IV Meds

[dolphin11]

We will be starting to administer IV meds next week and I'm so scared! The problem is that we only had a fifteen minute lecture on this. I am lost. Any advice?

[WDWpixieRN, RN]

Hopefully your instructors will be like ours have been -- right there at the bedside EVERY time we administer one of these. They do seem a little intimidating for awhile and I'm one of those "learn by doing" people. Unfortunately, doing a handful or more at one clinical site, then switching to another site the next semester w/new pumps, has not helped a lot in my retention of the hanging IVs. We are in 4th semester and area still being observed and tutored by some of our clinical instructors.

I would say it's important to remember initially to be sure to see what's hanging in your pt's room, check the dates of the tubing and IV sites, check for compatibility of IV fluids/meds, and KNOW the calculations in case you're quizzed on them.

The actual hanging of the fluids themselves isn't a biggie once you get the hang of remembering to swab your ports, fill the tubings w/out air, etc.

Best wishes!!

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

always make sure you don't punch the spike with liquid still at the bottom.....prime the tubing with as little fluid as necessary.....then wipe both ends with alcohol wipe, attach and go...

For IV push, push over the longest time found in drug book, wipe with alcohol beforehead, and attach syringe to IV.

relax, it takes a little while, but you get the hang of it....