IV push administration

Nursing Students General Students

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You go into a pt's room to administer 2mg/1ml of morphine via IV push. The pt is receiving NS at 100 ml/hr. Question: Do you need to flush the IV line before & after administering the morphine with NS? Or, since the pt is receiving NS at 100 ml/hr, no flush necessary.

Specializes in Home Health Care.
In myschool we're not allowed to give IVP meds either.

It's a safety issue for the patient as well as the student.

We weren't allowed to give IVP meds in our practical nurse program, but we are required to in the RN program (only in the presence of the instructor). It would be scary to come out of school as a new RN and not know what were doing with IVP meds. I'm glad our school requires it.

We've been doing pushes since our first semester. I can't imagine a school not letting a student nurse do a push AT ALL, in ANY semester?

Specializes in Critical Care.
We weren't allowed to give IVP meds in our practical nurse program, but we are required to in the RN program (only in the presence of the instructor). It would be scary to come out of school as a new RN and not know what were doing with IVP meds. I'm glad our school requires it.

Same in my program-not until the RN portion are we allowed to do certain things and only in the presence of our instructor (by our side, not just on the floor).

Wow we aren't allowed to do IVP until we are licensed.I guess every state is different. We were taught to flush before and after.

Wow we aren't allowed to do IVP until we are licensed.I guess every state is different. We were taught to flush before and after.

We're allowed to give IV Push meds from the first year on. First year, all meds need to be given with clinical Prof or RN next to you, by second year, students can give meds independently, with the exception of IV Push and narcotics...which still need to be given with our Cllinical Prof or the RN with us.

And yes, we were taught to flush before and after an IV Push for the reason that Daytonite so clearly explained.

Specializes in ER, progressive care.
we were taught- as students, yes it is necessary. when you are a grownup nurse, no.

:lol2:

i was taught this: if the patient is heplocked and doesn't have any fluids running, then yes, you need to flush before and after ivp med administration.

if the patient has fluids running and it is compatible with the drug you are pushing, you do not need to flush.

if the patient has fluids running and it is not compatible with the drug you are pushing, you need to hit stop on the pump, flush with ns, give the med, flush again with ns and then restart the fluids.

you also just don't push everything in rapidly - you have to push slowly. meds differ, but as a general rule, most meds need to be pushed over at least a minute. exceptions are ivp cardiac meds, lasix (+ others, but honestly i've only ever pushed those + your standard narcotic meds)...another exception is adenosine (adenocard), in which that one you push it in all at once followed by a rapid flush of ns.

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