Never placed an IV!!!!!

[LoriZ342]

I'm not sure what to do and this sounds ridiculous! I just started a new position and realized I have never placed an IV and I have never stuck anyone for blood - my last job had IV team and phlebotomy. Does anyone have any advice how to learn very quickly!! I looked at community colleges but they only offer courses that last weeks...I need to learn asap! Thanks for any advice you have to offer.

[Good Morning, Gil]

Many nurses don't have phlebotomy/IV skills for the reasons you mentioned. You won't learn quickly. It really just takes practice since it's a skill. Sure....can anyone pretty much get the pipes for veins? Yes, but people that have fragile veins/dehydrated, etc, are much more difficult to get IV's into, and it just takes practice working with the IV caths and floating them in, etc. Offer to draw other nurse's blood when you have the time or start an IV with an experienced nurse so she can tell you where you went wrong. Nobody's going to expect you to be perfect at first.

[sapphire18]

Practice, practice, practice! Try not to get frustrated. Offer to do a shift in the ED just starting IVs, a lot of these people have great veins and you will get the basics down. We were not allowed to do sticks in school; I only learned phlebotomy at my first job as a tech, and then as an RN we were not allowed to start IVs; there was an IV team. At my job now, no IV team but not allowed to do phlebotomy, lab techs do that. Go figure!

[amazingme]

I like many of you went to a great school and did not receive any teaching on IV's or blood draws. This is very common. At my facility we don't have an IV team. I learned how to start my first IV with my preceptor actually. At one point we had a nurse who was extremely good with IV's who took new grads and nurses who wanted IV teaching around the hospital to start IV's for those who needed a new start or IV change. She taught the technique and critiqued the nurse. Maybe your hospital has someone like this or a program geared towards helping nurses such as yourself to gain more experience. Hope this helps.

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

never placed an iv what ....just kidding, it's not uncommon for many students graduating from a nursing program and never were exposed to iv insertion. having said that, i worked for several months at the iv team at a trauma center and i loved getting the newbies, i had them practicing iv insertion one after the other when they left the unit they had a better understanding on how to approach the procedure. besides that, i made it fun!!! i would fill up the phlebotomy arm with the red-fake blood liquid and then while they were inserting the iv needle, i would increase the pressure and the fake blood would come out gushing from our over used fake arm; the expression on the newbies were priceless!!!

the name of the game is practice, practice, practice!

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

We learned IV but not venipuncture. many of my classmates took phlebotomy classes before nursing school or the summer between semesters. I have done about 3 successfully in clinical. About 10,000 on horses lol, but I will get more practice in my job. My new boss was my first clinical instructor

[sonja77]

Talk to your unit manager and see if they can put you in the ER, day surgery, GI lab, .... for one or two shifts where you first can observe and then try to start IVs.

Starting IVs is a skill that's learned on the job, not in nursing school.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

How did you never learn this skill in nursing school?! I find that kind of frightening and I'd be pizzed at my school for not teaching it!!

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

wow....

totally not your fault, but....what school did you go to?

i would encourage nobody else to go there, ever.

In my state, it's against state regulations for nursing students to perform venipuncture on a person. They also can't hang blood or take MD orders, per regulation.

I know plenty of long-time RNs who can't do IVs. Honing IV skills depends on exposure in your particular clinical setting. IMO, sticking IVs doesn't reflect on one's competence as a nurse.

[PinkNBlue, BSN, RN]

I agree and just be honest with your preceptor. I'm sure she'll then keep an eye out on the rest of the patients to see if there are any opportunities on the floor for you as well as the patients you are assigned. It's not weird and it's not uncommon. Practice makes perfect :)

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

I went to an excellent school that did not teach us how to start IVs. I've never done it in my 2 years as a nurse. I'm not a CVICU nurse in an internship program, I'm required to gain competency of IV starting. Tomorrow I'll be in the ED doing nothing but IVs. Please pray for me and my patients.

Your pts will be fine.:) But I'm saying a little prayer for you right now so I don't forget. It's the same one I say to myself when I'm afraid I'll be unsuccessful.

[Merced]

Back in the day when smokers were not discouraged from smoking, I found an interesting phenomenon:

The patient could be a 29-year old guy, tan & rugged-looking, with veins that were like highways, but if they had just had a cigarette (which they always liked to do before being poked), You could get the needle in the vein, & lo & behold ---- NO BLOOD.

I learned to wait at least 1/2 hour since last cigarette, before attempting IV start.

[tothepointeLVN, LVN]

Not sure what state your are in but when I took my IV and Phlebotomy certification that LVN's in my state are required to have to work with IV's there were a couple of RN's that took the practical portion of the course for the practice and live sticks. You have to do 3 live sticks. I haven't started on since them since my speciality doesn't require it but I think I'll pay to retake the practical portion before I start my bridge.