IM Vistaril

[Dustdevil]

Having been out of adult medicine for a good while before this current assignment, I had not used Vistaril in years. But back in my adult ER days, there were posters on the wall of every ER warning that Vistaril should ONLY be given by gluteal IM, utilising the Z-Track injection technique, which was illustrated on the poster. Although Vistaril was not covered in my paramedic school, it was one of the very first IM injections I ever gave during my ER rotations, and the nurse preceptor there made that information absolutely clear to me. And it was darn sure covered at length in nursing school. I am frankly shocked that anybody in a position to give this medication would not be familiar with this information.

I take it back. I'm not shocked at all. In fact, this is exactly the sort of thing I have come to expect from EMS today. It is again part of the whole skills-centric culture in EMS where somebody who has been given thirty minutes of training on IM injections now feels qualified to administer any med in the cabinet. This is just more evidence that, without true education, training is meaningless. Which is why EMS has zero respect in the medical world.

[NOTE: The above rant was not in any way aimed at the original poster. I commend him for asking the question.]

[Ridryder 911]

You are right Dust... ask most noobies about Z-track or what deep I.M. is and really can be administered and you will get either some blank stares or stupid answers. Makes one scared to think about them giving any iron derititive as well.

R/r 911

[Doczilla]

I've used it as a sort of "patient-be-gone" for the patients with intractable chronic nonspecific complaints that will not respond to any therapy known to man. That's terrible to say, but I see a fair number of people that I can't really flesh out their complaint and they won't go away until I give them something to make them feel funny. A shot of Vistaril, then suddenly the burning sensation in the middle of their forehead, or the nonspecific abdominal discomfort, or the back pain that is probably from that time I got hurt at work, or that numbness of my legs that really aren't numb at all, or that sense that I'm just smothering even though I've had a cardiac cath and PFTs and a pulmonary angiogram in the last week after 3 ER visits, or the feeling like I'm about to have a seizure even though I've never had one before, or the belief that I am getting chronic headaches because I had a vaccine once that wasn't thimerosol free, evaporates.

'zilla

[Jess]

Having been out of adult medicine for a good while before this current assignment, I had not used Vistaril in years. But back in my adult ER days, there were posters on the wall of every ER warning that Vistaril should ONLY be given by gluteal IM, utilising the Z-Track injection technique, which was illustrated on the poster. Although Vistaril was not covered in my paramedic school, it was one of the very first IM injections I ever gave during my ER rotations, and the nurse preceptor there made that information absolutely clear to me. And it was darn sure covered at length in nursing school. I am frankly shocked that anybody in a position to give this medication would not be familiar with this information.

I take it back. I'm not shocked at all. In fact, this is exactly the sort of thing I have come to expect from EMS today. It is again part of the whole skills-centric culture in EMS where somebody who has been given thirty minutes of training on IM injections now feels qualified to administer any med in the cabinet. This is just more evidence that, without true education, training is meaningless. Which is why EMS has zero respect in the medical world.

[NOTE: The above rant was not in any way aimed at the original poster. I commend him for asking the question.]

You have point though! I just asked because im not in EMS and was just curious after doing some research and not finding anything on it. Figured this was the place to ask MISS YA DUST!!