Ideas That Work: Start IVs With Ease

The dexterity needed to advance the catheter once you’re in the vein when placing an IV line is a fine motor movement that isn’t commonly used, so it takes plenty of practice to develop. To master the technique, hold a pen like a catheter and repeatedly push off the cap, suggests Nurse Sarah, an RN in the U.S. Navy who posts helpful tips on her Instagram page (@the.nurse.sarah). “Hitting the vein is the easy part, but advancing the needle is where people have the most issues,” she writes. Nurse Sarah says practicing this small movement throughout the day — during meetings or even as you watch TV at night — levels up your skills in placing IVs and helps to ensure first-stick success, something patients will surely appreciate. OSM