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Discussion

Do you deal with IVs on your unit?

As a psychiatric nurse, do you ever have to start IVs or work with patients who have IVs?

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    • Featured Replies

    No. None of the patients have IV's, nor do we insert them. The few patients that go to ECT get an IV placed there and taken out before they return to the unit.

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    no, never!! liability issue

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    I may be an exception because I work in military medicine but yes we do. If a patient on our inpatient mental health unit has a code blue we are expected to start the IV etc as we wait for code team to arrive that way they can immediately begin to give meds etc when they arrive. We train on our unit for this using staff as "patients" who have coded, we also have lots of IV training due to this as we want our staff ready when they need to insert an IV

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    • Experts

    On the Gero Psych Unit only- basic infusions and for a specific number of bags or days.

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    We're currently have 2. 1 for q4 hr antibiotics and one that is saline locked, unsure of why..

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    • Guides

    Like Davy Do said, there are IV's on gero... so much dehydration!

    We will do them on our other units too, but rarely.

    I know, in spite of our best efforts to get our old folks to drink, that I will be cringing as I look at my labs because I will have to start an IV on the most combative patient on the unit... good times!

    Sometimes, we have to get a 1:1 sitter if we start an IV... it depends.

    Are you worried about working with IV's?

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    • Author

    Yes lol! I don't mind giving IV medications but I hate starting IVs. It is certainly not my strong suit. I have been in med-surg for a little over 2 years and probably only started less than 20 IVs successfully.

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    • Guides
    Yes lol! I don't mind giving IV medications but I hate starting IVs. It is certainly not my strong suit. I have been in med-surg for a little over 2 years and probably only started less than 20 IVs successfully.

    Many of the psych nurses are not great at starting IV's, especially on the units that rarely start them.

    Many of those nurses have only psych experience, so it is not unusual that they may need to find another nurse (usually with prior medical floor experience) to help them out.

    We don't judge because we know it's something many don't do often at all or haven't done in awhile.

    I know I'm not always successful and may need to ask for help.

    Don't let it keep you from considering psych.

    If you hate IV's, consider a lower acuity adult unit and avoid gero.

    Good luck :)

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    We dont start them but we manage them with enough frquency for me to keep my knowledge fresh. We do acute etoh detox on my unit, as well as take patients with medical stuff. Its mostly IVF or Zofran for the detoxers (if they start needing iv benzo they get punted to icu) or tje occasional iv abx. If its an etoher that we are worried about we will jist ask the ed to leave the saline lock in. If we need a new IV we page IV therapy or have someone from ed or icu (or the hoise supervisor) do it at night.

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