# Did you hate needles before going to paramedic school?



## patzyboi (Jun 8, 2013)

I absolutely hate needles - going in me that is. Would I make a bad candidate for paramedic school?

Do you eventually just get used to it?


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## DesertMedic66 (Jun 8, 2013)

It seems as if less and less medic schools are using students to practice IVs. I've heard of a couple of schools leaving up to the students individually.


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## rmabrey (Jun 8, 2013)

I like the rule, "gotta get stuck to stick". That said there is at least one person in my class I flat out refused to let stick me.


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## wanderingmedic (Jun 8, 2013)

It's not that bad. suck it up and don't be too dramatic about it. it hurts worse to jam a finger or break a toe. after the first few sticks it won't bother you. i hated needles until i started my medical training, now i watch people give me injections and iv's.


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## Jim37F (Jun 8, 2013)

I absolutely hate needles myself. Then I joined the Army, got no say in the matter and got jabbed in the arms more times than I care to count (I remember getting the smallpox vaccination during my first pre-deployment, 15 jabs one right after the other, plus we all ended up getting 2 or 3 other shots on top of that, needless to say, that was a nice sore day). Now whenever I need a shot or something I just sigh, turn my head and be glad it's only one stick!

Conversely, thanks to CLS, I've never had a problem sticking someone myself, never had a problem starting an IV in classroom (never had to do one in the field though)


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## DesertMedic66 (Jun 8, 2013)

I don't have a problem watching needles go into other people or myself. My body over reacts to it. The last time I got a TB shot I almost had to be transported to the hospital. My blood pressure was 66/42 pulse was 110. I had ringing in the ears and no vision. No I am not making making those numbers up.


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## Aprz (Jun 8, 2013)

I'm terrified of needles. I had a near syncope when I got my tb  test for EMT school. For EMT school, I took an adjunctive class called clinical tech I & II, which was supposed to prepare you for becoming an ER tech, and we did venipunctures and injections. The first injection I got in that class, I did have a syncope. 

I never had an incident in paramedic school. We did stick eachother.

I'm still terrified of needles, but I tolerate them a lot better now.


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## J B (Jun 8, 2013)

Find youtube videos of people starting IVs, taking blood, etc, and watch them until you're 100% comfortable with it.  Might not fix the problem completely but it helped me.


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## AtlasFlyer (Jun 8, 2013)

This thread gives me hope! Thank you all...

One of the reasons I didn't go into EMS years ago was because of my fear of needles. I (wrongly) assumed all EMTs do IVs, and I hate hate hate hate needles. (A little research into the different state "scopes" showed me that EMT-Bs in Indiana do not start IVs!)

I have made tremendous progress in overcoming my fears, before I entered my senior year of high school (21 years ago) I had to have a Measles booster, was required by the state before I would allowed to enter my senior year. My dad had to drag me under great duress to get the shot with the threat of no graduation being the only factor that made me get the shot. I was a basket case and it was NOT a pretty sight! Just for a silly little Measles shot!

20 years later I can handle having shots and blood draws done without issue. I still can feel my blood pressure rise a little bit and I do still feel a bit of anxiety before the stick but I can deal with it just fine now. I'm calm, chatty with the tech doing the stick, and it doesn't cause me any "fear" anymore. BUT the though of other classmates using me as "practice" doesn't sit well and I don't know if I'm to the point where I could handle that yet. I'm sure I could do it to someone else now, I've made that much progress in getting over it, but I don't know if I'm to the point where I could let others in my class stick me...

It's nice to know I'm not alone!


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## Epi-do (Jun 8, 2013)

Sticking other people doesn't bother me in the least.  As for me getting stuck - as long as I don't have to watch it, I am pretty indifferent about it.  I don't enjoy it by any means, but if it is something that needs to be done I don't get worked up over it either.


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## pcbguy (Jun 8, 2013)

Hate being stuck. We practiced on each other in school to so that was interesting. I've found,as most people probably do, that it's not that big a deal once they stick you. Still the leading up to it is rough for me. 

To make matters worse now that I am working overseas it seems I'm always having to have blood work done and get immunizations.


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## ExpatMedic0 (Jun 8, 2013)

When I first started EMT-I and P, I hated getting stuck.... I would turn white and get all clammy. After about 50 or 60 sticks from other students in class, I just got use to it. Between my I and P I had just shy of 100 student IV starts on my IV log, for every IV I started, another student started one on me. So that means I got stuck near 100 times lol. Even though you get use it, its never enjoyable, no one likes getting stabbed with a foreign object.


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## Tigger (Jun 8, 2013)

Starting IVs does not bother me in the slightest. However I do not do well with IVs or blood draws when they're done on me. As long as I'm lying down it's ok, but if I'm sitting up and the tourniquet stays on for more than ten seconds, ruh roh down goes Frazier!


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## EmtTravis (Jun 8, 2013)

As others have said I don't enjoy being stuck but if it has to be done then so be it.  I have been known to let some attractive nursing students stick me in the ER.


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## Handsome Robb (Jun 8, 2013)

I don't get why sticking someone else would bother someone but hey, if it does it does.

I have no problem being stuck or sticking people. Especially since it doesn't hurt me to stick them!


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## Ace 227 (Jun 11, 2013)

For 68W school, we started IVs on each other exclusively. There were no opportunities for clinical time and real patients so every time we did our casualty assessment, if the pt needed an IV, they got stuck. 

That being said, I got over my distaste for needles after about the 30th or 40th IV.  Now it doesn't bother me in the slightest and I've stuck myself before for demonstration/hangover, etc.


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## Nattens (Jun 11, 2013)

It's a major difference between you guys and us here across the Pacific Pond.

At our uni there is a blanket ban on practicing any sort of invasive procedures on each other (IVs, IMs etc) in the prac room with the threat of expulsion to any student caught doing it to another student, due to the risks associated with inexperienced students starting IVs without mannequin practice (phlebitis etc). We mostly practice on fake arms and fake hands and on patients when we are on placement shifts.

Some students take gear out of the prac room and practice at home, but it's bye bye time if the uni catchs you.


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## Akulahawk (Jun 12, 2013)

I've been stuck a few times. Aside from a bit of discomfort when going through the skin, it's not really all that bad. I've been known to grab the hand of someone new and guide them as they do the puncture... usually it's because they're going too slow and kind of doing a bit of stitching before they commit. 

Incidentally, in medic school, we stuck each other... and my partner on "IV Day" didn't occlude the cath nor did he undo the tk. Consequently I promptly lost about 80 mL and saturated the chux pad. It was kind of odd pulling my arm off the chux and seeing those nice little strands that occur when blood is starting to congeal. Didn't cause me any issues, but... it certainly was a little surreal!


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## johnrsemt (Jun 16, 2013)

I don't like getting stuck with needles,  but at the same time I volunteer to help teach someone to start IV's, using me as the test arm.    Weird that way


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## txmedic5 (Jun 18, 2013)

I hate needles too. Much easier being on the other side of it. Doesn't hurt me a bit! So no I wouldn't say it'd make you a bad candidate, if anything I like it because if your anything like me you'll have some empathy for your pt and not make an absurd amount of iv attempts or something like that.


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## MountainMedic (Jun 18, 2013)

Can someone please fix the grammar on this thread's title? It's driving me nuts.


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## hogwiley (Jun 18, 2013)

Needles dont bother me, when I went to school for phlebotomy I never had any problems with getting stuck, even though Im a hard stick and other students struggled. The rule was you stick someone and they stick you. I probably had about 20 blood draws done on me during the class, with about 1/4 of them failures. I would usually let them go fishing a little bit, unless they werent even close or it was obvious they werent going to get it.

Having an IV cannula inserted is a lot worse though in my opinion, especially if its a larger gauge. I had a 14 gauge stuck in me in the military, and it was not pleasant. I've also had a fair amount of IVs in me during surgeries and a couple of extended hospital stays. 

In the end though you gotta suck it up, if nothing else it gives you an understanding of what the patient experiences. Working in a hospital I'm always amazed how some patients can endure endless sticks without complaint, and others will burst into tears and start hyperventilating before the needle even touches them.


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## Tigger (Jun 18, 2013)

hogwiley said:


> In the end though you gotta suck it up, if nothing else it gives you an understanding of what the patient experiences. Working in a hospital I'm always amazed how some patients can endure endless sticks without complaint, and others will burst into tears and start hyperventilating before the needle even touches them.



Yea, I can't really suck up passing out when someone puts a tourniquet on me for longer than 30 seconds. Tried to, the floor is hard. 

If you're not comfortable with it, you're not. There is no reason why a student needs to be subjected to any sort of physical harm in the name of feeling what the patient feels. I think we are all well aware that IVs can be an uncomfortable procedure and anyone who makes unnecessary attempts is just as likely to do so even if they have been stuck many times before. In fact it is these people who are not bothered by the procedure and volunteer to be pin cushions that I find are less empathetic towards patient concerns regarding IV starts.


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## Wheel (Jun 18, 2013)

Tigger said:


> Yea, I can't really suck up passing out when someone puts a tourniquet on me for longer than 30 seconds. Tried to, the floor is hard.
> 
> If you're not comfortable with it, you're not. There is no reason why a student needs to be subjected to any sort of physical harm in the name of feeling what the patient feels. I think we are all well aware that IVs can be an uncomfortable procedure and anyone who makes unnecessary attempts is just as likely to do so even if they have been stuck many times before. In fact it is these people who are not bothered by the procedure and volunteer to be pin cushions that I find are less empathetic towards patient concerns regarding IV starts.



Kind of a "it doesn't bother me so it shouldn't bother anyone else" mentality


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## Tigger (Jun 18, 2013)

Wheel said:


> Kind of a "it doesn't bother me so it shouldn't bother anyone else" mentality



That is exactly what I've seen happen. Fishing around in grandma's hand on the third try..."well hey I've seen medic student do worse" kinda thing.


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## hogwiley (Jun 18, 2013)

I suppose Im basing my experience too much on phlebotomy school. Doing IVs is just one part of being a Paramedic, and there are probably schools that dont allow students to practice on each other. Phlebotomy school on the other hand was pretty much ALL about sticking people with needles, so I guess everyone in the class was either comfortable with it, both doing it and having it done, or they didnt take the class. 

I dont mean to imply that it should be mandatory that every Paramedic student subject themselves to IV starts. If someone just cant get used to it then they cant, its not the end of the world and I guess they could still be perfectly fine as a Paramedic.

I'll add that my phlebotomy classroom was right across the hall from the Paramedic classroom. My instructor was an RN and was REALLY a stickler for doing everything exactly by the book, and every stick was closely supervised. She told us she once let Paramedic students be patients in her class in return for phlebotomy students going over to the Medic lab and being guinea pigs for IV starts. Apparently there was almost zero supervision in the Paramedic lab and some of the phlebotomy students found having IVs inserted by fumbling Paramedic students so traumatic that she never allowed it again lol.


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## Trashtruck (Jun 18, 2013)

Hate needles prior to paramedic school?

Needles are what got me into paramedic school.


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