Do you start your own IVs?

[FireStarterRN]

Do you start IVs where you work? I'm doing a travel contract at a hospital that has IV therapy and most nurses don't start IVs there. I had to start a couple of IVs there other day for other nurses because IV therapy was too busy.

I guess if you work in a place with IV therapy, you just don't start IVs. I'll include a poll with this thread.

[kharley]

We don't even have IV supplies in our supply pyxis. The IV team brings all their supplies with them. If we wanted to start an IV we'd have to go borrow from an ICU unit.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

RN x 14 yrs. Have never worked in the hospital and NEVER started an IV except once during nsg. school. I actually got it on the 1st stick, but the a-hole instructor made it so traumatic that i lost all confidence and never took a job since where I had to do them. I would love to acquire the skills though.

[abundantjoy07, RN]

There are IV teams?

Wow.

That must be nice when there's so hard sticks.

We don't have any help in the IV department...and if none of the nurses on the floor can get it, we usually have to call the doctor and get an order for PICC placement. Which is generally started the next day after we get the consent and get the patient a time in the OR.

[NeosynephRN]

I have never started an IV...we have "people to do that" Drives me insane!! I asked if I could spend a day in ER or Endo and just start all the IV's..I was turned down, as that is a skill nurses do not often use...WHAT!??! What happens in the middle of the night when every floor is calling us to stick, and in a code when we need access now...well apparently I will not be doing it...umphhhh

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

The hospital I work at used to have an IV team, then disbanded it (don't know when, it was not there when I arrived 3 yrs ago). Now there is talk of starting another one. I don't really mind restarting IV's, it's just more of an inconvenience than anything.

[Roy Fokker, BSN, RN]

I work ER and we do our own IVs. And since the Docs/Residents are right there, they end up doing our central lines/EJs. :)

I don't think we have an IV team in my current hospital.

I love doing IVs (especially traumas. Ohhh how I love sinking in those dual-bore lines or them 16Gs )

When I worked on the floor at my old hospital, we did our own IVs too. Occasionally, we'd call the house supervisor or someone from ER to help start a line.

PICCs were done by the PICC nurse.

We didn't have an IV team at this hospital.

:)

[Babs0512]

In our hospital it is required that all RN's start IV's. LPN's can choose whether or not they wish to learn to start IV's.

We have no IV team.

[DolphinRN84, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

At the hospital I work at, we have an IV team that will also place PICC lines (PICC lines only placed Monday through Friday I think only during the day). We are also able to place IVs- though you have to go to an "IV class" first before starting your own. I've been at this hospital for over a year and a half and still haven't gone to the class. One nurse I was working with one night let me place one and I did get it in the first try, since the patient had pretty good veins. When I did my internship at another hospital in the ED when I was in NS, I placed a lot of IVs- of course I had my off days. Definitely a good skill to learn. Lucky for me I know how to do phlebotomy but I'd really like to start my own IVs.

[Irish Nurse 89]

Although my hospital does have an IV team, ER nurses are not allowed to call them unless we have tried getting the line in ourselves first.