I V

[starmedic4115]

ok so i am going into paramedic school this year and i found out that the program i am going into does live sticks like every week:unsure: . i have never had an iv and i have never had blood drawn so i have no idea what to expect im kinda freaking out:mellow: . so do they hurt like should i be freaking out lol.

[JTpaintball70]

ok so i am going into paramedic school this year and i found out that the program i am going into does live sticks like every week:unsure: . i have never had an iv and i have never had blood drawn so i have no idea what to expect im kinda freaking out:mellow: . so do they hurt like should i be freaking out lol.

They'll hurt, especially if the person sticking you is brand new too. Every week is nothing. I've had 6 straight days of being stuck for classes. I hate needles but I managed to make it through fine. Just remember that you get a chance to stick the people sticking you

[mrsbull]

It hurts not going to lie but it is not a long term hurt. Big pinch/poke and hopefully they wont have to dig to get the vein. I wont let anyone near my hands cause someone once or twice got a nerve in my hand.

[scubanurse]

Just curious but how have you never had blood drawn in your life?

IV's are a pain, and you'll probably have a few bruises but it's the best way to learn how to do them and you won't have much luck sticking others if you don't let them stick you.

[starmedic4115]

OMG IM KINDA FREAKING OUT. THEY CAN HIT A NERVE IN MY HAND??????? WOW THATS SCARRY LOL. AND IM ONLY 20 and im healthy and never had the need to get blood drawn i had my finger pricked once in my basic class but thats about it lol ugh this is really going to suck lol

[Richard B the EMT]

Speaking as someone who can only "stick" someone with an auto injector, but has donated blood to the amount of 3 Gallons over the years, it's kind of like stabbing yourself with a pin, or a sewing needle. You feel a tiny isolated point of pain, maybe a bit of minor pressure, and that's it.

Just remember, if they teach using live sticks, instead of mannequin arms or oranges, the other students are going to fear you "needling" them as much as you fear them.

[thrutheashes]

While I've always been of the opinion that needles of any sort are better to give than recieve, doing I.V's on someone else are way better than doing them on an IV arm. As well, yeah, you may get some bruising, you may get some pain, but it's all short term stuff....and it gives you a connection to your potential patient's, because you understand first hand the difference between a good stick and a bad one. You'll know how much it hurts if you have to fish for veins...vs. those who have just have practised on IV arms.

Edited June 20, 2010 by thrutheashes

[EMS49393]

It's called "empathy lab." They have you stick your classmates and vice versa so you know what how it feels to be on the other side of the sharp.

There are a lot of people that dig for veins, and that hurts like hell. With an empathy lab you'll hopefully think about how important it is to be proficient at this seemingly minor skill. Many providers take it for granted that "it's just a little IV." Well, you can really make a patient suffer with just a little IV if you aren't good at the skill or don't understand how badly it can hurt when performed incorrectly.

I don't know any person that went through paramedic that didn't have to be stuck by a classmate at least once. Heck, in my class we had to put pacing pads on our thigh and "pace" our legs so we'd have some idea of how uncomfortable that procedure is for a patient.

How scared you feel right now is not nearly as scared as some of your patients are going to feel when they call for your help.

[JTpaintball70]

It's called "empathy lab." They have you stick your classmates and vice versa so you know what how it feels to be on the other side of the sharp.

There are a lot of people that dig for veins, and that hurts like hell. With an empathy lab you'll hopefully think about how important it is to be proficient at this seemingly minor skill. Many providers take it for granted that "it's just a little IV." Well, you can really make a patient suffer with just a little IV if you aren't good at the skill or don't understand how badly it can hurt when performed incorrectly.

I don't know any person that went through paramedic that didn't have to be stuck by a classmate at least once. Heck, in my class we had to put pacing pads on our thigh and "pace" our legs so we'd have some idea of how uncomfortable that procedure is for a patient.

How scared you feel right now is not nearly as scared as some of your patients are going to feel when they call for your help.

Exactly! Except the pacing pads... Never had to do that in Pschool. Although we did have to insert an NPA in ourselves... that was not fun

[Kiwiology]

Somebody had better learn how to administer subcutaneous lignocaine 2% then huh?

Disclaimer: Despite our Paramedic level Ambulance Officers having to learn the use of subcataneous lignocaine 2% pre-IV cannulation I have never seen, nor used, nor heard/seen/smelt/thought I saw or had a ketamine induced hallucination in which I saw/though I saw or thought I may have even thought that I saw subcataneous lignocaine 2% pre-IV cannulation be used