Hi Mountain,
Yes, good point you bring up... nurses are as varied as flowers! You'd think they'd all be taught the same stuff in nursing school, but that just can't be (based on how differently they do things). I was just having a similar conversation with the lady who drew my blood at the local LabCorp for a routine CBC. I was telling her how amazing it was that with all the practice people who draw blood get, you'd think they'd all be real good at it. Yet some have to take that needle and dig and dig until they hit a nerve... then they help you down from the ceiling and go get someone else to try sticking you. And then there are others, like the gal I was talking to, who just tap your arm once or twice, say "ok, a little stick" and then slip it in your vein so fast you don't even realize they're drawing.
One time when I was in the hospital they tried at least 6 times to get an IV in my right arm, but my arm was swollen, so they were just taking pot shots. After the 6th time (this was the 3rd nurse to try, as they each took 2 shots before asking someone else to try) the nurse said "hold on... I'm gonna call so-and-so". About 5 minutes later this elderly nurse comes in, says "hi" and asks me what my name is. So I tell her and she says she's here to get my IV started. I told her good luck and she just said "don't worry, this will just take a second". So I show her my puffy forearm, fully expecting her to mumble "oh shit" or something like that, but she didn't even flinch. She just grabbed my arm, no tourniquet or "make a fist" or anything. Said "ok, on three" and on two stuck it right in and got it. Then she just turned around like it was nothing, said "have a nice night" and disappeared.
So yeah, the differences in levels of expertise in nursing is huge!
Regards,
Bob