L&D IV starts: Staff or IV team?

[k_cole21]

Hello All,

I'd just like to know if any of you L&D nurses have a hopsital wide IV team start your IVs? I'm used to starting my own IVs in L&D but do know of a place that the L&D nurses start no IVs. If you do start your own IVs do you draw lab with it or does lab draw for you?

Thanks

[nurse79]

we too, also start our own ivs. preferably with an 18g and we do our own lab draws as well. if she is a hard stick, we can call phlebotomy, or last resort anesthesia (highly unlikely!).

[msquared]

ouch...our antiquated policy is that all patients get a 16 g iv:madface:...it's been that way since i started 15 years ago and longer. we start our own--no team--and if bad veins can use smaller gauges. we rely on each other when we have trouble, and use anesthesia as a last resort. we also draw our labs when we start our iv's. we never ever use phlebtomists!

[k_cole21]

ouch...our antiquated policy is that all patients get a 16 g iv:madface:...it's been that way since i started 15 years ago and longer. we start our own--no team--and if bad veins can use smaller gauges. we rely on each other when we have trouble, and use anesthesia as a last resort. we also draw our labs when we start our iv's. we never ever use phlebtomists!

northwestern in chicago only uses 16's. that's torture! i had the hardest time getting those in & it took almost 3 weeks befor i was comfortable using a 16.

anyone know of a any other place that doesn't start their own ivs in l&d? i thought it was pretty much standard of care....