help with iv starts

[PCU_RN9]

I am very bad at starting iv's. I was wondering if there are any classes anyone has ever taken to help them start iv's. I'd love tips about starting iv's too. I seem to rarely be able to find veins, and if i do i still somehow still miss the vein, or if i am lucky enough to get a blood return when i flush the line it ALWAYS blows. any tips would be appreciated. thanks!

[icuuci]

read this...

http://www.son.washington.edu/students/cene/docs/Successful-IV-Starts.pdf

also, I was sick of being terrible at IV so I practiced starting IV's on myself. Its hard but you start to get the feel, after several weeks of practice in my bathroom I got to be pretty good. Now I am one of the go to people on my floor. It takes practice and feel, nobody is more willing to be stuck than yourself.

good luck

[lilypad2424]

New nurse here, and in the very beginning it was prob a 60% success rate for me. Since I'm new, I always think of things to write down so I will remember what it was like in the beginning. One thing that helped me get better was this..

The needle is only to break the skin/vein barrier. The catheter is very flexible. This means that once I see blood, I'm in. If the needle is only a little bit in the vein, I advance only a little to prevent it from coming out. Otherwise, the catheter can be slowly guided in because of its maleability.

I'm not a pro yet, but hopefully will be one day!

[ShaBBy23]

another thing to remember is to never let the patient see the fear in your face about inserting an iv because to me, piercing someones skin and vein is invasive. as an rn the last thing you want to do is hurt your patient. if they are able to see the confidence on your face then, they'll also feel less apprehensive too.

in addition, like all my other colleagues have mentioned, practice makes perfect or close to it. even the best of nurses with years of experience can still have unsuccessful attempts with certain patients. many patients are simply hard sticks. if thats the case, don't hesitate to ask the md for a picc line consult especially if the pt. will be needing long term antibiotics. so don't be hard on yourself. it's a skill that will come eventually.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

I believe that some people have a "gift" when it comes to starting IVs. We all have them in our facilities, the ones you call when nobodoy else has any luck. I am NOT one of those people.

Don't get discouraged. Practice may not make perfect, but it does help you become more confident. Good luck.

[alittleunwell7]

Another tip one of my favorite instructors gave us was that sometimes you can't find a vein because the tourniquet is on too tight and it obliterates the artery as well as the vein, so you aren't getting the blood flow you need. This is especially common in older patients who have a lower BP. So if you have trouble getting it right, you can use a blood pressure cuff and inflate it to about halfway between the systolic and diastolic BP and you will have a perfect tourniquet. It really works!