Cancer specialty clinic

RunBabyRN · Jan 31, 2015

I recently turned down a similar position (got another one closer to home), but it'll be a great opportunity to work on those IV skills. Patients on chemo have very fragile veins, and you'll learn how they operate. They move, collapse, and blow more than most other veins. When you then start an IV on a relatively healthy patient later on, you'll be SOOO happy! LOL I do home infusions, and I've had patients who are on chemo, and most of my patients are immune-compromised with trashed veins, so when I get to start an IV at the birth center I also work at, I feel spoiled by gorgeous, healthy veins.

If you want to get into med/surg eventually, having your chemo cert and the other skills you'll obtain there will really help make you marketable.

Good luck with getting this position!

ativanRN · Jan 31, 2015

Thanks so much for replying! & Congrats on your new job closer to home, yay!

You are so right about poor veins with chemo patients - for some reason that challenge didn't come to mind until you mentioned it. IVs can be so tricky and unfortunately I hear it just takes straight trial & error/practice to be great with them. I have a question about IV skills though. I was interviewed by their hiring manager and she asked me a couple times if i was IV certified. I thought that was just for LVNs to get? lol aren't RNs technically IV certified just by passing nursing school? I told her I would look into it, but that i've successfully done IVs before.

I thought working here would help make me more marketable as well, thank you for validating that notion . did you start at a clinic and transition to other acute facilities? Also, do you mind telling me what your pay rate is at the cancer clinic? I'm not sure what to expect with a clinic - I can't believe it slipped my mind to ask.

Thanks again for sharing, truly appreciated!

RunBabyRN · Feb 1, 2015

There are IV certifications that you can earn with your RN, and it's not a bad idea to get it. Some nursing programs don't even teach IV skills anymore! Most of what I learned about IVs was in the military, which is how I got the home infusion job as a new grad RN. I have been doing that, working at a birth center, and doing health fairs as a RN, but I have also been in military health, been a phlebotomist, and done a lot of other healthcare stuff over the years prior to being a RN. I am about to start this clinic job, but I have not worked in an acute care setting as a RN.

If you can, see if you can shadow an infusion/IV team nurse, a pre-op nurse, or anyone else who starts a lot of IVs. Have them teach you about the criteria for a good vein (especially if someone has horrid veins). It's hard to know what you don't know until you really get in there, but knowing what I did before nursing school, I am shocked at how little we learned. Between my military experience and my phlebotomy school, I learned a TON about this that my classmates didn't, and I've seen that in other nurses, too (having to bite my tongue while working as a phleb was PAINFUL). My home infusion patients love me because I am the first nurse that has routinely gotten them on the first stick (some of these people routinely take 4-5 sticks each time with other nurses). Peoples' veins can be deceptive. 2 of my patients LOOK like they have easy veins, but they have a lot of valves, they roll or spasm easily, or are so shallow it's hard not to go right through them. It takes practice. You have to learn how to slowly pull out a cath if you think you've gone through to see if you can still get it without totally pulling out, or how to really anchor a vein that keeps trying to run away from you, or to keep a vein of someone with Reynaud's from blowing or collapsing. Listen to your patients, especially those with a history of IVDU- if they say a spot does or doesn't work well, LISTEN! If a patient says you cannot infuse something over a certain rate, LISTEN!! (I had a patient who was sent to the ER by a nurse who insisted on slamming in an IVIG infusion against the patient's protests regarding the rate.) A lot of this, I would imagine, you would be exposed to through an IV certification course. I haven't done one, but I have heard about them, and I think it's a good thing if you don't have a ton of IV experience.

The pay at the cancer center (which is in Berkeley) was $45.63/hour, I believe, for RN I, and this was for full time, PM shift. I'm not sure what the going rate is for hospitals there, so I couldn't compare, but I know that here, that's what one of the hospitals starts RNs at as well, right around there.

ativanRN · Feb 1, 2015

I've just looked into these IV certification classes and its more of a refresher course for RNs & they run up to almost $300 (holy moly!). But I agree, they go thru it briefly in nursing school and the IV experience you get during clinicals never seem like enough. I think you're right about enrolling in one of these IV classes cause its a vital skill to get down. I wish i could shadow you! haha your tips have been great and your description of terrible veins have made me nervous for good reason.

I'm also very impressed with your background & experience - no wonder you're good at what you do Much respect to you. I hope to develop the same intuition you have with IVs one day. I'm from the Los Angeles area so I imagine the pay rate for me would be at least $10 or more lower than what you're getting. Not a big deal though, i'll take anything right now lol. Thank you so much for responding and sharing your experience with me, really really appreciate it :)