fellow nurse techs

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I was just offered a job as a nurse tech in PACU yesterday so I'm pretty excited. They told me that since I'm in recovery and the patients are sleeping I'll get to utilize a lot more of my skills in this department. He said I'll start IV's, hang fluids, catheters, and assessments. No bed baths which is nice. He said I'll be observed by the nurse when I start IV's and put in catheters etc. the first few times I do it.

Anyway I was curious as to what kind of skills everyone else is able to perform as nurse techs. I thought all nurse techs were able to do those things in every department...he may have just been saying that to sell the job. I'm not really sure. After two clinical semesters I still haven't had a chance to start an IV or put in a catheter so hopefully I'll get that opportunity at this job. My schedule is every weekend 7am to 7pm and I'm in class mon thru wed, and clinicals are thursdays and fridays so it'll be rough not having even one day a week with no work or school. Hopefully I don't burn out. I've been working every other weekend and four days a week at the job I'm at now. Guess I'll find out soon enough how I handle it.

Anyway now I'm just rambling. I hope I enjoy this job, hope it's worth it as I'm also taking a cut in pay. Also I was wondering what those of you that are nurse techs get paid an hour if you don't mind. They're paying me 8.50 plus a weekend and shift time differential after 3:00. So I'll find next week how much of an increase that makes.

Ok sorry such a long post.

Thanks :)

Ginyer

Specializes in Med-Surg.

Congratulations first of all. Second, nurse techs (ie CNAs) can start IVs?? Third, they can put in catheters??

Specializes in critical care; community health; psych.

Hi. PACU is a plum assignment. I work in SICU and also get to practice more skills than the tech on the floor. I get lots more mentoring and opportunity to perform skills on the unit than the nurses on the floor are willing to give. These kind of tech jobs don't come along all the time. I feel very lucky to have been at the right place at the right time.

You are exactly in the right spot to learn IV and foley insertions. Foley insertion is probably written into your scope of practice. IVs... well, it depends on the nurse you're working with. Some will allow it, others might not. Remember, the nurse assigned to the patient is always responsible for everything that happens to the patient. Give them time to get to know you. Don't be surprised that some are more eager than others to let you have a go.

Good luck and congrats.

Specializes in Rural Health.

Wow, your jobs sounds good just be very careful. Where I live most of what you describe is way outside a tech's scope of practice. I am also a tech and I am allowed to do things that I've been signed off in school (such as straight caths, suture removal, etc...) but IVs are a big no no in my state unless you are IV certified and the only way that happens is either being an RN or LPN with the IV cert. Meds even scare me, even if the nurse is with me the whole time and checks and double checks everything. Also where I live, assessments can only be done by RNs, LPNs aren't even allowed to do assessments on patients.

I wish you luck!!!!

Specializes in Med-Surg.

So are you guys saying that if you've been checked off on something in nursing school you can incorporate doing those skills in your tech job? I'm just curious because this is unheard of where I live. Thanks.

Specializes in critical care; community health; psych.
So are you guys saying that if you've been checked off on something in nursing school you can incorporate doing those skills in your tech job? Thanks.[/quote

Something like that. My official title is nurse intern, which allows for greater lattitude.

Specializes in ER.

Hey!!

Congratulations!!

I am startin gmy new job as an ED tech in 2 weeks!!! So excited!!! And it also sounds like we can do alot of what you can do!!! I must say I am NOT a CNA!! I am only an EMT I and they will teach me all of the other skills that I dont know! I love that I will be able to use all of my skills that I will be learning in Nursing school!

I was just offered a job as a nurse tech in PACU yesterday so I'm pretty excited. They told me that since I'm in recovery and the patients are sleeping I'll get to utilize a lot more of my skills in this department. He said I'll start IV's, hang fluids, catheters, and assessments. No bed baths which is nice. He said I'll be observed by the nurse when I start IV's and put in catheters etc. the first few times I do it.

Anyway I was curious as to what kind of skills everyone else is able to perform as nurse techs. I thought all nurse techs were able to do those things in every department...he may have just been saying that to sell the job. I'm not really sure. After two clinical semesters I still haven't had a chance to start an IV or put in a catheter so hopefully I'll get that opportunity at this job. My schedule is every weekend 7am to 7pm and I'm in class mon thru wed, and clinicals are thursdays and fridays so it'll be rough not having even one day a week with no work or school. Hopefully I don't burn out. I've been working every other weekend and four days a week at the job I'm at now. Guess I'll find out soon enough how I handle it.

Anyway now I'm just rambling. I hope I enjoy this job, hope it's worth it as I'm also taking a cut in pay. Also I was wondering what those of you that are nurse techs get paid an hour if you don't mind. They're paying me 8.50 plus a weekend and shift time differential after 3:00. So I'll find next week how much of an increase that makes.

Ok sorry such a long post.

Thanks :)

Ginyer

Specializes in LTAC.
I was just offered a job as a nurse tech in PACU yesterday so I'm pretty excited. They told me that since I'm in recovery and the patients are sleeping I'll get to utilize a lot more of my skills in this department. He said I'll start IV's, hang fluids, catheters, and assessments. No bed baths which is nice. He said I'll be observed by the nurse when I start IV's and put in catheters etc. the first few times I do it.

Anyway I was curious as to what kind of skills everyone else is able to perform as nurse techs. I thought all nurse techs were able to do those things in every department...he may have just been saying that to sell the job. I'm not really sure. After two clinical semesters I still haven't had a chance to start an IV or put in a catheter so hopefully I'll get that opportunity at this job. My schedule is every weekend 7am to 7pm and I'm in class mon thru wed, and clinicals are thursdays and fridays so it'll be rough not having even one day a week with no work or school. Hopefully I don't burn out. I've been working every other weekend and four days a week at the job I'm at now. Guess I'll find out soon enough how I handle it.

Anyway now I'm just rambling. I hope I enjoy this job, hope it's worth it as I'm also taking a cut in pay. Also I was wondering what those of you that are nurse techs get paid an hour if you don't mind. They're paying me 8.50 plus a weekend and shift time differential after 3:00. So I'll find next week how much of an increase that makes.

Ok sorry such a long post.

Thanks :)

Ginyer

You may want to check around before doing things outside your scope of practice. Even if you were a nursing student, you can only do those things under the supervision of a preceptor and only in the capacity of being a student, meaning you can't get paid for it.

Doing something you're not licensed to do, even under the direction of a nurse or physician, is illegal according to our instructors and is a terminable offense at our hospital.

I am an ER tech and I can do caths, blood draws, enemas, plug in the O2 but NOT turn it on, splint, and assist as needed but its against policy for me to start IV's. Its not even something my SCHOOL lets us do (we don't learn to draw blood in school either but I got the training anyway).Edit: I forgot to mention that the floor techs don't do much more than vitals, baths, ambulation etc. I guess working in the ER is considered a great job. And there is another new tech in the nurse extern program--he has a way longer preceptorship and won't be doing the abovementioned skills right away. Doesn't make sense but they said since i'm already halfway thru school that program would hold me back.

I can put in/ take out foleys, do EKG's......that's about all the major stuff I guess.

Specializes in Cardiac.
I am an ER tech and I can do caths, blood draws, enemas, plug in the O2 but NOT turn it on, splint, and assist as needed but its against policy for me to start IV's. Its not even something my SCHOOL lets us do (we don't learn to draw blood in school either but I got the training anyway).Edit: I forgot to mention that the floor techs don't do much more than vitals, baths, ambulation etc. I guess working in the ER is considered a great job. And there is another new tech in the nurse extern program--he has a way longer preceptorship and won't be doing the abovementioned skills right away. Doesn't make sense but they said since i'm already halfway thru school that program would hold me back.

I work the floor and I can titrate O2 on pts, draw from A-lines, hemostase femoral sites, intrepret EKGs, insert foleys, draw blood, dressing changes, fingersticks, and do beds baths and vitals. Floor techs can do as much as ER techs can--legally.

Specializes in Med-Surg.

Wow, there must be quite a variance from state to state on what is within a tech's scope of practice. But here's something I'm curious about... in my skills text for nursing school I remember that anything that required sterile technique and assessment skills... ie foley insertion... was considered to be outside the scope of practice of a tech and something an RN could not delegate. And of course this book is used by students throughout the US. I'm just confused by the disparity.

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