No venipuncture for me

So that's it, I just wrapped up my second day in the ER and I didn't get to start any IVs. Dang it. On Tuesday I had two opportunities, both of which my preceptor took from me because she felt that the patients' veins weren't so good. I appreciated this, as nobody wants their first stick to be a debaucle... but unfortunately both of these patients ended up having decent veins and I didn't get to do anything. Today the nurse I was working with admitted a new patient and when she said to the patient, "We'll get a line into you, and then we can give you some medication," I knew I would get to do that stick. Woo hoo! I snuck a quick look at her antecubitals and saw immediately that she had noooooo veins. I mean, really really teeny tiny vessels. I walked out to the nurses' station and I said, "I was hoping to be able to start that IV, but this lady has NO veins," and she said, "You looked? Oh, you're startin' it, girlfriend. You'll be fine." And I said to myself, Well good. I want to start it! But alas, my assessment was correct and once we got a tourniquet on the lady, the nurse said, "Wow, she really doesn't have any veins!" She told me I could try if I wanted to, but I felt kind of uncomfortable taking away the lady's one barely decent site. As it happened, the nurse tried. Unsuccessfully. Twice.

So they brought in the nurse manager and she picked the other arm and got good blood return on her first try.

Geesh.

So, add that to my list of skills not performed prior to graduating... UGH.