LVN, injections

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Specializes in Critical care, Pediatris & Geriatrics.

what kind of injections can an LVN administer? I've heard many different things, thanks. I've heard LVN cannot at all, but then I've heard they can. What about IV's?

any info would help:lol2:

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

well i hope an LVN can give injections because i've been giving them for a while now!

Kidding, we can give subqutaneous and IM injections of medications.

Where we are limited is IV's, I believe each state may vary in it's state requirements, so you would want to check with the scope of practice within your state.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

I have to say the same as the previous poster. We do basically all of them. Where I work in New York, we have to have an RN screen and assess patients for flu and pneumonia vaccinations (this makes NO sense to me); however, once they are screened, we administer. All other injections that we administer do not have to be screened or assessed by an RN. We don't do IV push, but we can start IV lines and hang piggybacks. What is interesting about this is that NY does not mandate that LPNs be IV certified per se, but the JOB can make it a requirement for LPNs to be certified (which is the case with me, now). We can also take an additional course where we can learn to hang bloods, but that is not my personal interest...too much risk there. I wish they would take the IV care away from us, too, actually. I hated hanging potassium.

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Specializes in Critical care, Pediatris & Geriatrics.

thanks you all, this helped alot!

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Specializes in Home Health, PDN, LTC, subacute.

In NJ, I give IM, SQ, intradermal, hang IV's & piggyback. I don't push IV meds because we are a nursing home, but I think I'm not allowed

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

nurse2b_amy. . .it's very easy to find this information. this is a link to the california lvn rules and regulations which is the official source of what you can and cannot do:

if you will check section 2860.5 permissible practices (page 4- hypodermic injections) you will find the answers to your questions about injections and ivs.

to perform iv therapy or blood withdrawal lvns must be certified in california by the bvnpt. you can get information about that here on the california board of vocational nursing and psychiatric technicians website:

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Specializes in Critical care, Pediatris & Geriatrics.

thanks for all the info, i've read over the laws, and it answered all of my questions, happy holidays everyone..

nurse2b_amy:santa2: :snowman1:

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