Vent/ Encourgagement needed

[Aneroo]

This message has been deleted. I posted this for encouragement, not as a debate over when/where students need to get skills. Try to stick to the original post. Thanks to all who offered the support. You're awesome.

[BETSRN]

I can see how the instructor's physical presence would be required for the above situations for a 1st/2nd semester student, but at some point students should be doing certain things, like PO/SQ meds, unsupervised. And in later semesters, the students in my area are giving IVP's & drawing blood with an instructor or staff RN present.

Students are practicing under their instructor's licenses. If it were my license, I'd make darn sure I knew what was going on, what was being given, and what was going on with each of my students' patients.

Had this student in question been supervised by a preceptor, she never would have hit an artery doing an IV stick. Obviously, she either never had anyone show her proper technique, or she didn't listen or attend to past instruction. I have never seen anyone ever do that! One learns in their first semester of nursing school that arteries pulsate. Veins (used for IV access) do NOT.

[ageless]

Had this student in question been supervised by a preceptor, she never would have hit an artery doing an IV stick. Obviously, she either never had anyone show her proper technique, or she didn't listen or attend to past instruction. I have never seen anyone ever do that! One learns in their first semester of nursing school that arteries pulsate. Veins (used for IV access) do NOT.

.

In critical/emergency care with patient who's circulatory system is compromised, sometimes periphery pulses cannot be pulsated. But an IV still must be started.........in nursing things are not always simple and patients are not textbook

Would one choose to check for a radial pulse during a code?.....answer=NO.

Where would one check for a pulse and why? Now you must still get that IV...while someone is doing chest compressions...sound simple?

Of course, one would choose to avoid hitting an artery, but unfortunately arteries do get nicked and sometimes cannulated. Not often, but enough that it is probable that a seasoned nurse will see it or do it at some point. As a side note..I have seen it happen to more Docs than nurses.