STARTING IVs............OMG..............

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My friend from nursing school recently started her first RN job, and she had a bad third day where all the new grads were testing out on skills. The first skill of the day was starting an IV, all the other girls (ABOUT 30 OF THEM) had all had experience starting IVs from their school. My friend was the only one there who had no experience with it what so ever. They made a spectacle of her like "What school are you from? I can't believe you have never done that before." She was almost in tears. We had never even learned how to tie a turniquet!!!!!!! I must have heard about 8 times during nursing school from various instructors that we will learn from our facility where we work on how to start IVs!!! Did our school lie to us? My friend is very upset and we are feeling inferior to other newcommers. What kind of IV experience do you guys have from school?????

Specializes in ER, ICU, Cardiac, Med-Surg.

Well, we don't start IVs or do blood draws in my ADN program or any other program in NY state. This doesn't mean we learn nothing about IVs at all. We just don't do the actual venipuncture. All the local facilities expect this from their new graduates (out of necessity). Our orientations will be lengthy and will incorporate IV starts. While I would prefer to have learned the skill beforehand, I don't have much choice in the matter. It will not disadvantage me, because all of my fellow new grads will be on equal footing.

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Specializes in NICU.
At the beginning of our second semester we had to come in on Fridays (usually our off day) and get IV training. There was lecture on the setup, various fluids and how the pumps worked, and practice Iv problems. Then at the end we had to set up the whole thing on another student (liability waivers were signed first). We did this for 3 Fridays. Then about a month later we had to bring in 4 friends to stick. Then we were sent to a local hospital for about 4 hours do nothing but IV sticks on pts. Nothing else, just shuttling from room to room. That was cool. Before we went out on the floor with the nurse we spent some time practicing with their needles and setup on a foam arm. When we were sticking a pt if we didn't get it the first time, the nurse took over and did it, less traumatic for pt this way. If there were hardly any sticks to be done then the staff volunteered to let us stick them. I had to do a couple of nurses and they were really cool about it. Told me to relax, and tried to guide us. It was a really great experience. However I wish I had more time on setting up the pump but that's what the lab is for.

That's an awesome program you're in!!! Congrats on the wonderful training, it will REALLY come in handy and you're SURE to impress your future employer. Don't worry about setting up the pumps - many hospitals have different ones, so you would have to learn again anyways, you know? After you do it a bunch of times, THAT'S the easy part. Your program is so great to focus on the actual IV skill - in my program we did all kinds of stuff with the IV pumps and tubing, but god forbid they let us even try one stick before graduation...

:angryfire

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Specializes in NICU.
Well, we don't start IVs or do blood draws in my ADN program or any other program in NY state. This doesn't mean we learn nothing about IVs at all. We just don't do the actual venipuncture. All the local facilities expect this from their new graduates (out of necessity). Our orientations will be lengthy and will incorporate IV starts. While I would prefer to have learned the skill beforehand, I don't have much choice in the matter. It will not disadvantage me, because all of my fellow new grads will be on equal footing.

Around here, it was like 50/50 with new grads having IV experience, so the hospitals also prepared for this - especially the university hospitals, because many of their own BSN grads end up staying within the system. It was more annoying than anything. They certainly didn't make us feel bad for not knowing. Then the unit I went to work on didn't let us even TRY for an IV for at least 6 months. I had been out of school almost a year by then!

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I guess I just feel like BSN should be ADN plus the research and management, rather than research and management in place of clinical skills. Do you agree?

I do.

I have been told that BSN grads who are weaker in skills tend to make up for it after a few months or a year, but no patient on earth is going to appreciate that I took a research class when I am inadequate at her bedside. To me, 'critical thinking' & sound judgement come first, procedures are up there somewhere high on the list... research and management are somewhere further down on mine & Maslow's lists. My measly opinion ;)

This is an excellent point. Especially when you consider Maslow's, which they drill into us so much in school. As far as technical skills, BSN's do catch up within a year ... but seems like that would be a tough year for a new BSN grad when the first year is tough enough for any new grad as it is. I do think the ideal scenario would be ADN & BSN which is what I'm planning to do but, of course, that's not always feasible for everyone.

:coollook:

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

We practiced IV starts on classmates and then did them in clinical.

I had probably started about a dozen in school before graduation.

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I got prior experience. Some friends had developed AIDs, and at the time it was difficult to get assistance in home IV starts at night. The MD was showing how to start home IVs for ABX infusion (so they wouldn't miss doses) and I learned then.

At that time, there were few support systems for patients with AIDs in our area. Things have improved a great deal since then.

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Specializes in Telemetry.

My friend who orginally went through this, contacted the school we graduated from and they had a meeting with the dean/board, and decided to start teaching IV lab to the future students starting this fall!!! How cool of them to actually listen to what she had to say and change things......Thanks for all your input guys........

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Specializes in Cardiac.

We start IVs in the beginning of my second semester. In clinical, the clinical instructor will search the floor and make us try every IV possible. I had 4 in the first couple of weeks 2nd semester. ADN programs usually focus hard on clinical skills-so if there was any type of skill, even if we haven't learned it in skills lab yet, we were going to do it. The clinical instructor would give you a quick lesson right before you went in. It's great!

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:o Man I hope we dont practice on each other...3 years ago I had surgery and they had to call 3 nurses in who stuck me 2 times each before they got it. It came out before surgery and they had to "dig around" to find it again. Needless to say the thoughts of people with no experience at all practicing on me gives me chills.....
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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Marie-

If I am recalling correctly, you are from the Hampton Roads area. Whcich school does not teach how to give IVs? I'm just curious. I'm starting at Riverside In January and am wondering if it is their program to which you are reffering.

Really not sure about the HR area. I don't live there. Sorry, i don't know if Riverside teaches IV therapy or not. :)

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Just finished my program YEAH. Final was today. We also learned on the rubber arm. I was able to do 3 IV starts ( the first 2 were with an ER nurse who was great), I actually got the first 2. The third was on the tele floor and I got a flashback but wasn't quck enough to get every thing together and lost it. I didn't get my experience until this semester which is an ADN program. So I am sure I will be all thumbs when I start my first job. Usually all my patients had IV's. I like the idea of having a day of IV starts. I just feel better that I had done it even if it was only 3 times...

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I started my nursing degree at a nursing school in Boston (BSN) we were not going to be taught this - they said that was a specialty thing. If we went into ER or ICU, they would teach us there.

I transferred (for other reasons! Ha) and now, in CA we have been taught but it's hard to find a opportunity to do it. our instructor has to be present, too so that is difficult.

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I don't know how other schools are, but i have come to realize that you have to take a roactive approach to learning skills. If a nurse at a hospital asks me if I want to try something, I do it whether I am supposed to or not. I would rather get into trouble for taking the initiative to try, rather than being afraid to. You have to learn somehow, and instructional videos aren't going to do it.

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