Ivs

Nursing Students Student Assist

Published

I posted this in the general nursing forum, but figured other students might also be able to help me!

I'm really worried about IV therapy. I'm a junior nursing student, and I haven't really been exposed to IVs at all. I have a drug calculation handbook, but I'm worried about IVs in the actual hospital setting. I'm worried about giving too much fluid to a pt and harming them unintentionally. I'm worried about never having alot of clinical experience with IVs in school and not every "learning" about them properly :imbar .

Does anyone have any really good notes that explain IVS in depth? I have the general notes my instructor gave me, but IV therapy seems much more complicated than the brief notes she gave us. Any help/resources/suggesstions/comments are MUCH appreciated!!

Specializes in Med Surg/Tele/ER.

What about in your skills book? or possibly med surg or fundamentals book.Maybe even google it.

There is a "Made Incredibly Easy" book devoted to IV therapy... some school libraries carry it. Might be worth checking out : )

Some things to review-

starting a peripheral line (placement, angio needle size, supplies, procedure)

common fluids (NS, d5w, LR and their combinations)

common additives to fluids (potassium, other lytes)

calculating drip rate

programming IV pumps

how to hang/spike/change IV bags

tubing changes

removing air from the line

changing an IV line to a heplock/INT

hanging piggybacks (like antibiotics, how to mix/constitue them if necessary)

compatibility between solutions/meds

s/s of phlebitis/infiltration

peripheral and central line dressing changes

flushing protocols

I have this book and found it very useful. Also, remember that the MD will order the type of IV fluid and prescribe the rate, if that eases some of your worries about giving a patient too much fluid. A good assessment will tell you how your patient is handling the infusing fluid- how does the patient feel, assess the site, auscultate the lungs, vitals + pulses, be watchful for any SOB or persistent wet coughing or a patient's need to be in high Fowlers to breathe comfortably. Also, monitor diuresis to make sure the kidneys are excreting the extra fluid appropriately. Any pt. getting continuous IV infusions really should be on I&Os and possibly daily weights, since daily weights can give early signals that fluid may be being retained.

Some of the RNs i work with gave me some good tips regarding IV therapy

(i ask them alot of ?s as a curious student lol)

1. when you start your shift, assess your IV site for any problems

2. at this time, check to make sure the rate of infusion and fluid infusing are what is ordered on the MAR

3. continue to check the IV site at least every 2 hrs throught the shift

3. make sure clamps are open/closed as appropriate and that there is enough fluid in the bag so that the bag will not run dry before you will reasonably return to the patient after assessing/passing meds to your other patients

4. check your labels on tubing and dressing to see if it needs to be changed

5. if you have multiple bags running off a pump, make sure to follow the line all the way from the bag to the respective side of the pump where the rate is set to ensure accuracy

hope this helps and good luck in school : )

Specializes in Med Surg/Tele/ER.
There is a "Made Incredibly Easy" book devoted to IV therapy... some school libraries carry it. Might be worth checking out : )

Some things to review-

starting a peripheral line (placement, angio needle size, supplies, procedure)

common fluids (NS, d5w, LR and their combinations)

common additives to fluids (potassium, other lytes)

calculating drip rate

programming IV pumps

how to hang/spike/change IV bags

tubing changes

removing air from the line

changing an IV line to a heplock/INT

hanging piggybacks (like antibiotics, how to mix/constitue them if necessary)

compatibility between solutions/meds

s/s of phlebitis/infiltration

peripheral and central line dressing changes

flushing protocols

I have this book and found it very useful. Also, remember that the MD will order the type of IV fluid and prescribe the rate, if that eases some of your worries about giving a patient too much fluid. A good assessment will tell you how your patient is handling the infusing fluid- how does the patient feel, assess the site, auscultate the lungs, vitals + pulses, be watchful for any SOB or persistent wet coughing or a patient's need to be in high Fowlers to breathe comfortably. Also, monitor diuresis to make sure the kidneys are excreting the extra fluid appropriately. Any pt. getting continuous IV infusions really should be on I&Os and possibly daily weights, since daily weights can give early signals that fluid may be being retained.

Some of the RNs i work with gave me some good tips regarding IV therapy

(i ask them alot of ?s as a curious student lol)

1. when you start your shift, assess your IV site for any problems

2. at this time, check to make sure the rate of infusion and fluid infusing are what is ordered on the MAR

3. continue to check the IV site at least every 2 hrs throught the shift

3. make sure clamps are open/closed as appropriate and that there is enough fluid in the bag so that the bag will not run dry before you will reasonably return to the patient after assessing/passing meds to your other patients

4. check your labels on tubing and dressing to see if it needs to be changed

5. if you have multiple bags running off a pump, make sure to follow the line all the way from the bag to the respective side of the pump where the rate is set to ensure accuracy

hope this helps and good luck in school : )

Awesome!!:thankya:

+ Add a Comment