Giving Cytoxan... not certified?

[firefox828]

I have never given Cytoxan, but, a few of our nurses do give this agent - only for pts with Lupus - and they are not certified. My thought is that there is no difference whether the agent is for oncology or lupus pt; the fact that it is a chemo agent, one has to be certified to give it. I dread the day an MD would order it and I'm the nurse... should I refuse?

What's your hospital policy re this? Thanks.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

You don't have to be "chemo certified" so to speak to give chemo legally. If it's within the nurse practice act in your state for an RN to give chemo, and you're an RN, and your facility allows it, you're within your scope of practice. I was required to get chemo certified within 6 months of starting in oncology, but was giving chemo before that.

As with all meds, be familiar with what you're giving. You should be wearing chemo PPE- gown, double gloves (or special chemo gloves). You should be double checking the chemo with a 2nd RN. You should definitely verify blood return on the IV you're infusing into before and after administration. I'm not sure how Lupus dosing is, but cyclophosphamide is pretty emotogenic, so pre-meds for nausea are usually a must.

[meandragonbrett]

As stated above.....you need to refer to your hospital policy on administration of chemotherapeutic medications. Not all hospitals require RNs to be certified to give them. Follow policy and procedure.