Learning IV Skills Outside of My Job

Nurses General Nursing

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Learning IV Skills Outside of My Job

I know this is gonna sound like a weird question, but please bear with me. I'm going on almost my second year working as an RN. My first year was in Medsurge and I am now in women's services. I still cannot start an IV for the life of me. I feel like I just end up hurting patients. I have an absolute fear of it at this point and I'm always looking for help and everyone's giving me a really hard time. How can I learn to become professional with IVs without having to practice them at work? Are there outside classes or ways of doing this where I don't have to do it at work and be continually judged and mocked there? This is a serious question. Thank you so much for your kind input! 

My advice is to look at Instagram, seriously. Intravenousqueen and the IVGuy are 2 really good accounts. The IVGuy even offers a virtual course that includes CEUs. When I started in a busy Endoscopy center, starting about 15 IVs per day, I was discouraged too. I would often need to stick twice and get another nurse. I was determined to get better and I feel like watching short videos with tips/hacks helped me most. I got to the point where I would go days in a row without a miss and other nurses would find me when they missed. Good luck. 

2 Votes

Do you have family members or friends that will let you practice on them.  I started IV's without having any experience with them and I had to call for help a lot. I'm still not great at getting deep veins and I won't even try sometimes because you can't feel them. Know where you are having difficulty. Is it finding a vein, hitting the vein, is it advancing the cannula. Maybe you can independently pay someone to help you. Sometimes that extra time that someone gives is invaluable. 

 

Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.
delrionurse said:

Do you have family members or friends that will let you practice on them.  I started IV's without having any experience with them and I had to call for help a lot. I'm still not great at getting deep veins and I won't even try sometimes because you can't feel them. Know where you are having difficulty. Is it finding a vein, hitting the vein, is it advancing the cannula. Maybe you can independently pay someone to help you. Sometimes that extra time that someone gives is invaluable. 

 

I taught IV skills decades ago and they "graduated" when they started one on me(it was a small rural hospital with no interns to lean on).   This is after they practices on oranges to get the feel of the resistance of human skin.  They got to pierce a kitchen towel to appreciate the diffence beween the skin of the dehydrated and elderly.  It's a psycho-motor skill that requires good educational preparation and then tincture of time. 

2 Votes
delrionurse said:

Do you have family members or friends that will let you practice on them.  I started IV's without having any experience with them and I had to call for help a lot. I'm still not great at getting deep veins and I won't even try sometimes because you can't feel them. Know where you are having difficulty. Is it finding a vein, hitting the vein, is it advancing the cannula. Maybe you can independently pay someone to help you. Sometimes that extra time that someone gives is invaluable. 

 

The problem with that is, OP would have to take equipment home. That is theft.

 

Dawnkeibals said:

My advice is to look at Instagram, seriously. Intravenousqueen and the IVGuy are 2 really good accounts. The IVGuy even offers a virtual course that includes CEUs. When I started in a busy Endoscopy center, starting about 15 IVs per day, I was discouraged too. I would often need to stick twice and get another nurse. I was determined to get better and I feel like watching short videos with tips/hacks helped me most. I got to the point where I would go days in a row without a miss and other nurses would find me when they missed. Good luck. 

 

Dawnkeibals said:

My advice is to look at Instagram, seriously. Intravenousqueen and the IVGuy are 2 really good accounts. The IVGuy even offers a virtual course that includes CEUs. When I started in a busy Endoscopy center, starting about 15 IVs per day, I was discouraged too. I would often need to stick twice and get another nurse. I was determined to get better and I feel like watching short videos with tips/hacks helped me most. I got to the point where I would go days in a row without a miss and other nurses would find me when they missed. Good luck. 

I hope OP can learn virtually. I just wanted to say I love your user name.

 

1 Votes

Really stinks that your coworkers are giving you a hard time. Is there even one that would teach you? Do you have nursing education you could reach out to? I hated drawing blood and starting IV's... because I was pretty bad. 

Have you considered a move... where sticking people is not required? You have experience and a BSN. For example...I never had to stick anybody when I was working utilization management.  Good luck.

Been there,done that said:

The problem with that is, OP would have to take equipment home. That is theft.

 

No, he/she could buy IV supplies at a medical supply store. 

1 Votes
Specializes in Public Health, TB.

OP, thank you for making the effort to improve your IV skills. As someone on the the receiving end of several IV starts in the last year, I have been shocked by the lack of phlebotomy skill of the pre-procedural nurses I have encountered. I have a very nice, palpable vein in my forearm, but they insist on going into my hand or my very scarred antecubital fossa. And I am usually stuck 3 times to get one line. 

2 Votes
nursej22 said:

OP, thank you for making the effort to improve your IV skills. As someone on the the receiving end of several IV starts in the last year, I have been shocked by the lack of phlebotomy skill of the pre-procedural nurses I have encountered. I have a very nice, palpable vein in my forearm, but they insist on going into my hand or my very scarred antecubital fossa. And I am usually stuck 3 times to get one line. 

On that note it's too bad that corporations want the right to freak out over patient satisfaction but would be significantly less likely to do something like actually invest staff members' skill acquisition which goes directly to patient satisfaction. They'd rather have their team take multiple attempts to start an IV and then make sure to say, "is there anything else you need? I have the time!!"

4 Votes
Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Amazon offers several "IV insertion practice kit nursing" about $100 that includes practice device and CD education.  You can search online for IV education courses offered in your area; one I took 30 years ago helped me succeed in home care  IV infusion.

1 Votes
Specializes in Tele, ICU, Staff Development.

Check to see if your Education department has a mannequin arm for starting IVs

1 Votes
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