One stick - woo hoo!!

Published

Finally had the opportunity to attempt an IV start on a real, living and breathing person yesterday. It was my last day of med/surg clinical and I'd yet to get an IV start. My CI finds me and tells me they have someone who needs an IV. I'm nervous...hoping for a 20ish man with great veins, y'know? I walk into the room and find a 90-something lady with advanced renal disease.

Not a vein to be found...we work it and work it and work it and finally sort of find one in her forearm. Can you believe I hit it one the first time!! :cool:

The best part of the story is that the patient also suffered from Alzheimer's dementia AND had a history of schizophrenia. The dialogue went something like this:

Pt: "Who are you?"

Me: "I'm the nurse."

Pt: "You're a son of a b___."

Me: Mmm...hmmm.

(30 seconds later)

Pt: "Who are you?"

Me: "I'm the nurse."

Pt: "You're a son of a b___. What do you know anyway?"

Me: "It's a beautiful day outside."

Pt: "I don't give a d___. You are a son of a b___."

I figure if I can hit my first attempt at an IV on a first stick with this dialogue going on...I've lost all fear for doing it in the future.

Just had to share!!:chuckle

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Great job !!! You should be proud !! Thanks for sharing !! :)

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Happy Day! Congrats!!

party-smiley-020.gif

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Great story, congrats!!!

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That tickles me. Bet she didn't know what hit her.:confused: :p

justjenn

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Congrats!

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Specializes in Adult Med-Surg, Rehab, and Ambulatory Care.

I'm laughing but I'm happy for you. Congo rats! :)

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Specializes in School, Camp, Hospice, Critical Care.

Wow, what a great story! It sounds lile you handled the whole scenario really well! Congrats!

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LOL. That is an awesome story and it is even better that you got it on your first try! Good job.

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That's great, you hit it on the first stick! Our nursing school doesn't even teach us how to start IV's. They say we can learn on the job after we graduate. I wish we could have practiced on a fake arm or something like that. I've had patients like the one you described, sometimes you just gotta grin and bear it.

Good Luck!

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Thanks everyone. :) One of those moments of nursing school that I will never forget!

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Great job and even better story to go along with it. I have yet to have the oppertunity and can't wait, hope I'm as collected as you sounded.

Erin

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