: Sep '03; Posts: 1,199; Likes: 1,525

   They also had the rule regarding NG tubes(you do one you have one put down) until someone in the class a semester ahead of me had her airway occluded by her tongue when the tube was removed and she became cyanotic 911 was called. Once her airway was repositioned by the students or instructor she was alright. This was in the skills lab, the paramedics were kind of shocked when they walked in and found all these people and mannequins in hospital beds. Don't think they ever practice ng tube placement in skills lab after that.
5. 
   Feb 27, '04

   Joined: Feb '04; Posts: 106; Likes: 4

   My school doesn't let us practice on eachother...no injections, blood draws, or IV's. I have no problem being stuck...I don't like the idea of entering the field w/o ever drawing bloods. Our professors say we'll learn on the job! So much for being prepared! I've seen it done many times, but to actually do it yourself is another thing. Hope it all goes well!!!
6. 
   Feb 27, '04

   Occupation: student Joined: Oct '03; Posts: 26

   we don't practice any needles, IVs, NGs or anything really on each other. Especially not drawing blood or IV cath insertion...we need special training for that...eek!
7. 
   Feb 27, '04

   Joined: Oct '01; Posts: 580; Likes: 14

   Why wouldn't you practice on each other?? You will then understand what the patient is going through, right?????
8. 
   Feb 27, '04

   Joined: Jan '04; Posts: 12

   When I read the first 2 replies to this I was shocked... We don't practice anything like that on each other. And we're not allowed to start IV's. They tell us we will be trained on that at our first job.
9. 
   Feb 27, '04

   Occupation: Obs Unit Specialty: Telemetry & Obs ; From: US ; Joined: Oct '03; Posts: 2,412; Likes: 1,820

   We practice on each other..we have to get checked off on procedures before we're allowed to do them in clinicals.
   
   Next week we're doing intradermal injections..the week after that IMs..
   
   We don't start IVs until later in the program, but YES we practice on each other
   
   I don't know about ng tubes...god, i hope not!! or catheters!! :uhoh21:
10. 
    Feb 28, '04

    Specialty: ER ; Joined: Apr '03; Posts: 806; Likes: 93

    We have this surprisingly realistic fake arm to practice on, as well as a computer simulator ....no needles, NG tubes, etc. on each other, just lots of high tech dummies. One of them, the whole body dude with a blood pressure, pulse and everything cost upwards of $30,000. I am always slightly afraid to touch that thing!
11. 
    Feb 28, '04

    Occupation: Oncology RN Joined: Jan '04; Posts: 806; Likes: 25

    We just did IV therapy on each other last week. I got poked 3 times. We needed at least one good stick to become certified. Yes, we all practiced on each other!! Only for IV therapy. Not for IM, SQ.
12. 
    Feb 28, '04

    Occupation: Unit Secretary Joined: Feb '04; Posts: 32

    We are not allowed to stick anyone even if we want to, no ngt or anything else invasive. We couldn't even do blood glucose sticks. But all that aside we got to do IV's in skills lab today on fake arms and over the next few weeks we will each get 8 hours in pre-op devoted to starting IV's so that makes me very excited. One of the nurses at the hospital I work at (as a secretary) volunteered to let me practice on her but the charge nurse overheard and banned us, oh well. I guess we got lucky as it is because up until last fall our school only allowed 4th semester students to learn IV on fake arms in skills lab with no clinical practice until they get their first job.
13. 
    Feb 28, '04

    Occupation: Lactation consultant, L&D RN, some postpartum Specialty: OB, lactation ; Joined: Oct '03; Posts: 1,951; Likes: 96

    We won't practice on each other. We will do it all in practice (clinical), including IV's.
14. 
    Feb 28, '04

    Occupation: Urgent Care Joined: Feb '04; Posts: 1,740; Likes: 49

    I haven't gotten to that, but in my medical assistant classes we practiced shots and blood draws on each other.

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