Starting IV's

ybstressed, LVN · Jan 11, 2009

yes there are training classes.....try www.medtexx.com. this company goes to various states and trains in one day with certification.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 11, 2009

look for a continuing education class in iv therapy. if you work in a hospital, ask if they teach a course in this. i have put together weblinks on how to start ivs in the student forums: see post #5 on the any good iv therapy or nursing procedure web sites sticky thread in nursing student assistant forum (https://allnurses.com/nursing-student-assistance/any-good-iv-127657.html). certification is done nationally through the infusion nurses society for rns and requires a certain number of hours doing ivs and taking and passing a written test that is quite comprehensive (http://www.ins1.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1)

iteachob, MSN, RN · Jan 11, 2009

You couldn't start them in school (after being properly trained)? Was it an RN program? Our students start them whenever there is an opportunity; under direct supervision from start to finish.....but it is their hands doing the procedure. I guess it must be a state thing.

BroadwayRN, ASN, RN · Jan 11, 2009

I had very little opportunity to start IV's in school. I had to learn on the job. I learned by observing other nurses proficient at starting IV's and asked for pointers from them. When starting an IV on a patient I never acted nervous or never told them that I was new at starting IV's. I asked other nurses to let me know when they had a patient with good veins. Once reasonably comfortable starting IV's on patients with good veins I ventured out on my own to start those with difficult veins. It didn't take me long to catch on. Google IV starts for hints and I'm sure there's lots of info on IV starts here on allnurses too.

zwoman80 · Jan 11, 2009

do you work in an acute care facility? if you do, does the facility have an iv team? this a group who's specific job entitles placing iv's on all all the patients who nurses are unable to get for whatever reason. maybe you can ask your supervisor to let you shadow them for one day to better your skills and increase your confidence. remember that confidence is key. it takes time to master placing iv's in a patient.

swirlygirl · Jan 11, 2009

I also started very few IV's in nursing school. That was the one thing they didn't like to let us do until we had our license. At the hospital I work at, new RN's are required to take a 4 hour class (1 on 1) with a nurse from the infusion center and then spend a few hours going around the hospital for the pages we received for IV restarts.

I have found the the infusion center nurses are full of wonderful information and are extremely eager to help new grads learn. And if you feel that you need further teaching a few months (or years!) down the road, they will be happy to have you retake the class. I had the best IV nurse for my class...she was so patient and informative. She took me to the Endo lab to practice on real patients for about 2-3 hours. I must have started 25 IV's that day.

Good Luck!! :)

redranger · Jan 11, 2009

Where did you go to school where you didn't learn IV's.

Unreal?

It should be part of the teaching.

Next time I go to get a IV, I am gonna question the person first and make sure they are competent.

rn4lyfe08 · Jan 11, 2009

I went to a nursing school in PA. Up until our last semester of our prog. (2yrs). We were told we don't learn phlebotomy/IVs because "today hospitals have their own specialized teams (IV teams), nurses on the floor don't routinely start IVs. And if they want you to start IVs, they will train you to do so"! I always thought this was a cop-out. Even some universities in that area didn't really teach IVs. Then in our last semester, we practiced in our 2hr skills lab, drawing blood on a manakin. That was about it. Fast forward about 6 weeks to the beginning of our mentorship (preceptorship/externship), and we were told that along with taking our mentors full assignment and doing everything, we were expected to attempt to start IVs when the situation arises! Shocker.... Plus I was now at a smaller hospital with no IV team and my mentor was the charge nurse (she had a full pt load as we worked overnight)...SO my first try with my mentor was a mess. We reviewed how the system worked and what to do. I practiced on a few sponges and other soft materials and I was off! I was so nervous in my pt's room. I found a vein, and she confirmed it. I stuck the pt, hit the vein, got the flashback, but couldn't advance the catheter. She then tried and couldn't advance the catheter either. Whew!, that made me feel a tad better. Then another nurse said to me "just go in with confidence, and remember what a nurse told me....it doesn't hurt you one bit!" Wouldn't you know it, 5 min later, I had to sart another IV! This time on a younger person. I went in kinda confident but definitely less nervous. I started the IV very smoothly! He didn't even know that he was my 2nd stick and 1st successfull IV start (that is until my instructor told him afterwards!)!

I still don't know why many programs don't teach it as all hospitals don't have IV teams and who really wants to have to wait to give a med cuz the IV team is bogged down when nurses are/could be perfectly capable of starting an IV. The facility I worked at while in school had no IV team, but didn't train for IVs either (it was optional to take a course yourelf). They instead paid an outside source to come and draw blood. Only a handfull of nurses could start an IV! Granted it was a rehab type facility, but IVs are still needed. This is bad for both the pt and facility. All I know is, I'm going to seek training and poss. certification the first chance I get. I'd hate to have a pt in pain and unmedicated because I didn't know how to start a basic IV! Don't know why schools don't get that.

:smiletea2:

Virgo_RN, BSN, RN · Jan 11, 2009

You wouldn't be poking a patient over and over. Most facilities have a policy where you get X number of tries. You get better at IVs with practice. When I was brand new, I only tried on people with good veins, until I got the basic skill down. If someone didn't have a vein I could hit from the doorway, I'd either ask a more experienced nurse to start it for me, or call in the IV support nurse, and I would make sure to observe to see how they did it.

Now, I will try at least once before I call in the IV support nurse, unless I don't have time, of course. In this way, I have gotten many PIVs on my first try even in people who told me that they were hard sticks. I've missed a lot too, as some people just don't have much to work with. I've found that the vast majority of patients are willing to let me try if I just tell them "I'd like to try once, and if I can't get it, I'll call in the expert.". Knowing that I'm not going to make a pincushion out of them and that there is a backup plan makes people feel much more at ease with letting me try. And sometimes, I get it. Sometimes I don't. Either way, it's a win win situation because the patient feels safe and respected, and I get my practice with difficult starts.

CathyLew · Jan 11, 2009

we like to move new grads to ambulatory surgery for a few shifts. regardless of where they will work. There you get to start IV's all day. On mostly healthy, hydrated people. (people going in for elective day surgery) before trying to start IV's on the 99 year old person who is dehydrated, or on someone who needs meds ASAP and the pressure is on!

Esther2007 · Jan 11, 2009

If you can work as an ER tech, you will learn. I did my externship in the ER, I started 3 IVs.