You're TERRIBLE at IV starts?? omg!

WIN007 · Apr 22, 2011

Are there any nurses that aren't the greatest at starting IVs? If so, how many years have you been a nurse, and who do you get to help you start IVs?
I'm ok at them, but MAN.. today at the endoscopy center I was only able to get one started!! I blew one vein, and the other one rolled on me (I just started there PRN). I thought I was pretty good at getting them, but apparently not. Oh well, I need the practice. For some reason I have it in my head that all nurses are good at starting IVs... don't know why I think that, lol.

I can assure you they are not. I've known long term nurses that were lousy at starting IV's probably because the units they were on didn't cause for much of it, their hospital had an IV team and things along that line. . It is unfortunately a skill that can only be acquired with practice. It's unfortunte but most nursing schools today do not give students practice with this. Similarly, classes in such typically use maniquins with colored water for blood and veins the size of small ropes - hardly what you're going to get in a hospital setting.

My .02: A steady hand goes a long way, keeping the patient hydrated, knowing when you're NOT going to get them (frequent flyer, dehydrated, type of patient that needs you to call and order a PICC) and practice. I think it was a good year before I was really comfortable. Let the CM know you want as much practice as you can get.

FancypantsRN · Apr 22, 2011

I thought I was ok at IV's - but I never really had to start many on my floor. The pt's usually had an IJ. Now I am in the ER and realizing that maybe I wasn't so good.... I am getting lots of practice now though!

I am also learning that kids (not babies) are much easier to get a good line on than adults - I was terrified to try it. So far I am 2 for 2 : )

pedicurn, LPN, RN · Apr 22, 2011

I'm quite good because I've had years of frequent practice ( don't want sound arrogant ...just saying it's all about practice)

I'm good with chemo p'ts, shutdown p'ts, IV drug user p'ts

However there is one group of p't that I can have a problem with - the extremely obese.

These are blimmin hard and end up taking up a lot of resource

Flo., BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2011

The obese are really hard! I have a hard time with IVs. In school the mentioned IV drug users, dehydrated pts etc but they never said it is hard to get an IV on a obese pt.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2011

I've been a nurse for five years, and I am extremely horrible at IV starts. In fact, I've only started about five successful IVs in my lifetime. If I cannot start the IV (and I usually can't), the charge nurse will usually get the job done.

CaitlinAnn · Apr 22, 2011

I just learned how to do IVs yesterday in school. So far they terrify me.

WIN007 · Apr 22, 2011

I'm quite good because I've had years of frequent practice ( don't want sound arrogant ...just saying it's all about practice)
I'm good with chemo p'ts, shutdown p'ts, IV drug user p'ts
However there is one group of p't that I can have a problem with - the extremely obese.
These are blimmin hard and end up taking up a lot of resource

I have to do really big people by feel because I can never see the veins even with that vein finder gadget. I almost always get the antecubital and rarely anywhere else.

pedicurn, LPN, RN · Apr 22, 2011

I have to do really big people by feel because I can never see the veins even with that vein finder gadget. I almost always get the antecubital and rarely anywhere else.

Sometimes even the antecubital is hard.

Hands are often good places for the very obese and I can have success there

LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN · Apr 22, 2011

My last week of senior practicum in nursing school, I was able to get one on an obese IV drug user:yeah: Of course my preceptor was the IV queen of the unit and I spent a lot of time in the ED practicing IV starts.

Now a year after graduation I haven't done a stick yet, I have D/C an IV, but in my LTAC they usually come in with them and by the time they need to replace them they are being sent out again, so I am losing what little skills I gained:crying2:

mskate · Apr 22, 2011

I'm really really really bad at them. I'm going on 9 years of ICU and I have started MAYBE 3 successfully, and that is if I use a 22g on people with sewer pipes for veins. I blame it on all of our patients coming with access already there. They either come in via EMS (who place the lines), ED (who place the lines) and the OR (who place the lines) - and if I lose periph. access, I'll usually have a resident who needs to get signed off on central lines ready to toss a triple lumen in....

I'm really good at drawing blood but threading an IV is a whole different story....

WIN007 · Apr 22, 2011

I'm really really really bad at them. I'm going on 9 years of ICU and I have started MAYBE 3 successfully, and that is if I use a 22g on people with sewer pipes for veins. I blame it on all of our patients coming with access already there. They either come in via EMS (who place the lines), ED (who place the lines) and the OR (who place the lines) - and if I lose periph. access, I'll usually have a resident who needs to get signed off on central lines ready to toss a triple lumen in....
I'm really good at drawing blood but threading an IV is a whole different story....

Consider yourself lucky. The patients who pull theirs out always seemed to gravitate to me as well as the patients that screamed before you even stuck them. ;-)