mariaconcetta

I’m giving Covid vaccines in our community. I’m looking for tips on deltoid IM injections from other nurses. Many needle phobic people I want to give the least painful shot as possible. Also many frail people with small arms.

Point well taken! I’m very careful to avoid the shoulder joint. I make people undress enough to expose the shoulder to be able to palpate the acromion. Thanks for sharing your experience.

We don’t have needle size choices, appears to be 1 “. So I do need to modify the arm or not go in all the way on the frail and small arms. Our online prep course says give 2-3 finger widths below shoulder bone. I spend a lot of time palpating the arm...

Share any tips you have for me.

Is bunching up the arm a standard of practice for frail or small arms? I’ve seen online that is my a technique that should be used for Covid vaccine.

Thanks so much!

Thanks for your tip. I have been darting it in. Any advice for small frail arms?

For general anesthesia patients we have to use 20 gauge IV's . Most of our patients get conscious sedation and we use 22's. Today I missed two patients IV 's using 20's, got a great flash but couldn't thread. Both were hand sites I missed ,but got t...

That probably is my issue, I need to adjust the amount I advance after getting a flash. Thanks.

Thanks for that tip,it's possible that's what my mistake is. I did notice when I went to advance, the catheter" bunched up " at the skin insertion site.

I feel like it's something I'm doing wrong. I do have occasional issues with not being able to thread my 22's also. It may be I'm not seeing the flash soon enough and go in too much. Thank you you for all your advice

They sound like a great help for my legs that have started burning and itching. Anyone have a coupon code for discount when ordering?

i also had a hard time learning to put in IV's. Look at my post : hand IV trouble (June 22). I received several helpful tips that I have been implementing with success.I always say putting in IV's is much harder than it looks. Be patient with yourse...

I would stay on in your per diem job and work a few days now and then to be sure the new job is what you hope it is. I found myself going back to my per diem job when my part time job didn't work out. I always say "don't burn any bridges".

What do you do if you hit a nerve? I just took out the needle, the patient seemed to be in a lot of pain.

I have been doing IV's for 3 years but continue to have trouble putting IV's in the back of the hand. Especially thin or elderly women, I get a flash but then it stops. Sometimes the vein blows.I tend to avoid the hand sites at all costs, but sometim...

I had two difficult IV patients today that I used AC sites on. Both c/o a lot of discomfort when I was putting the IV in? I wondered if anyone had any suggestions? Could it be I wasn't using enough traction which I find hard to do in patients using t...

I had a great IV day today! Even got some really tough ones. I used several of your tips, lowering my angle and really looking at the IV catheter , and seeing the length of the bevel and where the cannula starts. I lessened the amount I advance the n...

yes it does. Tomorrow I will look carefully at the needle tip and see where the cannula starts. I could be advancing it more than the difference of the two. Thanks so much for the help.

Thanks for the tips. I will use them tomorrow and hope for better success. It's good to hear from other nurses with expertise in starting IV's. It is so much help to me!!!

Thank you for your advice, I will keep it in mind as I start all my IV's. I learn so much from people like you that are very experienced . It's my goal to improve on my IV skills, and not feeling guilty about sticking patients twice.

Thank you for your advice. I do think my angle of entry in the vein might be part of my problem. What usually happens is I get a flash but not a lot , then it stops. I try to pull back and see if I went to far in. Not always successful. I also someti...