When do we learn how to start an iv

jjjoy, LPN · Feb 12, 2009

Well, our director in NS always told us a monkey could learn the skills and that nursing school was to learn the critical thinking skills...the physical skills would come with job training. I don't think most employers expect a new grad to be proficient in their nursing skills. I think they want someone with good assessment skills and the ability to think out of the box.

I hate that line "a monkey could learn the skills..." when it's used as a rationale for not teaching students basic hands-on nursing skills. It may be true that it doesn't take much to learn each skill on its own once you've mastered many other similar skills. However, many employers and co-workers expect a new nurse to be up and running with a full load of patients in just a few weeks or months. The new nurse is learning how to juggle several patients, how to do quick, focused assessments, when and how to talk to physicians, computer systems, charting methods, a whole slew of policies, etc. If the only hands-on skills that the new nurse has had enough repetition to feel comfortable with is bed-making, blood pressure readings, and oral medical administration, that is that much more new stuff to slow them down and to feel incompetent at in addition to everything else. So in addition to all the many things the newbie isn't sure about or confident in, they can feel even more useless to their co-workers and patients by having to ask for help with basic skills that "a monkey could learn."

It may be an unfortunate reality that there aren't enough opportunities and too much liability for students to get the kind of hands-on experience that would help make a smoother transition from student to new grad nurse. But I hate to see the teaching of basic skills dismissed as if it were just too menial to bother teaching. Especially if the program is like mine where we spent precious skills lab time practicing bathing and bedmaking but never learned IV starts. A monkey could learn IV starts in no time on the job, but students needed to memorize step by step how to properly fold a washcloth for bathing?

rach78 · Feb 12, 2009

I am in my critical care clinical rotation and I have still not started an IV on a real person. We discussed it in lab a year ago for about 1 hour. Most of the nurses I have worked with tell me that when you get a job and go through orientation is when you will learn most of that kind of stuff. Many nurses tell me that you learn about 10% in nursing school and the other 90% in orientation. I was thinking the same that when I graduated and started working they would expect me to know all of those skills, but luckily they will teach you in orientation or if you get lucky one of your clinical patients may need an IV and you might get to try then.

Good Luck

KrisRN0710 · Feb 13, 2009

Thats the same at my school too...The hospital you become hired at is supposed to teach you. I think thats aweful..starting IV's is 90% a nurses job why should we wait until employment? I also find is strange how we don't learn phlebotomy. I learned it for my medical assistant degree so even though as a nurse we don't usually draw blood (unless from a port) you better believe if I have the supplies on hand i'll draw my own specimens if time permits! Why wait for the lab to come up?

RadfordSN · Feb 13, 2009

That's crazy!

I'm in my second semester, doing med-surg and OB rotations. Today I was assigned ambulatory surgery, all I did was start and remove IVs. (So proud by the way, yay!) The nurses I was hanging out with told me that they use to start the IVs on each other, which I really wish we could do. lol

I'm sorry you're not able to do them until graduation.

billythekid, CRNA · Feb 17, 2009

Well... I spoke to my clinical instructor and we will not be learning how to start an IV, or do IV flushes while in Nursing school!!!! We have to wait until we graduate.. according to her it is illegal in the state of New York! This really sucks I was looking fwd to learning that this semester.

I'm not sure what the law in NYS is, but I can tell you that the paramedic class I went to (in NYC) stated that as part of the medic course curriculum, 15 successful venipunctures are required. Granted, we did also practice on each other just for fun.. lol

I still can't imagine walking into a room as a licensed individual, never having done something so basic and central to nursing practice

mb1949 · Feb 18, 2009

The scope of practice and educational requirements in NYS or anywhere for that matter are completely different. In NYS nursing students are not allowed to start IV's no nursing school in NYS allows students to start IV's this is something you learn at the hospital. Some hospital actually have specialized nurses that start all the IV's in hospital. I really don't understand it but that is the way it is.

RNKat23 · Feb 18, 2009

So glad I'm in the program I'm in. They want us to get experience with anything we can. We did IV's in our 2nd term both in lab (on mannequins and each other) and by spending a day in outpt surgery starting all the IV's before they went to surgery. This term (4th), we spent another day at a local surgery center starting IV's so we would be ready for our preceptorships next term. We've given all types of meds (except chemo), and even hung blood with an instructor present. Our clinical instructors have been fabulous, and are always on the 'hunt' to find us things to do that we haven't had a chance to yet.

I, also, don't agree with the 'trained monkey' line of thinking, and actually find it insulting. I realize that we will build on our skills when we get into the 'real world' of nursing, but not having ever done something? I'd be a nervous wreck. I'm glad our school feels the same way. Critical thinking applies in the starting of IV's and other procedures too - I wouldn't expect someone with no concept of the anatomy of veins and the reasons to use one over another to just be taught to 'just stick it in - no big deal'.

graceomalleyRN, RN · Feb 18, 2009

We learned in our Foundations class's lab first semester. This semester in Med-Surge (Adult I) we are starting IV's on our patients. I think it just depends on the school.