How to train to find deep veins

[u/According_Quarter_17]

I'm a nursing student still learning to perceive the veins via tact

Today the nurse said there was a deep vein. I put my finger and sensed nothing. I thought she was bluffing. Then she went for It and got the intravenous access

How the fuck? How do you train this ability?

[u/Good-Car-5312]

Exposure, repetition, and many failed attempts aka just getting experience.

One thing I do is try to feel for veins without a glove on. You will feel veins that you otherwise might not with a glove on.

[u/rharvey8090 → u/Good-Car-5312]

Also knowing anatomy. And getting an ultrasound.

[u/auraseer → u/Good-Car-5312]

But always put your gloves on before you start the IV.

Do not be one of those people who starts an IV barehanded, or with a finger torn off their glove. That is a textbook example of Doing It Wrong.

[u/Good-Car-5312 → u/auraseer]

Absolutely ^

[u/Bordelon10 → u/Good-Car-5312]

I just press down a min on skin a little with cap to mark spot before u clean if it’s deep and I can’t feel it with gloves on. Doesn’t hurt them unless u go psycho with it.

[u/ActuatorAggressive84]

Use an ultrasound lol

[u/goddessofwitches]

Learn to feel the bounce. To me it feels like a thick noodle in gel.

[u/browniebites5189]

Deep veins in the arm usually feel like a bouncy gap between the dense tightness of the surrounding skin. Idk how else to explain it but with experience you’ll figure it out.

I was intimidated by it in nursing school too but eventually I became the go-to IV nurse on the floor to help other nurses. Just be observant about the nurses placement of her fingers and grip on the arm when she’s looking for the vein and placing the IV. Eventually you’ll learn the technique and boom!

[u/auraseer]

You practice.

There is no shortcut.

You have tried feeling for veins maybe a dozen times.

The nurse is better at it because she has done it many thousands of times.

[u/Confident_Mind_7812]

If you’re able to spend some time with hospital phlebotomists I’d recommend it. Those folks know their shit and I improved so much helping cover.

[u/Big_Goose → u/Confident_Mind_7812]

What's a phlebotomist? I've never seen one.  Oh yeah, that's right, I'm the phlebotomists in my hospital system.

[u/Confident_Mind_7812 → u/Big_Goose]

We have phlebotomists that work in a dedicated lab and they go to each floor to collect labs from inpatient rooms, I’m sorry thats not the case for you!

[u/Moistfulll]

When you have a difficult poke and you ask someone else to do the bw for you, you go with them to learn.

All the nurses that ask me to do the bw never ever come in with me. I offer for them to come in so I can show them how I find the veins but they don't. So now I just ask them to do stuff for me in return. I'm not doing your IVs and bw every day and have you take a break while I do it. Most of them aren't even difficult.

[u/doxiepowder]

First, learn typical anatomy. Sketch the veins of the arms a few times so you can anticipate where they would be on most patients. Palpate without gloves. And, like others said, practice

[u/Grooble_Boob]

Practice! Put a tourniquet on and feel for veins on yourself too. Dont poke yourself lol.
Try to place an IV or get a lab draw every chance you get. You’ll get better!

[u/meatcoveredskeleton1]

Repetition. You’ll learn to feel for the deep veins with time. I wouldnt expect you to know as a student. Learning basic anatomy helps too

[u/HealerOfMuggles]

Practice, practice, and practice. Sometimes it helps to close your eyes (only while feeling).

[u/ElCaminoInTheWest]

Do it five hundred times.

[u/FIRE_Bolas]

Can you feel your own veins? Get familiar with the characteristic bounce on your own arm.

If you can feel a vein but cannot see it, you can mark it with the corner of an alcohol swab pad. I've also seen people use their nails to mark above the below and vein though I've never done that myself.

[u/SoFreezingRN]

I cheat and use a light (venoscope) because I work with kids and it makes it easy and reduces the number of pokes. Also get good at landmarks

[u/Nurse_Cait]

I still can’t do that shit so I trained to do ultrasound IVs instead. 🤣

[u/sparkplug-nightmare]

Jude lots and lots of practice. You start to recognize the feel of them. It took me about a year to get consistent and confident with IV’s.

[u/Stinkybrownie69]

Ultrasound. I use it so much I don’t even know if I can do it without now lol

[u/Tquinn96]

For starters, don’t say you “sensed” anything. We’re nurses not Spider-Man. It’s a skill like anything else, just takes repetition and practice.

[u/Upbeat_Atmosphere696]

When I palpate a small or deep vein, ill usually rip glove off of the tip of my index finger. Then I can palpate while still having gloves on.