pok1

You are right.... they should not have advertised as certification. Can you contact them and ask them what type of certification, not certificate, you received. If they cannot (and probably can't) provide anything, then ask for a refund for false advertisement. Also, if you do start IVs now, are you competencied at your facility? If so, then list competecy in IV as a skill on your resume. Good luck....

Galena Nurse: I wish I could help you.... I am the Infusion Nurse Educator at Omnicare of Northern Illinois (thanks IVRUS for the plug). Unfortunately we no longer are able to have nurses attend who are not from a long term care facility we service. How can I help you on the side?

There is MUCH confusion about the term certification. There are educational certificates, which prove that you have been educated in a topic or procedure, and then there is the national certification. Certification means that you have experience and have taken a national advanced test on a topic and have expertise in the topic. All the certification programs in nursing go through the ANCC credentialing system. As a CRNI, Certified Registered Nurse Infusion, I am certified in infusion therapy. I teach a 16 hour basic IV course three times a month. When the RNs and LPNs leave the class, they receive a certificate of attendance. This shows that they have been educated in the topic. They also leave with a form stating they have successfully started an IV on a fake arm. The bottom of the form that lists the skills they have performed states that it is the responsibliity of the facility to verify competency. Competancy is verified at facilities for most aspects of nursing. It is a set of skills that you perform to complete a procedure. EVERY class I have nurses asking if they will be certified. THe literature with the course information covers it, but many nurses do not understand the difference. Hope this helps. (Unfortunately, my class is not open to the public). I recommend taking a class on IV therapy, and then just keep trying to start IV's. Break it down step by step and perfect each step. Spend time looking at everyones' veins you see. Get a tourniquet and practise finding the veins. (Remember that today they are sinlge patient use). Take your time. Relax. Bring a fellow nurse with you who can help and guide you. Like every thing else in life, it comes easy for some people and others struggle. Learn to palpate veins - not see them. Knowing where veins are suppose to be will guide in the areas to look and feel for veins. Good luck.