IV starts in nursing school

[sunnycalifRN]

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!

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

We couldn't do it on each other but i did lots in clinicals. I still stink at them :)

[Yendys]

I am in my first semester of nursing school and we practiced IVs the other day on each other as much as we wanted. We have signed a form saying that we would only practice on others in the program under supervision of an instructor. I am glad we are getting practice in early, I can't imagine trying my first time on a patient.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

We are not allowed to start on one another. I have, however, gotten to start on eight different patients in clinicals this semester.

[Da_Milk_of_Amnesia, MSN]

I was lucky, I did EMS for many years before nursing school and had the pleasure of working with medics that taught me how to do IVs and let me practice on people. Of course we just told them I was a medic student and no one was none the wiser, however I mainly did them on Inmates when we had to go to the local prison, and unconscious patients. lol.

[Short-Stuff 23]

We are not aloud to practice on eachother. We have a dummy arm and a computerized IV simulation thing. I have had the advantage of starting a few in cliniclas though. An ER nurse really taught me how to feel for good veins without looking. Can't believe some of these schools didn't teach IV starts at all!

[RedhairedNurse, BSN, RN]

Our school wouldn't let us practice anything on each other. I obtained most my practice with IVs during my ER clinical rotation.

I don't think I would let anybody practice on me. I hope you and your friend used the small gauge IV like a 23 or something, LOL, Ouch!

[VanessaRN]

In school, learning and practicing inserting IVs was a basic part of the curriculum. We initially had to start on each other, though if some people ("patients") felt faint or something, they were not forced to continue with it. We each partnered up and nervously--with profuse apologies--practiced on each other for a day. Prior to this, each clinical instructor gave a demonstration and reviewed the basic steps.

After being "checked off" on our skills list, we were allowed to practice on the floor per discretion of our nurse preceptors and/or instructors.

On a separate clinical day, we had an "IV day" where we spent the whole shift in the GI lab (or similar department) with the sole purpose of getting IV practice. Some of the nurses there let us practice on them! That day I probably did around 8 or more (not all successfully the 1st time though!).

On subsequent clinicals, I probably only got another opportunity two or three times. I was able to practice more IV starts during an externship though, which was a great experience.

It's definitely one of those skills that you really need to practice to build proficiency at! I'm nowhere near being "great" at it--I haven't done it in quite awhile now--but I'm glad I got the experience.

Either way, I believe the bulk of the experience and skills really comes once we start working... :) Let's just pray that our patients (or partners, if done in school) don't suffer too much from our inexperience!

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

We practiced and checked off on fake hands. In all of my clinical time, I only started one IV, in a 10 month old baby in pedi icu.

[valsquek]

Our nursing program didn't allow IV starts either. In our last clinical, we had a very nice and lenient instructor that let us start IVs on each other. Often I would ask the nurses I followed in clinicals whether I could take home IV start kits and they obliged. I have stuck my poor fiance the most, my mom, and my sister. Although some might frown upon this practice, I have to say it really helped me out when I got my current job in the hospital. I work nights and I'm looked at now as the go-to person for starting IVs, since we do not have an IV team at night & I'm actually pretty good at them. I say get all the practice you can by willing people =)

[Caffeine_IV]

It was voluntary if you wanted to practice on each other when I was in ADN school. I opted out of that portion lol!

We practiced them in clinicals and we all had done at LEAST 1 by the end.

I'm a decent stick now and always jump at the opportunity to practice.

[BluegrassRN]

I went to a program where we were all LPNs. So we were able to practice on each other, and in clinicals we were allowed to start on our patients. Most of us were already IV certified, so it wasn't a big deal, anyway.

[Music in My Heart]

I went through a DEMSN program and we practiced on each other (a lot) and on patients.

I work at a very small hospital so we do all of our own starts unless we need help.