Take our survey: Standards of Practice

On January 25,  national IV nurse day, the Infusion Nurses Society  (INS) announced the release of the revised 2011 Infusion Nursing Standards of Practice. This has been a long awaited document for infusion nurses and I am so happy to hear this news.  So like a child on Christmas morning, I wait in great anticipation…

Happy IV Nurse Day – January 25

Yes….there is an “IV Nurse Day” and I’m not making this up. 🙂 In October 1980, the professional practice of infusion nursing was formally recognized when the United States House of Representatives declared January 25 as IV Nurse Day. Courtesy of the Infusion Nurses Society, click here to view the proclamation.The first IV Nurse Day…

Got IV Questions? Get Answers!

Here are replies to questions I received either on twitter or FB. I thought I’d blog about it in the spirit of sharing and learning. “What do you think about using “nitroglycerin” ointment to help find veins for IV starts?” There are literature supporting the use of nitroglycerin ointment for dilating veins prior to venipuncture…

B. Cereus…. contaminated alcohol swabs, pads & swabsticks?

The FDA released this alert a few days ago: Triad Group Issues a Voluntary Nationwide Recall of All Lots of Alcohol Prep Pads, Alcohol Swabs, and Alcohol Swabsticks Due to Potential Microbial Contamination What??? Are you serious? We use these products to disinfect areas such as skin, injection ports, connectors, etc… prior to injection or…

Terms of Confusion..

Over the years, I’ve noticed certain terms often misused and misunderstood by nurses which can lead to false assumptions, misinterpretations and yes, confusion.  Here’s some of those terms: Standards of Care Standards of Practice Policies and Procedures Practice Guidelines Protocols Often I hear these terms used interchangeably. To help clear up the confusion, let’s define…