phlebotomy and IV class

taxifolia · Nov 22, 2007

HI

I don't know if this will help, but I came with many years of IV experience so I knew how to find veins etc. and I bought a used Pheb. book asap from Amazon.com and devoured it and my employer taught me the rest, not much really, local practice issues, on the job..

Good Luck

MikeyJ, RN · Nov 22, 2007

And what about bringing IV start kids and IV needles home to practice on friends & family? Haha.. I know it sounds crazy, but that is what I do.

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Nov 22, 2007

It still blows my mind every time... I just can NOT believe these most important skills are not being taught in today's nursing programs !!!

I just don't get it. :stone

Sweet James · Nov 23, 2007

i graduated from adn program in may of this year and i couldnt find a job in the hospital, but i was hired on the spot in nursing home. the problem is rn's have to draw blood and start an iv but i never had chance to learn how to do these. is there any place where i can learn to start iv and draw blood? fyi i'm in michigan. thanks:snowman1::present1::santa5::reindeer:

where are you at in michigan? where did you get your adn from?

i'm currently taking phlebotomy at schoolcraft in livonia. the certificate requires some other classes, but the phlebotomy training is excellent.

other cc in the area are now teaching the course for certification. there are other organizations that also come through the state every 3 - 6 months and will teach you phlebotomy and iv over a full day class for each - cost was quite high leaning towards $1400 combined.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Nov 23, 2007

Are LPNs allowed to do IVs in Michigan? If so, find out where the classes for LPNs to do this are taught and take one of the classes. This is how I started my IV career and I'm an RN. It was the best advice and smartest thing I did at the beginning of my career. You can also ask the state board of nursing to get you a list or get you on a list of continuing education providers and ask the various providers if they have any IV therapy classes. I've taken those as well during my career. As you can see from my profile I ended up working as an IV therapist for a number of years. However, it all started when I took the LVN IV certification course here in California because as an RN I was no bad at IVs at the start of my career.

MoopleRN · Nov 23, 2007

Are you saying that your program NEVER TAUGHT starting an IV? You weren't required to check off on this skill in your clinical class, even if it was on a dummy? When you say you never had a chance to learn this skill (and I'm talking about starting an IV vs drawing blood), I find that hard to believe. Initiating an IV is a basic/important skill (where unfortunately you don't really learn how to do except by doing it.... once you're licensed/working) and within the scope of an RN's practice.

I really hope what you're saying is you'd like to get some experience/further knowledge and not that you weren't taught even the fundamentals of IV initiation. It's inconceivable to me that the program you graduated from is able to exclude this skill from it's curriculum and still qualify graduates to sit for RN boards.

swee2000 · Nov 23, 2007

I don't know if it's available in Michigan, but the tech school I attended here in WI offered a CE IV insertion & therapy class for RNs and LPNs. It covered the basics, such as: selecting the right size needle based on what the IV is needed for &/or where it will be inserted(abx vs blood, restoring fluids vs surgery, antecubital vein vs one in the hand); learning the different types of fluids &/or why one is chosen over another; and practicing actual insertion of an IV. Since the school's policy would not allow us to practice on each other, we had to settle for using these hard foam wedges with make-shift "veins" attached or use the mannequin arms w/"veins". At the hospital's class, mannequin arms w/"veins" were also available, however it was preferred that we practice on each other in order to get a feel for the "real" thing. It wasn't a requirement, however those that participated had to sign a waiver releasing the instrutor, person who stuck you or who you stuck, and the hospital from any liability should something go wrong, etc.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Nov 23, 2007

It still blows my mind every time... I just can NOT believe these most important skills are not being taught in today's nursing programs !!!
I just don't get it. :stone

Some of us come out of school not doing all the skills we were taught. I'm hoping the person was taught, just doesn't have experience. IV therapy is basic RN education, at least here and in NC. I came out of school however only starting one IV and wasn't comfortable with the skill at all.

To the OP, since hopefully it was covered in your ADN program, is there some on the job training they can provide? Perhaps during your orientation your preceptor can teach you what they do? That's how we learn our skills, not just IVs.

pagandeva2000, LPN · Nov 23, 2007

It still blows my mind every time... I just can NOT believe these most important skills are not being taught in today's nursing programs !!!
I just don't get it. :stone

Yeah, I was fortunate enough to have obtained phlebotomy while I was an aide.

actioncat · Nov 26, 2007

It still blows my mind every time... I just can NOT believe these most important skills are not being taught in today's nursing programs !!!
I just don't get it. :stone

ummm.. I get it. I learned on the job and that was really the best way. There were plenty of other things to learn in nursing school that we would not have a chance to learn once on the floor so I had no problem with it.

Learning how to do an IV is really no big deal.

Let me amend this. We did receive training-- on a fake-o, can't miss arm. They also had some computer simulator thing that you could use. It was pretty realistic, but I only used it once.

I'm sure LVN certification programs are a lot more thorough than anything you get in nursing school.

Ms.RN · Nov 26, 2007

are you saying that your program never taught starting an iv? you weren't required to check off on this skill in your clinical class, even if it was on a dummy?
okay, okay, let me clarify this. when i took second year med/surg class, we had a clinical lab day, which is one day before we start our clinicals. our instructors demonstrate the skills that we need to know when we take care of our patients in the hospital. my instructor showed us a video and demonstrated on how to start an iv and we practiced with mannequine only once. some of my classmates were able to start an iv on their patients in the hospital setting but i never had a chance to do it and i still feel very uncomfortable doing it.