Are RNs allowed to arterial stick at your hospital?

[Deetail]

I find that it's a lot easier to draw blood with an arterial stick on some patients with invisible/rolling veins. I know it's pretty common for nurses to do it in ICUs, but what about in other fields?

[VANurse2010]

Nope, the respiratory therapist(s) does them.

[TiffyRN, BSN, PhD]

Highly variable, in my NICU, it's the primary way to obtain blood cultures and larger amounts of blood (smaller amts are done heel stick). Other local NICUs forbid art sticks unless the MD or nurse practitioner does them.

[sapphire18]

Yep, we do them.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

Nurses do where I work, but only for arterial blood gases - radial & brachial sites only. To obtain other labs, a provider will do a fem venous stick if all other options fail.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Yes but it is highly variable according to facility.

[Caffeine_IV]

No only RTs at mine.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Only RTs can do arterial sticks where I work, but nurses are allowed to draw from an arterial pressure monitoring line if the patient has one. Only anesthesia providers may insert the arterial lines.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

We are allowed at my current facility. I only do them for ABG's or if I have a MD order for a blood draw.

[MunoRN, RN]

Practice Acts vary by state, I've worked in a state where RT's, but not RN's, could place art lines and draw ABG's, and I've worked in a state where both RT's and RN's could do both (radial only). Facilities will usually limit this further based who can get enough volume of line placements and sticks to maintain competency.

[klone, MSN, RN]

In the NICU, yes, with a competency. Some RNs do venous pools, too, which I think are totally cool, but are no longer allowed.

[Deetail]

Practice Acts vary by state, I've worked in a state where RT's, but not RN's, could place art lines and draw ABG's, and I've worked in a state where both RT's and RN's could do both (radial only). Facilities will usually limit this further based who can get enough volume of line placements and sticks to maintain competency.

I understand why you'd need to demonstrate competency for placing a line, but I don't understand the risk / why some places don't like nurses to use a butterfly for a quick and easy radial blood draw.