Bring on the Big Sticks

So, we've finished our first of many patient assessment portions of class, now on to pharmacology. Just to get us all thinking over the weekend we blindly jumped into the world of IV therapy. After a little lecture time and playing with the IV arm, we started in on each other. Now being someone who is already varianced, I was the first victim. I was more than happy to be the first lab rat. After a little smooth talking someone stepped forward to "give it a try." Sort of joking and mostly serious the instructor told us "this first time, I just want to see that you actually break the skin, anything more is just icing on the cake." Well with a little instruction with the cath in my arm, the willing medic student achieved a nicely patent IV. I think she was more nervous about hurting me than actually getting it into the vein. She did a hell of a lot better than the participants did in my first IV class. Because I was one who had performed this skill on the ambulance before, I had to wait for everyone else to try their luck. My turn came right before the end of class, with the 40's y/o female with one kidney and veins that are non existent from years of dialysis. Sometime later we might address how she thinks she can do this job, but a new blog would be needed to encapsulate those feelings. She had crap veins, everything you saw looked like a windy road on the side of a mountain, you couldn't feel anything either. After inspecting both arms, including the one in the sling, the instructor gave me a little reprieve and allowed someone else to sit in. It was the same girl who had started with me. Not wanting to increase the size of the new bruise she was developing, I went for an of the road vein. And just like fate who have it, I missed. She was a champ though and even let me dig a little bit. But I broke the skin as the instructor wanted. Isn't school humbling. We start pharm on Monday. God help me.