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…
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…
At a recent meeting, I was asked by an RN what her liability is if she administered an approved intravenous drug for an non-labeled indication prescribed by a physician to her patient and does she have the right to refuse to give the treatment even with the patient consent? A very interesting question and one that…
Today is Halloween and while it’s my favorite “unofficial” holiday, I am wimp when it comes to scary movies and I don’t care for people’s costumes with blood, guts, and gore. No, not because I’m scared but as a nurse, I’ve seen my fair share. But as an infusion nurse, I love seeing blood!! Ok,…
I am very grateful that we only got rain, cold temperatures and high winds where I reside, but I was closely monitoring the events in the East Coast where Hurricane Sandy was predicted to hit. The TV coverage and social media was quite extensive that unless you didn’t want to know, you wouldn’t miss anything.…
as in discontinuing (removal) a central venous access device. Certainly, many of us have discontinued a central venous access device (central line) before. No big deal, right? One key element to remember when discontinuing a CVAD is to include precautions to prevent air embolism. Air embolism from removal of central lines can occur when a…
I came across this interesting article on a study that shows chemo costs less in doctor’s offices. Chemotherapy Treatment in Hospitals Costs 24% more than Treatment in Physician’s Offices The study found that care for patients treated in a physician’s office is less expensive regardless of the length of the chemotherapy duration. The average chemotherapy…
Sounds familiar? Growing up, it’s my favorite Sesame Street segment. At several recent meetings with physician groups and administrators who were getting ready to open up an infusion center, it became very obvious they were confused about the following. 1. An infusion nurse (aka IV nurse) is not the same as a phlebotomist. An infusion nurse…
Infusion Nurse Blog 