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!!
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.
