experience –
IV Insertion ProblemRating: (votes: 0) ::hugs:: same thing happened to me when I came back to the hospital after a couple years. Now, over six months in, I just now feel like I'm getting my groove back. Don't give up! A few smooth starts and you'll be back in the swing. Offer to start IVs for your colleagues..tackle this head-on! You can do it!P.S. Bless you for working with the kiddos. The very thought terrifies me. Comment:
You just need to polish your skills.
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Thanks for responding @kiszi... knowing that there's someone out there who experiences the same thing gives me a little relief.. and thanks for the encouragement.. i hope i'll do better on my next tries...
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@blondebabe0625 - do you have some tips for me on how I can polish my skills?
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When I was in band in school we used to call it "getting our lips" (played saxophone). If you did not practice regularly, like daily, your lips would lose the feel even if you remembered exactly how to play and you would sound terrible. I think the same thing happens in vascular access, without regular practice you lose "the feel" and are less successful despite having full knowledge of the task. The good thing is the fix is easy, just slow down and keep practicing and you will gain back "the feel." Personally I like the method of teaching/learning by starting IVs on yourself. I know, I know, sounds macabre but it is the only way to really feel simultaneously what the inserter and patient feels at the same time. It allowed me to help develop my assessment skills to understand what was happening as the inserter and what the patient might be feeling with my manipulations.
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First and foremost, in any peds patient, get someone to help you hold the child's arm in position. Do NOT rely on a kid to "hold still" because most will not, even if the intent is there. So get your tech, another nurse, someone else. Even the most seasoned nurse can not hold and stick at the same time with kids. Make sure your positioning is good, and you are not going to blow the vein, and you are in a place that is not going to be impossible to keep the IV open and running--use an armboard if it is in the ac, that kind of thing.Secondly, make sure you are really getting that IV vein feeling back. Do not look for veins you can see, feel for them so that you are back to where you were when you were doing them every day. And be sure to get a feel for the IV catheters themselves. Sometimes, facilities change them--and what was an easily handled IV is not so much anymore. So you have to get used to your hand positioning, at what point the needle needs to be withdrawn and the catheter advanced, that type of thing.Best wishes, and you will find before you know it that you are right back on the bike! HAHA!
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Quote from Asystole RNWhen I was in band in school we used to call it "getting our lips" (played saxophone). If you did not practice regularly, like daily, your lips would lose the feel even if you remembered exactly how to play and you would sound terrible. I think the same thing happens in vascular access, without regular practice you lose "the feel" and are less successful despite having full knowledge of the task. The good thing is the fix is easy, just slow down and keep practicing and you will gain back "the feel." Personally I like the method of teaching/learning by starting IVs on yourself. I know, I know, sounds macabre but it is the only way to really feel simultaneously what the inserter and patient feels at the same time. It allowed me to help develop my assessment skills to understand what was happening as the inserter and what the patient might be feeling with my manipulations.
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Awww... So nice of you all for responding to my post. I felt relieved somehow knowing that I'm not alone who had suffered from this problem. My mind is like being tortured everytime I miss or blow a vein and I feel like so stupid. You are all right, I really need more practice. It's the repeated experience that makes an expert. Thank you all guys.And to Asystole, hilarious as it may sound, I've tried doing it to myself just so I can practice. It's just hard pricking yourself 'cause you can't have a good position while pricking. You can't manipulate it well.
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Quote from iamcutiekathAwww... So nice of you all for responding to my post. I felt relieved somehow knowing that I'm not alone who had suffered from this problem. My mind is like being tortured everytime I miss or blow a vein and I feel like so stupid. You are all right, I really need more practice. It's the repeated experience that makes an expert. Thank you all guys.And to Asystole, hilarious as it may sound, I've tried doing it to myself just so I can practice. It's just hard pricking yourself 'cause you can't have a good position while pricking. You can't manipulate it well.
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@Ladyfree28- How does a banana help?
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A lot of it is confidence. Practice on your co-workers.I haven't drawn blood/started an IV in 2 years. I'm sure I would play so many mind games with myself that I would miss. The nurse that taught me to draw blood always said, "make sure you have them lying down, that way YOU have the control." I've never forgotten that, and when in doubt I did lay my patients down.I've never drawn blood/started an IV on anyone under 18. Kudos to you!
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Quote from iamcutiekath@Ladyfree28- How does a banana help?
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