Do you draw up blood on your own?

Ivanna_Nurse, BSN, RN · Dec 5, 2009

I work ICU and we do all of our own draws.. and accuchecks too. It really stinks when you are replacing potassium all day and redrawing coupled with hourly accuchecks on two pts.

Journey_On, BSN, RN · Dec 5, 2009

I work on a stroke/medical floor. We draw our own labs and start IVs. I am not the best at doing them, but hopefully with more practice I will get them better. We do have an IV team that will insert PICC lines and sometimes start IVs on patients who are very hard sticks/don't have great veins. Our PCAs (nurse techs) do accuchecks, but sometimes I will do one if a patient has an abnormal reading and I need do a repeat one.

MERRYWIDOW46 · Dec 5, 2009

NO IV therapy at my hospital. Nurses do all the phlebotomy draws, start PIVs, draw labs off of PICC and Central lines. Keeps you sharp and skilled.

DogWmn · Dec 5, 2009

I'm an LPN who worked in Family Practice and Peds clinics and we always did our own blood draws.

d_downer · Dec 5, 2009

I am a tech right now, but my nurses often draw their own labs to send and do their own blood sugars (hourly)unless they ask for me to do it.

I'm curious to hear how many nurses out here are obligated to draw up labs on their own and do glucose checks on their own?

dorothyrose · Dec 5, 2009

?????

dorothyrose · Dec 5, 2009

??????

MedSurgeMess · Dec 5, 2009

draw labs from PICCs and centrals, do blood glucoses, and if phlebs have a hard time, will draw venous as well. Per protocol, only RT may draw ABGs where I work.

shoegalRN, RN · Dec 5, 2009

In ICU we always have to draw labs, whether from art line, central line or by venipuncture. And, if the patient doesn't have an art line we get to stick for the ABG, also. The lab never comes to the ICU to do lab draws. It's part of the fun of having only 2 patients!!

What she said!

And also add we don't have techs in the ICU to help with baths either!

belgarion · Dec 5, 2009

LVNs do accuchecks where I am. Routine blood draws are done by the lab unless it's through a PICC or CL, then an RN does them. If there is a standing order for a culture when a pt. has a high fever it's usually done by whoever has that pt. be it an LVN or RN. There's only a couple of people authorized to draw an ABG.

JB2007, ASN, RN · Dec 5, 2009

I work in LTC and we have one day per week that lab comes to the facility to draw blood. If I have an order for a lab on an off day the nurse for that resident draws it. The nurses also gets all of their accuchecks to and I have had as many as 15 of those to get ac and hs on top of my regular duties. Also if the MD orders IV meds I start my own IVs too. You got to love LTC.

NurseKatie08, MSN · Dec 5, 2009

I work on the TCU with a LTC facility. We have routine lab draws done Mon-Fri by an outside lab. Weekend labs have to be called in to inform the lab of the need for a draw. Stat labs also called in when we get the order. We don't draw our own blood.

Blood glucose checks are done by our nurse techs. I do my own if I question the reading, if the techs are busy, or if I am doing diabetic teaching (which happens with all our diabetics toward the end of their rehab program)

If someone is going to be on IV antibiotics, etc, they typically come in from the hospital with a PICC in place. If someone gets a new order for a PIV, we'll attempt a start, but given our population (geriatrics) and the fact that in my setting you are not starting IVs every day often we call our pharmacy's IV team to send in someone for a start.