OHH I feel so frustrated!?! In nursing school I actually had quite a few good attempts at IVs... I did about 20 and actually got about 50% I'd say.. Most of my successful attempts where when I would spend my days in the ER.... But since I have actually been a nurse I am doing terrible!! I work on a renal/respiratory floor and I've only actually gotten maybe 2 out of 10.. and those were both in the AC...
It seems like every vein rolls.... Then i catch it... then it blows... I'm very good at getting flash back... but they seem to always blow!!! My preceptor says I have good technique... I know it just takes practice... But how long until I'll be successful at this?
How long did it take everyone to get good at IVs...??? Are some people just never good???
These techniques all sound great to me. I've been unsuccessful in placing IV's too, everyone blows! I always feel like such an idiot when I have to go get help, esp. when the next nurse gets it one handed on the first try! I feel really bad for the patient and I feel like they lose their confidence in me after I poked them 2-3 times in vain. Tomorrow, if the opportunity presents itself, I'm going in with confidence. Thanks!
One more little piece of advice...not everybody needs a tournique. I have found with young men that have garden hoses it is unncessesary. Mostly though, the older patients with crepe paper skin I avoid it for two reasons, 1)They bruise really easily and the tournique may rip the skin and 2)They tend to have very fragile veins. With a tournique there can be enough pressure to blow the vein regardless of how gentle and well-techniqued you are.
Well my confidence worked. Today at the end of shift I had an IV go bad. I go into the room and there sits the pt's sister... "a nurse." She starts feeling for veins herself... telling me how rolly her sister's veins are... Says I look young and maybe I should get a senior nurse. I told her to let me just look at her veins first. I found a good vein and got a 22g in it on the first try! Oh the power of prayer!! HAHA I was so excited.. I didn't celebrate until out of sight from the family of course!! :)
Well my confidence worked. Today at the end of shift I had an IV go bad. I go into the room and there sits the pt's sister... "a nurse." She starts feeling for veins herself... telling me how rolly her sister's veins are... Says I look young and maybe I should get a senior nurse. I told her to let me just look at her veins first. I found a good vein and got a 22g in it on the first try! Oh the power of prayer!! HAHA I was so excited.. I didn't celebrate until out of sight from the family of course!! :)
I probably did about 10 IVs in nursing school, and got about 70% of them. Not great, but I didn't think I was horrible either. Then I started working. For the first three months I did not get one IV. I'd get flashback, but then I'd blow every. single. one. I felt like a failure. Good nurse = good at IVs, right? And I felt like my patients' confidence in me went to nil when I couldn't get them. Plus I hated having to go to another nurse and ask her to start my IV, even though they were always really nice about it and assured me that I just needed practice and I'd be really good. Every day, I'd ask if anyone else needed an IV start, and I just kept practicing. And practicing.
Well, after about three months, I don't know what changed, but I suddenly started getting every IV I tried. I've worked eight months, and now I'm the one the lab techs call when they can't get a draw. About a month ago I had to draw blood on a baby and got it on the first stick, whereas the day before two experienced nurses and a lab tech tried to draw that baby four times and couldn't get it, and finally gave up. A few weeks ago I did a double take when a new nurse told me "Oh good, you're on today, I heard you were a really good stick." I was like, um, me??? Really??
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it does get better. It really does. What I found helped me was:
1. Take every opportunity to practice that you can. Ask all the nurses to call you when they need an IV start. Keep doing it. It doesn't matter if you haven't gotten a single successful IV in months. Keep trying.
2. Help the lab techs when they do blood draws. It's so much easier than IV starts, and it really builds your confidence when you do a quick, painless draw and the patient says "Wow, you're really good."
3. If you fail the first two times, quit messing around with the little veins and go for the AC.
4. Don't try to start a bigger size than the vein can hold. Take your time to look and feel. Feeling is more important than seeing. And ALWAYS take a look at both arms before you stick.
5. Personally I never use the hand. I don't like it. The veins roll, and they seem to go flat the second you get the needle in. Most people have a good vein that runs over the radial bone and up the arm. Often you can't see it, but you can feel it. That's the one I usually go for.
But most importantly, practice, practice, practice. You WILL get really good, I promise. It just takes time. Just don't be afraid to try.
NurseShelly
119 Posts
These techniques all sound great to me. I've been unsuccessful in placing IV's too, everyone blows! I always feel like such an idiot when I have to go get help, esp. when the next nurse gets it one handed on the first try! I feel really bad for the patient and I feel like they lose their confidence in me after I poked them 2-3 times in vain. Tomorrow, if the opportunity presents itself, I'm going in with confidence. Thanks!