Hi All nurses! I have been a nurse for almost 5 years and have previously felt that I am great at making connections with patients, making them feel cared for and treating all my patients very well. I work at a county hospital and we take care of many homeless patients, dementia and psych patients and other vulnerable populations. Today my patient had cognitive deficits due to a stroke and was extremely drowsy. I attempted to place an IV and was unsuccessful three times. The patient slept through all of the attempts and later when he was more awake stated he did not remember any of it. I am just upset with myself because I usually try a max of two times for an IV and if still unsuccessful go for help. I feel like I took advantage of this patient because of his drowsiness and his cognitive deficits and I feel really terrible. Am I overreacting? Going forward I will stick with my "two strikes" rule and be extra aware of how I treat confused/sedated patients. Thanks for any input