In this job in outpatient surgery we will start all of our own IVs and I'm surprisingly nervous about it. It's been about 3 years since I've started IVs on a regular basis. I have my own expectations to meet and want to be good at it again! (Do I put too much pressure on myself??). So yesterday I had about an hour to kill at work without my preceptor so I found the IV nurse (at the downtown hospital they have one LPN who starts all the IVs to keep the RNs
moving from patient to patient). What also makes me nervous is that they use lidocaine on the site first to numb things up and then place the IV. I'm used to just ramming an IV in and have this fear that the lidocaine will somehow mess me up (make it harder to see the vein, harder to feel the vein; etc.). OK, so face my fears, right? I found the IV nurse and she was wonderful. So willing to help. I watched her start one IV and learned how to place the lidocaine and then attempted three IVs on my own. I missed the first (small, rolly veins! darn!) but it made me feel better when the IV nurse missed on her first attempt with the same patient too...poor patient! Almost got the second one (had the IV nurse salvage it so the kid was only stuck one time). We realized that I was going too deep (seemed like I should go deeper because of the lidocaine bubble on top but you don't have to compensate for it). ANYWAY. I got the third one in all by my own self and now hope that I won't be afraid of it and hope to soon be really good at it again! The boys are doing really well in their childcare situation which makes this whole work thing pretty easy on me. It still feels weird to drop them off and take off on my own (am I missing something/someone??) but I like what I'm doing. I'm looking forward to the hospital opening in a couple weeks and figuring out how best to do things up there so things flow well. I really like all the women I'm working with. The managers did a good job handpicking folks and I hope for a good group dynamic (since working with a bunch of women CAN be a pain in the you-know-what).
4 comments:
I wish I could have had an IV starter like you a couple of times!! (I have cruddy veins.) But it sounds like you are well on your way to being that "go-to" vein getter again!! :)
I know just what you mean about the group dynamic thing - I used to work in a large bank were almost all the tellers were women and sometimes it seriously felt like high-school! So silly... But I hope your co-workers all get along!
Cool! You should practice on me if you ever have the chance. Once I went to give blood and they took one look at my vein and called in the new girl for her first stick. Somehow, when I was giving plasma on a regular basis, I always took pride in my veins. What strange humans we are.
Glad the work thing is working! The IV thing will come back. I have often wondered if I was sick and twisted because I love hospitals. I had five c-sections and my interest in and awe of the entire surgical process more than made up for the guilt people tried to lay on me about not having natural births. Anyway, I hope things continue to go well and that your family will be blessed by you using your skills!
Look at you! I envy your mad skills. Sheely needs you - we've had HORRIBLE blood drawing experiences. They actually sent us home and asked us to come back another day after she was pricked about six times while screaming her head off. Traumatic for BOTH of us!
Post a Comment