my adn program did not teach either skill as a part of the required curriculum. there was an iv course offered, but it focused on types of fluids and in what circumstances they would be ultilized. we had one day where we learned to place an iv on another student then spent a few hours in a pre-op setting. (i only had one pt to "practice" on during my time). those nursing students not in the iv class could opt to come in just for the lesson on placing ivs if desired.
in my facility, we have both iv teams and phlebotomists. in some areas, such as ed and icus, the floor nurses will perform these tasks (unless pt is a difficult stick; then it is iv team to the rescue). it is not even an option for the floor nurses to perform these tasks on med-surg/tele/ortho floors. (this seems to also be true for the other large hospital in my city). i do understand this rationale: when a pt comes to us from either ed or the or, they have already have iv access. if they are a direct admit, the iv team will come to place an iv. the iv nurses keep track of the types/guages/sites of our pts ivs and are responsible for rotating as appropriate. they are also excellent at trouble-shooting sites, and can often perform some "magic" to help pt avoid needing a new site.
i guess my point is that we as floor nurses would not have enough opportunities to become proficient in placing ivs and i would much rather see my pts have a relatively pain free experience than have to suffer with me, a novice at best, attempt it.
as for lab draws, there are times it would be nice to be able to draw from a pt with those "good veins" (which are pretty scarce on my floor, let me tell you) but again, better for the pt to have the "expert" perform this while i perform those tasks only a nurse may do.
whew, i hope that all made sense. :)
nurse leigh
