Reasons To Become IV Certified

BraveNurse

Intravenous therapy (IV therapy) is the infusion and/or injection of substances through the venous system. The Licensed Professional Nurse is responsible for carrying out this intervention with skills consisting of activity that include:

observing
initiating
monitoring
discontinuing
maintaining
regulating
adjusting
documenting
planning
intervening
evaluating the outcome of the therapeutic intervention

IV therapy is used to administer medications, hydrating fluids, electrolytes, blood/blood products or additional vitamins to patients. Many LPN's/LVN's and RN's overlook the value of obtaining this certification. The benefits of becoming certified are numerous and will make each nurse an asset to every patient at his or her healthcare facility.

Obtaining an IV Certification

This will benefit the nurse through improved skills and confidence. It prepares nurses for being exceptional caregivers that stay advanced by being exposed to the newest advances in technology and practice within the infusion nursing specialty. For RN's, there are no additional education requirements outside of basic nursing school curricula to have the opportunity to perform infusion therapy on patients. The standard is that an RN performing infusion therapy should have the requisite knowledge and skills upon completion of an accredited school of nursing to perform such tasks. For LPN's and LVN's, in the majority of states, there is no actual "certification" given to LPNs/LVNs to be able to perform IV therapy. When I started as a nurse, I was on edge with nursing procedures that involved injections. When I decided to become certified, it was like a refresher course for the skills that I learned in school. I felt more phlegmatic about my clinical skills.

License Renewal

Obtaining formal certifications for IV therapy may count towards credits for license renewal. Depending on the type of course offered by the organization and the requirements by the state board of nursing where the nurse resides, a licensed professional nurse can earn several contact hours for renewal while expanding his/her clinical skills. For example, the LPN may decide to become IV certified to advance his or her skills for personal reasons, but completing a board approved LPN IV Certification Package in the state of Arizona will suffice as the legal requirement to practice as an infusion nurse, too. In states where LPN's/RN's have no legal requirements to become certified, taking IV courses from a state board approved continuing education company will enhance their education while the nurse earns contact hours. For example, reading an article entitled "CE: A Review of Current Practice in Transfusion Therapy" from the American Journal of Nursing and then completing the questionnaire that tests what the nurse has learned from the article, will count as 1.5 contact hours that can be reported to the board of nursing for license renewal. This is great for an aspiring IV therapy nurse or an IV certified nurse who wishes to refresh his or her memory on pertinent IV topics.

Employment Opportunities

More opportunities for work areas such as holistic healthcare, outpatient clinics, critical care nursing and oncology, along with many others is another benefit of becoming certified. I have worked in different settings where having my certification prepared me for the tasks that I was expected to perform. As a travel nurse, I was given the opportunity to work in hospitals, in a nephrology clinic, in nursing homes and most recently in an outpatient orthopedic surgery clinic. My certification is what made me stand out from other nurses who applied to work in these areas. IV certification for RN's allows them to specialize in intravenous therapies that involves setting up IV's in hospitals, working in infusion rooms or overseeing home care IV treatment. In order for an RN to become an infusionist, the nurse must take a certification exam and hold a current nursing license.

Salaries

According to a comparison of salaries generated from salary.com, it seems that IV Therapy Nurses earn more annually than basic care LPN's/LVN's and RN's. The average LPN/LVN salary in the United States is $50,380 as of October 30, 2019. The average Registered Nurse (RN), Level 1 salary in the United States is $62,850 as of October 30, 2019 and the average IV Therapy Nurse salary in the United States is $88,790 as of October 30, 2019. As you can see, the pay scale changes dramatically by being a specialized IV therapy nurse. Certification and/or licensing in the position's specialty is the main requirement, which is as simple as paying for an online course.

The benefits of obtaining IV certification are endless. I recommend every nurse become certified whether or not he/ she wishes to specialize as an infusion nurse. Nursing school was so long ago and the skills that were learned can easily be forgotten. Why not refresh your memory on a skill that is so commonly performed in the nursing profession? It will be one of the wisest career choices a nurse can make. I can attest to the benefits.

References

Intravenous Therapy

LPN IV Series: Legalities, Infection Control, Safe Injection and Documentation

4 Benefits of IV Therapy: A Guide for Nurses in Training

IV Certification: What Is It and How Do I Get It???

IV Therapy CEU Courses

What is CRNI®?

IV Certification for RNs

IV Therapy Nurse Salary in the United States

A Review of Current Practice in Transfusion Therapy