IV/blood withdrawal cert last summer

Nurses LPN/LVN

Published

Hi everyone, I recently got hired for a job in urgent care which will allow me to utilize my iv/blood withdrawal certification that I earned summer 2017. The only thing is, I haven't had any practice since! I was very honest with the hiring manager and told her I never got to utilize my certification during school and since I just graduated in December I haven't had the work experience either. She told me I would get to see the nurse during training but I still don't feel prepared. Has anyone else been in this situation? What did you do to refresh your skills or bring them up to par?

Your feelings are normal. I've worked acute care for over 30 years in a variety of jobs. Some were bedside nursing, some were management. I've gone from good with phlebotomy and awful at IV's, to awful at both, to good at both.

About 80 percent of being successful is psychological, 20 percent is technique. Try to relax. Watching YouTube videos can be helpful.

Don't beat yourself up when you blow it. Stay calm, limit yourself to two attempts, apologize to the patient and ask a coworker to try. It's never been an official policy to only try twice, just common sense. You and the patient will be more anxious, frustrated, etc. if you keep trying.

If you are the only one available, take a break, get a drink of water, reposition the patient, WARM THEIR EXTREMITIES is crucial for a difficult stick. Plus there are 100's of posts on Allnurses about IV and phlebotomy tricks and techniques.

Thanks for the feedback I appreciate it! I guess it's kind of like any skill at first. But for some reason I'm just more anxious because I'm apparently "certified" so I feel the pressure more than other skills. You offered some great suggestions, I will check Youtube and search on this page as well. Thanks for your help and sharing your experience.

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