Did you hate needles before going to paramedic school?

[MountainMedic]

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

 

[hogwiley]

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.

 

[Tigger]

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.

 

[Wheel]

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

 

[Tigger]

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.

 

[hogwiley]

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.

 

[Trashtruck]

Hate needles prior to paramedic school?

Needles are what got me into paramedic school.