So, we don't learn how to do IVs in nursing school?

nurse4forever · Sep 3, 2011

Its one thing to do 1000 sticks on a dummy arm, but it would be better to do them on a human bc its just different. I don't want to be one of those nurses who have to blow every vein in the arm before i get a good stick IV's should have been the first thing we learned in school in my opinion...

I agree! But it seem some schools don't even teach students how to do them on dummies. When I saw this thread I was curious to know if my school teaches us how to insert/start IVs and draw blood, so I asked the graduates on FB and was told we learn how to do them in our 2nd year. I always thought all nurses knew how. I mean, what happens if an IV falls out and need to be reinserted right away? It would take awhile for someone from the "IV team" to come and do it. :eek:

browneyes3000 · Sep 3, 2011

I learned how to start IVs in lab. My first time was on a dummy and my second time was on my classmate (right after my first practice on dummy) and of course I let my friend started an IV on my arm too. My university has great nursing program.

Peliroja62 · Sep 3, 2011

In the program I am in (BSN) we practice in the lab during our Adult 2 rotations time period (second round of clinicals on Med surge) and then we can actually do them during our practicum (last semester).

i<3u · Sep 3, 2011

I have always heard (and firmly believe) that we are in school to learn why you starting the IV, what fluids are you going to run, what should you be looking for while it's running?.... etc. Skills are not the most important part, it's the information behind why we do the skills. :)

Yes, I totally agree. I just always assumed that we learned how to start IVs in the program but one of my classmates asked the lab instructor and told us that that is something we'd have to learn on the job (or take a phlebotomy course). Maybe, she was referring to just this semester. It confused me, so I asked you all to see if it was common for a particular program not to teach their students how to start (and practice starting) an IV.

CrazziiRN913, ADN, BSN · Sep 3, 2011

we learn them at my school i believe that last semester but we don't practice them on patients! :bugeyes:

LindaB73 · Sep 3, 2011

We did them two weeks before graduation. We got to start one on a fellow student.

Hospice Nurse LPN, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2011

We learn in my LPN program. First, practice on the dummy arm and then on each other. We were also taught to draw blood.

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Sep 3, 2011

I was told that we would learn this on the job. Is this true?

Same thing my school said.

My floor uses IV Team nurses for all IVs, so I won't learn it on the job either until I train for a different area. Which I plan to do.

TLSpaz, ASN, RN · Sep 3, 2011

We had a little blurb on it at school, like a few hours and practice on a fake man arm. I went home and practiced on my kids.

:confused:

whitn23 · Sep 4, 2011

cant run the fluids if you cant get it in...but then again when in doubt..IO! lol:lol2:

I never said that I didn't know or that we shouldnt learn. We learned to do them first semester. Im just saying that we shouldn't be worried if we don't get it to do it in school. :)

Edited to add by in school I meant clinical. We should at least have a general knowledge.

stephc1973 · Sep 4, 2011

We learned during my LPN program. We learned about IVs and fluids in class and were tested on it. Then we practiced on fake arms til we felt ready then we did each other under the supervision of our instructor who was able to certify us instead of having to be certified on the job later. The first stick had to be on each other, then we were able to do patients under the supervision of our instructors. By the end of the program we had to have 3 successful sticks to become IV therapy certified.

From what I hear, not all LPN programs do this because it isn't a requirement. Not sure about RN.

Connie1109 · Sep 4, 2011

Same thing for me in my program. BUT if you're in clinical and the nurse is going to put an IV ask if you can do it, they walk you through it step by step. A girl in my clinical group was able to start an IV even though we are technically not going to learn it in the program. Remember be assertive ask to do stuff and you will be given the opportunity to do so.

Hope this helps