January 25 this year and every year on this day is a day to celebrate IV Nurse Day!!In 1980, the professional practice of infusion nursing was formally recognized when the United States House of Representatives declared each January 25 as IV Nurse Day. This recognition was the beginning of what the infusion specialty has become. Specialization marks the advancement of nursing practice. It signifies that nursing has moved from a global approach to a focus on defined areas within the practice that require specialized knowledge and skills.

You may not call yourselves “IV nurses” or “infusion nurses”, but all nurses in one way or another are “infusion nurses”. You start a peripheral IV and administer IV medications, you care and maintain central venous access devices whether in the ED or ICU or any other specialized care areas. You monitor and assess patients when providing infusion therapies for complications or adverse events.These and many other treatments and  procedures you do involving venous access devices and infusion therapy makes you an infusion nurse too!!

On this day of celebration, I would like to wish each infusion nurse Happy IV Nurse Day. Whatever you do and wherever you are, on this special day, take the time to celebrate the numerous accomplishments that make us proud to be infusion nurses.

Photo from http://www.ins1.org