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O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4
them."
Nurse training is another key component of proficient IV starts
at MEE, says Ms. Rich. After new nurses attend specialty classroom
training on IV insertion, they're paired with certified IV nurses for
hands-on training. They practice starting IVs on dummy arms with
red dye coursing through their "veins." After they've started 10 suc-
cessful IVs without problems, they're ready to stick real patients in
pre-op, working one-on-one alongside a certified IV nurse. MEE fun-
nels patients with good veins to the newer nurses to build their con-
fidence. "Starting an IV is a skill," says Ms. Rich. "Once you have
that skill, it usually only gets better."
Improvise to start the IV
"Some patients just
obsess on the IV
start," says Janet M.
Daily, BA, RN,
CAPA, of the
Chester County
Hospital in West
Chester, Pa. Perhaps
that's why every pre-
op nurse, it seems,
has a secret weapon
in the fight against
tough IV starts: pal-
pation, flicking, tap-
ping, applying warm
blankets, lowering
the arm, asking
V E N I P U N C T U R E
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Hands free imaging, clinically proven to increase
vein visualization for diffi cult IV starts.*
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