IV therapy skills in nursing school...do they still exist?

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · Nov 1, 2011

We have IV curriculum built into our program. We learn venipuncture/IV stuff in our older adult med-surg rotation but do not really focus on fluids & electrolytes until our adult med-surg rotation. We had a lab on IV therapy and got to practice starting them on fake arms and putting together the entire set-up. We were allowed to sign up for additional lab time to practice skills, but fake arms are nothing like real arms. I find that good IV skills comes with actual practice on patients.

IvnurseAmanda · Nov 1, 2011

But you were not allowed to practice on each other? Did you want to before you did one on a patient?

anonymousstudent · Nov 1, 2011

IV therapy skills are built into our curriculum. We have lecture and fairly extensive lab on the subject. The lab is simulated with an arm attached to "blood" so you get the flash and it's semi-real. A student cannot move forward in the program if they are unable to successfully insert an IV on the dummy arm within 2 tries. Testing for IV therapy within that course was built around how to do it (size of cath, etc.), what to watch for if an infusion was not running well, drip by gravity (kill me now - when I tell nurses that I was tested on this in school I swear they look at me like I've got 3 heads), blood administration, and compatibility. I would have LOVED to practice this skill on somebody else. Our school refused us that option. I guess something bad happened in the years before and they didn't want to have that liability anymore.

Sadly, I have not even come close to getting to do this skill in clinical, and it doesn't look like I will. I'm almost done with my program. My CI's just tell me that I'll have plenty of time to do it when I become a nurse. Some nurses tell me that it doesn't matter because every hospital in my area (large metro area) has dedicated IV teams that are responsible for all sticks.

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · Nov 1, 2011

But you were not allowed to practice on each other? Did you want to before you did one on a patient?

We were not allowed to practice on each other by any means. I kind of wish we did, but I hate needles so someone "trying" to stick me wouldn't fly :uhoh3: Even though I have garden hoses for veins! :lol2:

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Nov 1, 2011

iv therapy skills are built into our curriculum. we have lecture and fairly extensive lab on the subject. the lab is simulated with an arm attached to "blood" so you get the flash and it's semi-real. a student cannot move forward in the program if they are unable to successfully insert an iv on the dummy arm within 2 tries. testing for iv therapy within that course was built around how to do it (size of cath, etc.), what to watch for if an infusion was not running well, drip by gravity (kill me now - when i tell nurses that i was tested on this in school i swear they look at me like i've got 3 heads), blood administration, and compatibility. i would have loved to practice this skill on somebody else. our school refused us that option. i guess something bad happened in the years before and they didn't want to have that liability anymore.
sadly, i have not even come close to getting to do this skill in clinical, and it doesn't look like i will. i'm almost done with my program. my ci's just tell me that i'll have plenty of time to do it when i become a nurse. some nurses tell me that it doesn't matter because every hospital in my area (large metro area) has dedicated iv teams that are responsible for all sticks.

thank god someone is still teaching this. on the "first year" forum, a lot of new nurses talked about being told that the iv team would deal with it, so it's not their problem :mad: i graduated in 1985.... i never saw an iv team, in austin,tx (2 of the hospitals there at the time) or in a hill country town. or in the ltcs i worked at- i was the iv team - lol. :lol2:

my :twocents: is that a new grad rn without iv skills is no different than an experienced lpn who can run circles around the knowledge base and iv skills (yeah- they can start ivs and give whatever meds the hospital allowed and trained for).

i hope the study goes well :) any rn needs to have the skills. i used the fake arm and was fortunate to get to start one iv in school on a real patient. we shot each other for ims, but not ivs. it worked out fine :) to tell an rn student that it's someone else's problem is really ripping them off imo :)

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN · Nov 1, 2011

We did it. It was in the book, and we had lab time for it with supplies, arms, and classmate volunteers. I would look down on any program that did not include that. Still, paramedic school was better at teaching it, but they were acceptable with it.

SnMrsSmiley · Nov 1, 2011

we will do it as well beginning in our freshman II labs. We are not able to stick each other (i really wish we could) I prefer learning on real flesh and blood and would like that to be a volunteer and not a sick, miserable patient that doesnt deserve to go through the uneccesary pain of being a practice prop for me. Im never one to make waves so I am sure that when the time comes I wont suggest it or anything... but I hope someone else does. I would be willing to let someone learn by using my veins I hope that there is somebody that would do the same for me.

Hospice Nurse LPN, BSN, RN · Nov 1, 2011

We learned to start IV's in LPN school. Lecture, fake arms, and practice on each other (for those who wanted). A skill I have only used 2 or 3 times.

I'm currently in a BSN bridge program and we will do an IV class, but I'm not sure what all it entails.

Mike R, ADN, BSN, RN · Nov 1, 2011

Yes, for a third semester ADN program. It included a 60min lecture, fake arms for lab (practicing on classmates was not allowed but if we did it outside of school property they actually encouraged it), a skills lab competency test and required 4 successful real patient IV starts. IV maintenance was second semester.

emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Nov 1, 2011

I went through a diploma program. Very hands-on focused. However, the school's feeling on IV access was that was something to be taught on the job. We learned about the theory behind the meds and fluids but not the actual "how-to" for sticks.

Not a big deal to me. Easily picked up on the job.

Freeman2000 · Nov 1, 2011

can anyone help me with this care plan; this is first clinical and im running short time due today! thanks

An 85 year old female patient was admitted to the hospital as a result of a fall . Early tests show that she may have had a mild CVA and now has right sided paresis with expressive aphasia. Vital signs are: BP 130/72; TPR: 101 degree’s F; 110; 26. Additionally, she wears hearing aid’s, but left them at home. The nurses’ notes state that she is confused and that her speech is slurred and difficult to understand. She is on a pureed diet, but has only been eating about 20% of her meals indicating that she is just not hungry. Her intake and output for the past 24 hours is 800 cc of oral intake and 700 cc’s of concentrated urine output. According to family members, she has not had a bowel movement for 5 days. There is a reddened area on her coccyx area. Also, she is running a low grade fever of 100 degrees orally and has a WBC of 11,500.

1. What are possible reasons for elevated temperature, pulse and respiration?

2. What relationship is there between hearing loss and confusion?

3. What is a pureed diet and why would it be ordered for this patient?

4. What is the normal intake and output for a 24 hour period?

5. What is the significance of the patient not having a bowel movement for 5 days?

6. What is the nursing care for a patient with a reddened area on a bony prominence?

Using the above information; put together ONE cluster of related informatio

Next choose a nursing diagnosis that most closely aligns to your cluster

Using one of your care plan pages for developing a nursing diagnoses:

1) Do one nursing diagnosis for your identified cluster.

2) Identify the goal statement and 2 outcome criteria

Plan 3 nursing interventions (with scientific rationale