There’s a lot of reasons to love the month of May. The weather is warmer, flowers begin to burst into bloom and here are a few occasions to celebrate this month. 1. National Nurses Day is May 6 ,a day to honor the 3.1 million registered nurses in the United States. This year’s theme is:…
I am always delighted to get IV questions from colleagues on social networks. Occasionally, I post them on this blog in the spirit of learning. Here’s one on IV needle insertion. Q: Tell me do you insert a needle up or down? A: I am assuming the question you are asking pertains to the bevel…
These are devices designed to regulate the flow of fluid instead of using the roller clamp on the IV tubing. IV manual flow regulators are either part of the IV tubing or added on. Since these are regulated manually, these flow regulators are not “infusion pumps”. It does not function like electronic infusion pumps and…
The goal when selecting the proper gauge of an peripheral IV catheter is to ensure that the best device meets the patient’s needs. This means taking into consideration many factors such as: Prescribed therapy/type of solution Duration of treatment Peripheral vein availability/vein integrity Diagnosis /Age Known complications of the device The Infusion Nurses Society standards of practice states…
A registered nurse (RN) license allows nurses to practice. Certification affirms advanced knowledge, skill, and practice to meet the challenges of modern nursing.Certification is a profession’s official recognition of achievement, expertise, and clinical judgment. It is a mark of excellence that requires continued learning and skill development to maintain. Today is a day to recognize board…
A nurse colleague started a new job as an infusion nurse for a physician office based practice offering infusion services (non chemo) to their patients. After a few days, the nurse left the new job for the following reasons: Another RN in the office routinely mixes IV medication for the infusion nurses to administer. The IV medication…
I have now confirmed my blog readers are not only healthcare providers but are ‘actual’ patients. I get questions/emails/comments from them and they made it known to me that they are watching and noticing what we do to their venous access!! LOL.. So in the spirit of sharing and learning, without revealing anything about them,…
Recently, I have had a few questions regarding implanted ports so I decided to post it here in the spirit of sharing and learning . Q: A patient asked: why is it that sometimes my nurse wears a mask to access my port and sometimes they don’t? Should they or should they not wear a…
On a regular basis, I get questions from readers and from Twitter colleagues. Here are some of the Q’s and my A’s which I thought I’d blog about it in the spirit of sharing and learning. 1. Vancomycin Q: We give Vancomycin IV on a regular basis through an IV site in the arm at…
Peripheral IV (PIV) placement is one of the common IV procedures performed by nurses (and other healthcare practitioners) in hospitals and other healthcare settings, including long-term care, outpatient, and home care. Perhaps because of its simplicity, many nurses have underestimated the risks involved with PIV placement, care and maintenance. I often hear them say, “it’s just a…
Infusion Nurse Blog 