How do nurses practice giving shots?

OCNRN63, RN · Apr 10, 2012

I once read that dental hygiene students practice on each other when learning how to give injections and I admit, this worried me a bit because I'm assuming nursing students do the same thing. If not, how do you practice giving injections? How was your first time giving someone a shot? Details, details. Thank you :)

We gave shots to each other. At that time, I was deathly afraid of shots. I almost bolted out the door and gave up on nursing forever. I survived.

I remember when I was a senior doing my oncology rotation; I had to give a pain shot to a skinny LOL. I injected and immediately hit bone. I was horrified. I pulled back a little and completed the shot. I apologized over and over, but the pt. said, "That's all right honey, I didn't feel a thing." I'll never know if she was telling the truth or trying to make me feel better.

noahsmama · Apr 10, 2012

Part of what kept me from becoming a nurse much sooner than I did was the conviction that I could never ever give a shot (excuse me, an injection) to anyone. Then, for medical reasons, I had to learn to give myself injections. Was terrified, but quickly discovered that once you get used to it, it's pretty darned easy.

In nursing school, we did practice on each other, using sterile normal saline (this was in 2007). We also practiced on oranges, and on fake skin that was supposed to be "lifelike" but was not. I'm glad my nursing program allowed us to practice on each other before setting us loose on patients. Once you've given a few injections, you'll find out that it's incredibly easy. And please, please, do not ever let anyone tell you that if you have doubts about your ability to give injections, you shouldn't be a nurse. Trust that if others can learn to do this, you can too.

Good luck!

LynnLRN · Apr 10, 2012

In my experience, you practice by giving injections!

s.d.RN · Apr 10, 2012

we had to do an im on each other but iv's were only done on plastic arms with those lovely, perky veins that never seem to resemble anything you'd find on a real hospital floor.... just remember to do it by a quick, dart-like movement. i've seen fellow students give it painfully slow... just stab!

:lol2:

i actually practiced my iv's on firemen at our fire/ems station. i learned from an experienced paramedic and had the opportunity to practice many many times with different conditions and needles. i was lucky enough to have this chance, but not everybody does. my mom had to do them on each other (and that was in 2005) and she left with track marks all over her arm.

i've been nice and let others practice on me, especially at work. i have decent veins and needles don't hurt me. try to find a partner willing and a safe place to do so because there's nothing like sticking a real human, even the fat pads and squishy balls we used to practice on.

have fun and happy sticking!

IEDave, ASN, CNA, LVN · Apr 11, 2012

Ooh - time for another "My Mom Was An LVN" story...

Would've been back in '81 or so - mom was getting ready to "go live" as an LVN, and needed a guinea pig (me) for venipuncture practice. So, at the time I'm in college studying Computer Science, 19 years old, selfconscious as all get out, surrounded by young, nubile student nurses, and my mother's using me as a practice dummy. Mom figured out that something was going wrong when the vein collapsed - she looked up, cut loose with a yelp and grabbed onto my arm. Sure enough, #2 son experienced a world-class case of syncope, and he was on a gravity assisted mission to the floor - mom's trying to slow my fall (which ain't working - I was about 200 and she was maybe 110-115) and ended up having to let go, followed by a "thunk".

My recollection was that the room started swimming, and the next thing I remember is a male voice saying "He's coming around..." My response was a non-verbal "Oh S***..." - My eyes pop open, and I'm on the floor with 29 student nurses, 3 nursing instructors, 2 paramedics, and my mother, all staring down at me. Embarassed doesn't begin to describe it - mom thought she'd killed me, and passing out in front of nurses that you're trying to impress with your masculine savoir-faire doesn't really work too well, IIRC.

Needless to say, the jokes about "Don't needle Dave..." continued almost to my mom's last days.

----- Dave

aachavez · Apr 11, 2012

I'm in pharm now, and we'll be practicing on eachother. Iv'e always heard of practicing on oranges, curious why an orange. My school also has some dummies, tho I'm not sure if we can practice needle sticks on them. I've been giving myself injections (Humira) for about 2 years now, my dad is also on the same, so I'll give them to him sometimes. I've also tested my mom's blood sugar and given her insulin. I think I'll do ok, but I know I"ll be a nervous wreck when its my turn... lol

Pneumothorax, BSN, RN · Apr 11, 2012

on each other!

AgentBeast, MSN, RN · Apr 12, 2012

There is no substitute for the real thing. They had us show the landmarks on the dummy in the lab then give the injection in a jelly like practice pad. Which was okay I guess, but it's nothing at all like doing it for real on a conscious cooperative patient let alone someone who is combative or unconscious. I've found myself in many contorted positions giving injections.

RLtinker, LPN · Apr 13, 2012

In skill lab we have manikins to practice on. But in clinicals we did a subq, an IM, and started IVs on each other the first time. We could refuse, if we wanted. Also under our clinical instructors supervision we give shots to patients.

CharmantUn · Apr 16, 2012

"Commit to the stick" is still stuck in my head. We practiced on oranges, hot dogs, and then finally in check offs did saline into our partner's abdomen. So only one person got to stick you--not bad. A few weeks later we gave each other flu shots at clinical (supervised).Shots aren't that bad compared to a fellow student attempting to start an IV or do a blood draw (final skill we did first semester). When your partner is digging around to find your vein--that hurts!

Sh00p842 · Apr 16, 2012

I once read that dental hygiene students practice on each other when learning how to give injections and I admit, this worried me a bit because I'm assuming nursing students do the same thing. If not, how do you practice giving injections? How was your first time giving someone a shot? Details, details. Thank you :)

We had dummies to practice mapping out sites for IM and pads to practice the injections, but I mapped on my family and practiced on a tomato.. Worked great :) I used a tomato to practice for my IV sticks, too

acerbia · Apr 17, 2012

We have mannequin arms to practice on and a computer simulator video game in lab, and in clinical we perform on pts. We don't practice on each other because it is a huge liability and too much red tape to even be worth it. Plus, we have thousands of dollars worth of simulators and mannequins that sufficiently prepare us for working with real people.

The mannequin arms we use for injections, IVs and drawing blood. You have to turn "on" the mannequin arm. The arms have two clear, plastic tubes that connect to small containers filled with fake blood (red-colored water basically). When you turn on the arm, that causes its "veins" to fill. When you put the tourniquet on, you can actually feel/see the vein swell. We use real needles, IV tubing, etc. The only thing fake is the mannequin arm and the "blood" that comes with it

The "video game" is actually very awesome. In it, you are assigned a pt with a brief hx to read. You choose the items you'll use, prepare the patient, etc. When it comes to actually drawing the blood, there is a fake arm and needle hooked up to the computer. When you insert the needle, everything you do is tracked and displayed. It tells you how deep you went, if you did any "digging", etc. At the end of the session, it tells you what you did right AND wrong. It's an incredible piece of technology really.