Help! LVN's giving IVP medications in Texas. Whats the problem?

[sma]

I sure could do with some advice or be pointed in the right direction. I've been an LVN for over 25 years. Of that 25 plus years, I've been trained & have practiced 16 years in ICU, CCU, CVCU's, 2 years ER, a member of an MICU for 5 years and most recently 2 1/2 years in an IV therapy department. I've taken 3 different IV workshop courses and received 3 different certificates of IV training. I was trained the basics of inserting IV's while in school, received additional IV training with regards to the safe admin. of IVP medications in the ICU setting, while being trained to work my first ICU, have maintained my ACLS for the past 16 years. To put it bluntly, I've been mixing and admin. IV medication most of my career. In addition, I've been giving (without incident) IVP medications. So...Whats up? Someone reported me to the board (first time !). I'm accused of mixing and administering IV medications without proper training, skills and without adq. supervision, as required. Spoke with the investigator. Was told that data collected indiciates everything is OK except that I need to provide proof that I was trained to administer IVP medications? Good grief. 25 years is a long time ago, but I could have sworn I was trained in LVN school to give IV pushes. I know I was further trained in giving IV push medications when I first trained to work my first ICU. Maybe I should have, but I never gave it much thought to pushing IV meds (with regards to violation of the nurse practice act). Come on now, when a nurse is working ICU, it's your job to push IV meds along with a lot of stuff thats much more dangerous. I've looked at the nurses practice act and can't seem to find anything that says anything definitive. If there's anyone out there who knows something I'm missing or can point me in the right direction, it would be very much appreciated. I've got a dead line of the 22'd to fax my response. I'll check this thread up till that day, so your advice won't be in vain.

[MrsWampthang, BSN, RN]

Fax them copies of your certificates of training, also you might see if you can find the job descriptions from where you worked and were allowed to push drugs, along with your job experience and fax that to them. Another thing you might do is fax them letters of recomendation from past managers that could vouch for your knowledge of pushing IV meds. Other than that, I don't know where you are working, but if it isn't in your job description to push IV meds, then you shouldn't be doing it, regardless of how much training you've had. Different areas have different rules about who can do what so check into it. Sorry someone was a rat to you. Good luck. Hope this helps some.

Pam

[sma]

Fax them copies of your certificates of training, also you might see if you can find the job descriptions from where you worked and were allowed to push drugs, along with your job experience and fax that to them. Another thing you might do is fax them letters of recomendation from past managers that could vouch for your knowledge of pushing IV meds. Other than that, I don't know where you are working, but if it isn't in your job description to push IV meds, then you shouldn't be doing it, regardless of how much training you've had. Different areas have different rules about who can do what so check into it. Sorry someone was a rat to you. Good luck. Hope this helps some.

Pam

Hey, Appreciate the advice. Yes, I have copies of training, but it's for starting IV's or has to do with infusion. I personally have never heard of a class that teaches a nurse how to just push IV medications. Have you? For ICU, its usually an inclusive class, that teaches the nurse lots of other training, ect.

[CSLee3, ASN, BSN, LVN, EMT-P]

I understand your grief, been there, done that.....Texas, as you know, currently does not have scope of practice for LVN's but rather a "title act", which means you can do anything you have demonstrated competence in. There is nothing prohibiting you from doing that so long as someone (RN) has checked you off or you had a verfiable IV training course OR even in you LVN school curriculum. Find the documentation, send it to the board and be done with it. Sorry to hear some butthead got jealous or mad at you for being a nurse. We really should all look out for each other instead of stirring the pot.

Hang in there. Proof is in the pudding. Take Care........CSL, RN

[wjf00]

It's a shame someone wasted the Nursing Board's time on this. You seem to have all the qualifications. I wish you luck. By the way, when you say someone reported you, that wasn't the old "Annonymous coworker"? Did they have the decency to discuss it with you and your CNM first?

[TxPsychNx]

The focus is on what you have been trained to do. As an LVN, I too worked in an ICU type environment. The clencher is what does the facility policy say about LVN's doing IV push meds in their facility?

Sounds like someone is jealous of you. I believe that I would find friendlier surroundings to work in. Life is too short to constantly look at the south end of north bound horses.

[ZASHAGALKA, RN]

I would def contact former employers where you worked in critical care. Tell them it's urgent (tell them why and mention your deadline) and ask them if they could provide (fax) copies of: your evals, and job descriptions, and most importantly: your competencies.

(If you don't have a fax, get the fax number of a local copy store and use that. You can pay a fax fee and pick up the copies there.)

Most hospitals now require EVERYBODY, RN or LVN, to be competency certified on every piece of equipment, and even on stupid things, like, 'answers phone professionally'.

If you can find IVP on one of your competency grids from a former employer, then - you're done, proof in hand.

Other than that, talk to former co-workers, preferably managers but not necessarily and ask if they'll write you a statement saying that you were competency certified to push drugs.

Also, you CURRENT manager could sign off on that, if he/she were so inclined.

The rule is that you have to show that you've been trained prior to doing that. That could mean a class - but that sounds like a difficult thing for you to find. But, it could also mean OJT from any of your former or your current employer. You just have to find a record that you were certified (competencies) or someone that says you were certified/trained (former managers/co-workers).

If I had worked w/ you in critical care, I'd sign a statement attesting to your competency. This is silly - although the result isn't silly for you, I know; it's surreal.

~faith,

Timothy.

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

The rules of nursing practice do not necessarily take into consideration your experience, only documentation. Hope you get this straightened out soon. It is always good to keep ALL your training documentation for such events.

[gauge14iv, MSN, APRN, NP]

Sorry for all the trouble you are experiencing!

Just want to say that it is one good reason to keep every competency check off list and training list and eval you ever do! I have all mine filed in a box - one of these days I will get around to scanning them into the computer and pdf'ing them onto disk or something.

I wish you luck.