LVNs and IV Therapy

not now, RN · Sep 22, 2006

I was wondering if the LVNs and LVN students out there learned and practiced starting IVs,

As a student? No. In my IV ceritfication class (after you pass boards) yes.

pushing IV meds,

No, LVN's can't do that in CA.

flushing IVs,

No

blood transfusions

Most talk about transfusions was aimed at not making mistakes and the consiquences of administering the incorrect type. I never came across the situation in LVN school.

or administering narcotics in school.

IV narcs? No can't do that in CA either.

Also what if any of these skills are LVNs permitted to do in your state CA particularly. Are you allowed to practice things in school that you may not be able to do as an LVN in your state and if you are an LVN can you do these things if an RN delagates them to you. What if you have a patient who needes one of these things? Thanks for youe help.

In my program if you couldn't do it after you passed boards then you couldn't do it in school. I've been IV certified for about two months now and I have yet to start an IV on an actual patient (but my boyfriend let me start two on him in class!). I worked Sub-acute with RN's and IV's/IV medications were always given to the RN. I work LTC now and none of our residents have IV's. My first IV on an actual patient will probably happen this semsester in RN school.

An RN cannot deligate a task to you if you are not licensed to do so. Period.

My boyfriend works with LVN's in the ED and they put in a lot of IV's but still, what they can hang is limited.

If you have a patient that needs a skill that you can't perform you ask the RN overseeing that patient to do the skill.