IV insertion practice needed

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I am a RN working in a clinic and would love to get more IV insertion experience. Where I work, I never practice this sadly. I would love to apply for Home Health IV insertion jobs, but don't know where to go for practice. Any ideas on how I can practice this vital Nursing skill?

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Specializes in Med Surg, Tele, PH, CM.

Practice is essential for good IV insertion skills. Do you work for a Health System? Many hospitals or Systems will arrange for you to shadow someone who inserts IVs and provide you with teaching and practice. Wouldn't recommend classes, you will work on mannequins and they are no substitute for the real thing. Ask your manager or speak with HR.

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Sorry for the late response. Like I mentioned, I work in a small clinic where we do not do any IV insertions. I would like to practice it, but have no idea where or how. It seems you can only practice when you work in a hospital. I did take an IV class and we practiced on each other. I did one IV, that was it. It's a hard skill to gain if you can't practice it. I would like to become a home health IV nurse.

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Specializes in ER.

In hospitals where I worked you could speak to your manager about doing a morning in day surgery, and spend your time just putting in IVs.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.

I think you get good by doing a lot of them, so if you get a job where you do IVs you will get better. If you work in a clinic where no one needs an IV, you won't be good unless you have some innate super power! If you want a job where you do IVs, apply and learn/practice during your orientation and then on the job. IVs in home health could be a little tricky since there is no back up if you can't get the IV, but hopefully you would get lots of practice with someone else there during orientation.

As mentioned above pre-op is a great place to learn. Also most hospital floors will give you plenty of opportunities. But if home health is what you want to do, I'm sure you can get good at IVs and many other skills there. Good luck! Hope you find a job you enjoy ?

Oh also, the "IV Guy" on instagram/Youtube has a lot of good tips!

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

Youtube would have tutorials. You can also practice on a mannequin. If you need some one-on-one, you could take a phlebotomy course, or ask someone you know to help.

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Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.
On 8/9/2020 at 7:39 PM, pedsnurseIJAG said:

Sorry for the late response. Like I mentioned, I work in a small clinic where we do not do any IV insertions. I would like to practice it, but have no idea where or how. It seems you can only practice when you work in a hospital. I did take an IV class and we practiced on each other. I did one IV, that was it. It's a hard skill to gain if you can't practice it. I would like to become a home health IV nurse.

If you are working somewhere where IV's aren't common I wouldn't worry about it.  Home health nurses often deal with patients with more permanent lines than an IV and you need experience with them.  To be really good enough to start an IV with no backup to help you takes literally hundreds of IV starts.  Is your clinic even affiliated with a hospital?  If it is, you will have tp spend many off your off days waiting to be called to start an IV.  An oncology unit would be a great place to learn about central lines.  

 

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Specializes in ED, med-surg, peri op.
On 8/10/2020 at 1:07 PM, canoehead said:

In hospitals where I worked you could speak to your manager about doing a morning in day surgery, and spend your time just putting in IVs.

I disagree! I tried to learn in pre op, and it was a major fail! Everyone come in starved and dehydrated, and were generally older with bad veins to begin with. After 2 years I still hadn’t mastered iv starts, and at that point didn’t even want to try.

One week in the ER I had it down! plenty of young people with nice big fat veins to build my confidence with. 

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Neo Soldier - the suggestion for a phlebotomy course is a good idea.

It's all about the stick and the advancement of the caths that are the crux.

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Specializes in Peds ED.
6 hours ago, amoLucia said:

Neo Soldier - the suggestion for a phlebotomy course is a good idea.

It's all about the stick and the advancement of the caths that are the crux.

IDK, I find them to be very different skills- similar but different enough that I don’t think my phlebotomy skills are anywhere near as good as my IV skills.

OP, if you really want to learn getting a per diem job in a unit that does a lot of IV starts. If there’s a peds ER near you that might be something to look in to: depending on the hospital they might prioritize peds experience of any kind over acute care experience. In the beginning you might want to pick up a lot of shifts to get competent though before going to a more reasonable per diem schedule.

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Thanks all for your suggestions. Too bad I don't have that innate super power! I might look into a phlebotomy class, although I too think they are two different skills. I became pretty good at drawing blood my one year I worked in an acute care hospital, but didn't learn to do IV starts properly. We had lots of older, dehydrated patients too. I'll check out the IV guy. 

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