How is the whole "partner practicing IV injection on you" thing?

H

HDrol43560

Forum Probie
Messages
13
Reaction score
0
Points
0
TBH im kinda worried about that part of EMT-B class. What if he messes up and I lose a lot of blood lol? Do people generally have trouble with this part? Is this later on in the course when you are trained well and its real easy and effortless?
 
EMT-B? IVs? Where are you again?
 
CAO said:
EMT-B? IVs? Where are you again?
Click to expand...

I havnt even started the class yet.

I heard there was a part where you get a partner and you practice injecting something, which i assumed was IVs? Maybe im wrong?
 
Depends on where you are and what the scope of practice is. Generally EMT-Bs can't start IVs.

In Tennessee we start with EMT-IV, which oddly enough means that we can start IVs.

Honestly, I'm not too familiar with the scope of practice for EMT-Bs in most places because I'm an EMT-IV. I'll let somebody else more knowledgeable in the area expand on it.
 
Most states don't teach EMTs to do injections of any type, aside from Epi auto-injectors.



Typically, once you get to Intermediate or Paramedic schools, yes, you will probably be starting IVs and doing SQ and IM injections on eachother, and yes, it does kind of suck to get stuck with the guy who is more nervous than a 6th grader asking his first girl out, but we've all been through it.




And trust me... a lot has to go wrong for you to bleed out through an IV, let alone through one in class with an instructor mere feet from you.
 
Maybe an IM auto-injector? Sounds like the OP is relating one of those "heard from a guy who heard from a guy" stories and asking what we think.

I did get to play pin cushion for a phlebotomy class once. Wasn't too bad. I had some pretty bad bruises, but you're not going to lose too much blood (if more than a couple drops) in a controlled environment with bandages and people who know how to control bleeding near by.
 
How do they usually train you with the epipens?


Just on a dummy? Or do they have empty ones that you practice on each other?
 
Think it might be my fault.

I mentioned starting IVs in OP's gore topic recently and my experience with my not so intelligent partner.

Again, this was for EMT-IV, not EMT-B. We all lived through it, as did the class before that, and the class before that. After all was said and done, it was a good bonding experience for everyone.

I do hear that the new class this semester won't be doing it though.

ETA: You're trained with practice autoinjectors. Really nothing to it.
 
Honestly if it is part of your class don't sweat it. When I did CLS ( combat life saver) as part of the required classes prior to deployment we did IV's on each other. The instructors took approximately a 120 soldiers and gave us a weeks worth of education and had us starting IV's without a single incidence of infection or injury. Not to say some blood wasn't spilled but nothing to write home about. As usual one person passed out at the sight of blood though.
 
HDrol43560 said:
Just on a dummy? Or do they have empty ones that you practice on each other?
Click to expand...

You get a practice Epi-pen that has no needle, and you practice not putting your finger on either end of it.



If you're lucky, they might have some expired Epi-pens and allow you to waste those into a styrofoam cup or something.
 
In my EMT-B class we practiced SQ injections on each other with NS, so that might be what you're talking about. If that's the case, I wouldn't be too worried, your partner would have to do something horrifically wrong for you to lose a lot of blood, and if they somehow mess an SQ injection that badly, then one needs to reevaluate their career choice.
 
Linuss said:
You get a practice Epi-pen that has no needle, and you practice not putting your finger on either end of it.



If you're lucky, they might have some expired Epi-pens and allow you to waste those into a styrofoam cup or something.
Click to expand...

Yeah...about that. During my lab today my instructor pulled me aside to get a set of vitals on some kid from the basic class that had somehow injected his own thumb with an Epi-pen, don't ask me how it happened...
 
Linuss said:
You get a practice Epi-pen that has no needle, and you practice not putting your finger on either end of it.



If you're lucky, they might have some expired Epi-pens and allow you to waste those into a styrofoam cup or something.
Click to expand...

I've only ever seen expired Epi-pens disposed of one way:
  1. Sit in a chair.
  2. Aim expired Epi-pen at ceiling.
  3. Carefully trip the mechanism without occluding the working end.
  4. Watch needle shoot out of Epi-pen and stick in ceiling tile.
 
When I was in basic we practiced IM and SQ injections and drawing up meds. Trauma class (PHTLS and a pre req for my old medic program) we practiced IVs on each other. Medic class we practiced IVs on each other. No matter what level you're at you're probably gonna stick and be stuck with some kind of needle :p
 
JJR512 said:
I've only ever seen expired Epi-pens disposed of one way:
  1. Sit in a chair.
  2. Aim expired Epi-pen at ceiling.
  3. Carefully trip the mechanism without occluding the working end.
  4. Watch needle shoot out of Epi-pen and stick in ceiling tile.
Click to expand...

since when does the needle leave the injector. Ive fired a few off and just the drug goes shooting across the room. thats bad joo-joo if the needles shoots out because then it ends up in your patients leg and you can't get it out.
 
JJR512 said:
I've only ever seen expired Epi-pens disposed of one way:
  1. Sit in a chair.
  2. Aim expired Epi-pen at ceiling.
  3. Carefully trip the mechanism without occluding the working end.
  4. Watch needle shoot out of Epi-pen and stick in ceiling tile.
Click to expand...

Yeh gonna call BS or joke with no smiley on this one.
 
In my EMT-B class the only thing we had to practice on each other that involved a needle was checking BGL (Blood Glucose Levels), and that was done by a simple finger-stick and applying a drop of blood onto the testing strip.

However, in my EMT-I class, we did practice IVs on each other, but only in the hands and arms...we did NOT practice EJs on real people. Also, we had dummies to practice on before we stuck a real person. The dummies we used had realistic feeling veins filled with stage-blood so you would know when you got "flash" in your IV catheter. We also practiced IOs in class but ONLY on dummies, these were definitely not done on real people.
 
akflightmedic said:
Yeh gonna call BS or joke with no smiley on this one.
Click to expand...

Wonder if some instructor told him that and he believed them? And worse some idiot will try it and end up sticking the needle into their thumb or other digit.

To show students how it works we will use expired on a thick cardboard box so they can even see the amount of force used to trigger it and see how far the needle actually penetrates. Don't know why we bother teaching it as most services in my area do not carry them in fact we have trouble getting expired ones for them.
 
I have a couple of expired ones at my other job I was asked to dispose of today. Remembered this topic, and I'm going to use them on a box or something similar as an example for the other staff to see the gist of it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top