I am curious if any current or recent students(RN or LPN) were told by their instructors that you did not have to aspirate for blood when giving IM injections, with or w/o using Z-track.
Here's why I ask: while at work today, a student(doing his clinicals on my floor) gave an IM injection to a patient, but DIDN'T aspirate before pushing the med thru. When he was called on it by the staff RN, the student's response was "My instructors have always told us that we don't have to aspirate when using the Z-track method." Personally, I have NEVER heard this, nor was I taught it when I was in school(and I attended the same one as this student)!! As for the instructor's response, unfortunately I never found out what she said. Would've been interesting to hear, though.
So any students ever been told this by an instructor?
i think what the student had said probably was his defense mechanism of not knowing the right procedure when called his attention regarding improper IM injection. it's better to talk to his clinical instructor right away to verify things, so as not to continue doing the wrong thing which might affect his future patients to be of risk of his careless ways.
We were told not to worry about aspirations.........because as April said the studies have shown there is a very small chance of 1) actually hitting a vien and 2) if you do, more than likely the needle will go through it aspirating only the most minute amount of blood.
The way the professor expained it (Phd with 30 years med/surg) unless the tip of the needle actually is situated "in" the vein which is extremely unlikely, you will only draw an occult amount of blood into the syringe with aspiration.......so aspirate if you want to but it's not necessary.
But I would like to hear from experienced nurses what they have actually seen in the field upon aspirating.
Interesting enough, we practiced IM's on each other in school. One nurse upon aspiration received a back flow of blood(it filled the syringe)! I felt bad for her lab partner having to get another!
Same here, we were taught to aspirate or we could cause the patient a great deal of pain.
Why would not aspirating cause pain? Extra pain would have to do with nerve involvement right? Aspirating is just to ensure that you are not in a capillary bed that would essentially make the injection IV instead of IM. At least this is my understanding.
I was taught to aspirate (not for pain reasons, though, but to ensure you haven't accidentally hit a vein). I bet if you talkd to that student's instructor, you would find s/he would disagree with the student...
This also states there is no need, I just liked the format better in the first site I posted.
I too have seen research that suggests that we do not need to aspirate, however it takes maybe 2 seconds to do so and is a safety precaution so why not do it anyway?
Proudly Filipina
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i think what the student had said probably was his defense mechanism of not knowing the right procedure when called his attention regarding improper IM injection. it's better to talk to his clinical instructor right away to verify things, so as not to continue doing the wrong thing which might affect his future patients to be of risk of his careless ways.