You're TERRIBLE at IV starts?? omg!

[Sl1011]

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.

[Orange Tree]

I am horrible at them. My "worst" story (it's hard to choose) had to be the guy who actually had good veins. I could see them, feel them, the works! I missed him a few times and he kept encouraging me to try again and telling me that I would get it eventually. After about eleven tries (seriously) I finally refused to stick him anymore. The next person who tried got him the very first time.

My "best" story was a man who got confused every night and pulled his IV out. He was a hard stick, and the first night I had him I tried several times before passing the task off to someone more qualified. The next night, he pulled his IV out right on schedule. He started fidgeting a bit when he saw me coming, as if to say, "Noooooo! Please don't hurt me agaaaaain!" I got him on the first try, somehow, and it has been one of my proudest moments!

[Heidi the nurse, BSN, RN]

As a large woman, I can tell you - ask the patient. I know where and where blood draws and IV's will and will not work on me.

I also am not good at IV's, but have never really worked in a place where I had to do them. Funny thing is, I worked at an emergency vet clinic during nursing school and could get one in pretty much every time I tried. Even put one in a dog that was laying on his back, so the insertion was upside down.

I think I thought too much about the IVs I tried to put in during my nursing career. And the more I over thought it, the more unsure, and unsuccessful I became.

[anon456, BSN, RN]

New grad here-- many tries, only one that I started that went great. It was an IV drug user and he actually coached me through it!! ha ha! He was a great patient and a really nice person. I often send out a prayer to him wherever he is, to take better care of himself.

[JSlovex2]

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.

this is so true - the first dummy arm that i ever practiced on which was practice for drawing blood had been stuck so many times that they didn't even use the colored water bc it would spill out. i could've just as well been sticking a smooth chunk of play dough because there was no difference between the arm and the vein. then, 30 mins. later i was handed a needle and told to draw blood from my partner! it was so nerve wracking! the first day i was shown how to look for a vein and tie a tourniquet i was sticking a human with a needle blindly! i kept saying - we should've spent this time in a lab watching someone draw blood - NOT sticking a fake arm with no veins or even fake veins that weren't visible! it was only when i actually went to a lab to work with real patients that i learned what i was doing.

[JSlovex2]

New grad here-- many tries, only one that I started that went great. It was an IV drug user and he actually coached me through it!! ha ha! He was a great patient and a really nice person. I often send out a prayer to him wherever he is, to take better care of himself.

that's nice - seriously.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

Some people are just gifted with the ability to stick any vein in any person. I'm not one of those people. Having said that, my success rate is better every year I am a nurse.

[opossum]

I'm so bad at starting an IV or getting a blood draw from a vein. I've been an RN for about 10 months, employed for almost 1 month. I'm in ICU, so we don't see a whole lot of these...but yeah, it would be nice to have at least ONE successful stick.

...Just to know that I could actually DO it!

[colleennurse, ASN, RN]

I would say that I am mediocre. I agree with the above- ask the patient! They are gonna know if they are a hard stick or not. I also agree that the more you do them, the better you get. For me it is one of those skills that I try to get better at!

[JBudd, MSN]

I'm pretty good at it, just always have been. But if I can't get it in 2, I get someone else.

Oddest stick I ever did, was a guy with congenital problems, so he'd been stuck alot all of his life. He told me the only place left was on his left thigh, upper inner edge, and pointed to it. I said "seriously?". Put the tourniquet on, felt the vein and popped a 20g in. Good bit of prayer didn't hurt either.

[R*Star*RN, BSN, RN]

Well in school we had to do 10 successful IV starts in order to become "IV certified" along with passing some test about IV infusions. 5 were on other nursing students and 5 were on patients in the clinical setting. I did ok.

I've been an RN for 3 years and have never had to start an IV in the hospital. We have an IV team and in fact don't even have IV start supplies on the floor unless you'd like to open the crash cart.

Now I'm taking a position where it's expected that I'll be able to do IV starts and AC blood draws on my own. . . but I have a feeling it will take a lot of practice before I am any good at it.

[JSlovex2]

I'm so bad at starting an IV or getting a blood draw from a vein. I've been an RN for about 10 months, employed for almost 1 month. I'm in ICU, so we don't see a whole lot of these...but yeah, it would be nice to have at least ONE successful stick.

...Just to know that I could actually DO it!

i was a career changer so i chose to go through a CNA class and then a phlebotomy training class leading up to starting nursing school. it amazed and still does amaze me that so many nurses can't draw blood from a patient when someone who takes a short class is able to do so. IV's are a little different. then again - i had an instructor at that time tell me that a RN raised her hand on the 2-3rd day of class and asked what she was talking about when she kept saying "bedside."

maybe cracker jack boxes really DO have nursing licenses inside!

[JSlovex2]

Well in school we had to do 10 successful IV starts in order to become "IV certified" along with passing some test about IV infusions. 5 were on other nursing students and 5 were on patients in the clinical setting. I did ok.

I've been an RN for 3 years and have never had to start an IV in the hospital. We have an IV team and in fact don't even have IV start supplies on the floor unless you'd like to open the crash cart.

Now I'm taking a position where it's expected that I'll be able to do IV starts and AC blood draws on my own. . . but I have a feeling it will take a lot of practice before I am any good at it.

this amazes me. i'd be jumping at the chance to start an IV as to not lose that skill. same with blood draws. so often nurses will ask phlebotomy or the CNA to come and draw blood - not bc they don't have time and it's a delegateable task, but bc they don't know how. not that they'd ever admit it.