Infusion Therapy Nurse

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Sep 15, 2005

If you are referring to becoming a certified IV nurse through the Intravenous Nurses Society you need to be able to document for them at least 2000 hours a year in IV therapy. This does not have to be as an IV therapist. Your staff nurse job in dialysis should qualify you. However, the certification exam is quite extensive and covers a number of subjects that you will really have to bone up on in order to pass the test. You will also have to get a copy of the INS Standards of Care for IV therapy and know the standards because they are incorporated into the exam.

The INS publishes a number of aides to help pass the exam. They also have a yearly convention and you should plan to attend at least one that comes to a city near you--they are extremely informative and you will come away with all kinds of new ideas regarding IV therapy. Your state and possibly the city you live in may have a state intravenous nurses society you should join. By networking with other IV nurses you will get a lot of insight into the certification exam. You will also meet (if you attend the national convention or workshops) people who are doing nursing research and teaching things like PICC line insertion and maintenance. I'm assuming you will most likely be interested in central lines, but inserting peripheral IVs in dialysis patients is a most challenging pursuit!

I would normally suggest that someone interested in IV therapy try to find work as an IV therapist. You have to be persistant in trying to find these positions as they get snapped up pretty quick. Also, a lot of hospitals did away with their IV teams due to budget considerations, so it is mostly very large institutions who still have IV teams. I worked on IV Teams for a total of 7 years out of my career. It was awesome experience. Besides becoming very proficient in insertion of peripheral IVs I also insert PICCs and midline caths, de-clott and repair central lines, Hickman lines and PICCs. Part of our job responsiblities included taking calls from home IV therapy patients to help them trouble shoot problems. In general, it is home health nurses that help patients out with their home infusions. Some drug companies that provide the TPN solutions for home infusion have IV nurses working for them. They make regular patient visits and take prn calls. To find these companies you will have to check out your local area. Try contacting your state intravenous nursing society to get the names of these companies in your area.

Good luck with your endeavors.

Oh, P.S. . .the Intravenous Nurses Society has a web site.

lost nurse · Sep 15, 2005

If you are referring to becoming a certified IV nurse through the Intravenous Nurses Society you need to be able to document for them at least 2000 hours a year in IV therapy. This does not have to be as an IV therapist. Your staff nurse job in dialysis should qualify you. However, the certification exam is quite extensive and covers a number of subjects that you will really have to bone up on in order to pass the test. You will also have to get a copy of the INS Standards of Care for IV therapy and know the standards because they are incorporated into the exam.
The INS publishes a number of aides to help pass the exam. They also have a yearly convention and you should plan to attend at least one that comes to a city near you--they are extremely informative and you will come away with all kinds of new ideas regarding IV therapy. Your state and possibly the city you live in may have a state intravenous nurses society you should join. By networking with other IV nurses you will get a lot of insight into the certification exam. You will also meet (if you attend the national convention or workshops) people who are doing nursing research and teaching things like PICC line insertion and maintenance. I'm assuming you will most likely be interested in central lines, but inserting peripheral IVs in dialysis patients is a most challenging pursuit!
I would normally suggest that someone interested in IV therapy try to find work as an IV therapist. You have to be persistant in trying to find these positions as they get snapped up pretty quick. Also, a lot of hospitals did away with their IV teams due to budget considerations, so it is mostly very large institutions who still have IV teams. I worked on IV Teams for a total of 7 years out of my career. It was awesome experience. Besides becoming very proficient in insertion of peripheral IVs I also insert PICCs and midline caths, de-clott and repair central lines, Hickman lines and PICCs. Part of our job responsiblities included taking calls from home IV therapy patients to help them trouble shoot problems. In general, it is home health nurses that help patients out with their home infusions. Some drug companies that provide the TPN solutions for home infusion have IV nurses working for them. They make regular patient visits and take prn calls. To find these companies you will have to check out your local area. Try contacting your state intravenous nursing society to get the names of these companies in your area.
Good luck with your endeavors.
Oh, P.S. . .the Intravenous Nurses Society has a web site.

THANK YOU! Lots of good information....I know what to do now!