IV starts in nursing school

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When you were in nursing school and you were taught IV insertion, were you allowed to start them on each other? In our nursing program, it was absolutely forbidden . . . something to do with liability and blood exposure.

IMHO, we would be better prepared to start IV's on patients if we were allowed to practice on each other because the plastic arm sucks!! Plus, you would learn firsthand that IV insertion can hurt!

Specializes in Pediatric Cardiology.
We are not taught IV starts at all

Same.

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When you were in nursing school and you were taught IV insertion, were you allowed to start them on each other? In our nursing program, it was absolutely forbidden . . . something to do with liability and blood exposure.

IMHO, we would be better prepared to start IV's on patients if we were allowed to practice on each other because the plastic arm sucks!! Plus, you would learn firsthand that IV insertion can hurt!

I agree totally. My private BSN program forbade us to do them also. Totally sucked. I had to pay like $300+ to talke an IV/Blood Class after I graduated just to learn how.

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Specializes in ICU.

I'm in second semester of clinicals and we were taught IV starts this semester. We are not allowed to practice on each other. I've done two IVs on patients at the hospital so far. I hope by the time I graduate to have done at least a dozen or so.

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NY state and no school around here teaches IV or phlebotomy--I think it's a state law thing here too. Had to learn in the hospital. Each hospital around here has different policies on who can do IVs and what you have to do to be able to do them for that hospital. My first one was in L&D and I was aweful. My preceptor just taught me and my first one was on a patient. My preceptor could have let me do it on her first but wouldn't let me. lol another hospital and I learned in ER then moved to the floors and continued to get better till I was really good at it. Left that hospital and at another hospital I had to do something like 10 sticks observed to be allowed to do them in their hospital and since it was psych and we had then very seldom I never got certified so I lost that skill which sucks. I have kept up my phlebotomy skills but its now been a while since I have done an IV. --I guess its different depending on the state and the school.

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NY state and no school around here teaches IV or phlebotomy--I think it's a state law thing here too. Had to learn in the hospital. Each hospital around here has different policies on who can do IVs and what you have to do to be able to do them for that hospital. My first one was in L&D and I was aweful. My preceptor just taught me and my first one was on a patient. My preceptor could have let me do it on her first but wouldn't let me. lol another hospital and I learned in ER then moved to the floors and continued to get better till I was really good at it. Left that hospital and at another hospital I had to do something like 10 sticks observed to be allowed to do them in their hospital and since it was psych and we had then very seldom I never got certified so I lost that skill which sucks. I have kept up my phlebotomy skills but its now been a while since I have done an IV. --I guess its different depending on the state and the school.

Another NY state here. Same thing - not taught in school, learned on the job. I had to have 10 sticks watched by another certified nurse before I was allowed on my own.

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Specializes in Med Surg.

They didn't teach us IV strarts in LVN school. We did piggy backs in clinicals and were lectured on fluid administrations but I learned how to do a start at work. One of the nurses walked up to me at about 0300 one shift and handed mr the IV tray, stuck out an arm, and said "start one."

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No.

I took a phlebotomy course before nursing school so I could get more comfortable with needles and doing blood work. In nursing school, I did not start any IVs. During the last week of school, I asked the simulation lab manager to show me and a friend how to do one on a fake arm.

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Specializes in Hospice / Psych / RNAC.

In my BSN program we practiced on each other; it was all voluntary and we didn't sign any waiver but this was many moons ago.

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Specializes in ER, peds, gi, case mgmt..

I graduated in 1994, we had to take a 2 day course just prior to graduation

with the arm dummy. As a new grad, my poor patients got 3 sticks each with a 22ga!

We weren't allowed to give each other injections either!

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Specializes in MR/DD.

We were not allowed to do them in school. We went to a local hospital to do our sticks on patients, and we were allowed to do them on each other while at the hospital if we wanted.

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Specializes in chemical dependency detox/psych.

We weren't allowed to start them on each other. However, after we showed proficiency with the dummy arm, our instructor let us try one on her (for a few students that she trusted not to maul her.) I'm glad she did, as it allowed me to see it "live," rather than only trying on patients. My first non-lab patient start was on a dehydrated oncology patient that was a notoriously hard stick. I think I did a happy dance in the hall that I was successful. :)

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I school in PA can't do IV on patients or each other. We were told we will be taught this as part of out on the job orientation after graduation, that it is not required/allowed by the PA Board of Nursing to be taught in school. Our school does however have the computer game arm that we can use to practice.

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