Are you allowed to give IV push meds at clinicals?

[twintoo]

I always understood the policy at our school to be "you can only give IV push meds with a licensed person" UM I learned today that you can only give IV push with the instructor! I was helping an RN and she asked me to draw up this med. I drew it up and then she said, "you can give it." I said "me?" b/c it wasn't my client and then she said yes and then after you give it I will let you tell me why *I* wouldn't give it. So...dum-de-dumdum I give it! Then she asked me "so why wouldn't *I* give that med?" I said "b/c I drew it up". DING DING DING I was right! LOL She runs to the instructor to brag on how well I did...Uh oh! Here comes my instructor red faced and shaky and asks me about it. I really didn't think I did wrong but I did! BIG TIME!!! Now, I am thinking she is going to give me a ZERO for part of my grade!

SO, my last clinical of the semester and my first screw up since day one...I am glad that I didn't kill anyone but gosh, I feel like CRAPOLA!

**Susan, if you are reading this...yes this is me!! LOL**

[danh3190]

At our school we can do IV pushes but only with the instructor at our side. However we're not allowed to administer resuscitation meds (Epi, Atropine, etc.) period.

I really wonder how people are supposed to become competent at a skill if they never do it.

[LaceyRN]

YIKES! That's a tough one to happen to you.

I have learned that RN's on the floor are eager to delegate tasks to students, but they don't understand that we are not authorized to perform many tasks without the supervison of our clinical instructor!

A fellow classmate and friend of mine was written up first semester for administering a suppository with an RN but not the instructor. I find myself saying, "let me check with my clinical instructor to see if it's OK for me to do that..." many, many times on the floor in clinical.

I hope that all works out well for you. :)

[helloworld]

We aren't allowed to give them until our final semester, so we're giving them this semester. I did have an instructor in OB last semester who allowed me to give IV push meds while she watched, but she didn't allow anyone else to do it.

This final semester we'll be giving them but an instructor will have to be present each time.

[marilynmom, LPN, NP]

We can give any med just as long as an RN or our instructor is with us. We can even hang blood. This is for senior year. Junior year we were not allowed to do all that.

I wonder if it has something to do with most of my clinicals have been at a University teaching hospital?

[helloworld]

We can give any med just as long as an RN or our instructor is with us. We can even hang blood. This is for senior year. Junior year we were not allowed to do all that.

I wonder if it has something to do with most of my clinicals have been at a University teaching hospital?

We were allowed to hang blood and give any meds except IV push from nursing 1. We also could not start IVs, but we could spike the bag and hang the fluids, ofcourse with the instructor or RN there. This final semester we are doing IV pushes and starting IVs, but for these two the instructor has to be there, not the RN. Everything else we are doing independently after the instructor has gone over the meds with us and the instructor or RN has looked at the syringe and the vial for any injectables.

[amyk_ncsu]

After we demonstrate competency, we can give any meds by ourselves. IV push meds are the only ones the instructor has to be with you, no matter how many times you've done it. Personally, I gave my first one last week and anticipate giving several tomorrow.

[AprilRNhere]

After reading so much from student nurses, I feel so lucky to have gone to the school I did. We were allowed to do whatever our instructor felt comfortable with...as it was her liscence we were practicing under. After showing competency, we were allowed to do absolutely everything that RN's could do....with an RN in the room...or when it called for 2...then I did it with 2 RN's watching. We drew blood first semester, did CVP readings my first day on the hospital floor (second semester), and hung blood the third. I'd started over 20 IV's before graduation.

I'm not bragging...I was just shocked to see the differences in what was allowed. It nevre occured to me that students couldn't do things...we did everything but call the doctors and put in orders.

[sbyramRN]

We are allowed to push meds on the day we are assigned to give meds. There are eight in our group, and we rotate on a weekly basis who is giving meds. We started pushing IV meds our second semester. We are not allowed to administer any type of blood products, but other than that, we are checked off on all skills during our first semester! I did have a nurse at my clinical site this past summer who refused to let me push meds on her clients because she said she wasn't allowed to do it when she was in nursing school.

[smk1, LPN]

we can push meds with an RN present.