RN's who cannot insert IV's being Fired???

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Hello! just wanna know if it is mandatory for all RN's to insert IV's? Because a fellow nurse who is more than well experienced and very skillful in other procedures and previously IV certified too who refused to do IV's was terminated. Nurse claims she developed phobia to it after a very bad experience with a patient. Can a person really be forced to do anything that she is not comfortable and has developed an aversion to it. Is it fair to the hospital and to the nurse? Thanks!

I too must admit that I am not the greatest stick in the world, fortunately I work in a facility that has an IV team but they are so busy most of the time that it takes them forever to get to the floor, so I suck it up and give her the old college try with only a 60% success rate. It seems its always the frequent fliers with no veins left that the IV blows on and they want their phenergan and demerol yesterday go figure. I just can't see being fired for my lack of IV skills when I am so blessed in other areas, ie: patient and the ever present families.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
I just can't see being fired for my lack of IV skills when I am so blessed in other areas, ie: patient and the ever present families.

You've misread the thread or didn't read it enough.

This thread isn't about being fired for not being good at IV starts.

It's about being fired for REFUSING to try to start them at all, when it's in your job description, and after the employer offered this person numerous chances to 'get back on the horse', so to speak.

This thread is about insubordination, not skill.

~faith,

Timothy.

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1. Not getting the IV's and then refusing the IV start is likely not the only reason she was "fired". In most facilities, there is some progression to this unless it is a BIG mistake that is made.

2. If there is a fear, perhaps she needs to see someone outside of the hospital to work through that issue. If the fear is preventing her from performing her job and she just can't get past it, this almost appears to be an anxiety that is a bit more complex and much bigger than the task of IV starts.

3. I really stink at IV's. I try my hardest 1 time and if I do not get it then I find someone else. I kick myself for not getting it but I never give up and say "I can't" but I also don't torture patients and stick them 4 or 5 times! There is something to be said for the person that tries but has enough self realization to say "I need someone more experienced than myself for the benefit of the patient".

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You've misread the thread or didn't read it enough.

This thread isn't about being fired for not being good at IV starts.

It's about being fired for REFUSING to try to start them at all, when it's in your job description, and after the employer offered this person numerous chances to 'get back on the horse', so to speak.

This thread is about insubordination, not skill.

~faith,

Timothy.

(emphasis mine)

:yeah: Someone who GETS IT! :yeah:

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Specializes in NICU, ER, OR.

well, the title of the thread hasd the word "cannot", not "wont", inferring that it IS a skill problem, not a willing to learn problem....

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Specializes in PACU, ED.
well, the title of the thread hasd the word "cannot", not "wont", inferring that it IS a skill problem, not a willing to learn problem....

The title of the thread was created by the person who started the thread. However, in their first posting, they said the nurse in question refused to start IVs due to a phobia from a bad experience. The title is misleading but if you read the first posting you'll see what we're discussing.

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We have a lot of nurses in our ward that doesn't do IV's for the reason that they are not happy to do it or because they didn't practice it for a long time.To think that they have higher position and earning more than me sometimes frustrating but then again they will never know the feeling of fullfilment that I feel if I inserted a venflon.

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I Was Not Taught Iv Skills In School. My First Job I Was Required To Do Iv Starts As I Was The Only Rn. Then I Went To The Er And My Biggest Fear Was Starting Iv's On Children. Well I Spent The Next Week Starting Every Peds Iv In The Dept. And Guess What I Really Was Good At It. Team Up With That Person You Think Is Top Notch With Those Iv Skills, Chances Are Thry Were Where You Are Now And Can Help You Get Those Skills Going.

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Hi there,

I think that's interesting to se the big difference in culture. here in the UK most nurses don't have to put up IVs, it's a skill they can learn, it's up to them. In the ED it's common skill, all the urses do IVs there, but on most of the gneral wards they don't, therefore they have to bleep or ask a doctor to do it if they need an IV line put up, but I think it would take so much pressure of the doctors and few nurses who can insert IVs. However, it should not be a reason to fire someone, I agree that s/he could do something for me instead, it all depends on the whole attitude, even if you insert IVs all the time but are not willing to work well in a team, that's much worse.

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Specializes in psych,emergency,telemetry,home health.

i had been a psychiatric nurse for more than 7 years in my country.when i went here in the us,my area was er.i thought i'm gonna die considering i don't have much experience with the medical area of nursing.people in er were very supportive.i learned most of the er stuff with their help like inserting iv's,ngts,catheters,accessing portacaths and other procedures.you will definitely learn if you're eager to,if people around you are supportive and of course,if you always do it.it feels good knowing that you now can do all those stuff.

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Specializes in aged -adolescent.

zashagalka and others even though this post is about iv's....

i guess people feel more comfortable with what they're good at. i find catheters reasonably easy. i once asked as a student if i could put in an ng tube. couldn't manage it, my preceptor couldn't manage it and the cm2 (charge nurse) needed two goes.

it was just because someone had a very bad deviated septum. as for iv's

i'd love to learn how to insert them but in my last prac the doctors usually insisted on doing them. i don't remember seeing any of the nurses attend to iv but perhaps they did after hours. firing someone because they can't seems harsh though.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Firing someone because they can't seems harsh though.

I agree and never said otherwise.

There are too many skills for nurses to have - and relative levels of being 'good' at or poor at such skills - to be fired over not being able to perform a 'skill' well. And, as someone said in this thread: nursing is much more than a 'skill set' and limiting our evaluations to how well we do 'skills' doesn't serve our interests as nurses.

But.

There's a world of difference between can't perform a job in your job description and WON'T perform. The OP was talking about a nurse that had a bad experience with starting an IV and refused to do that part of her job after that point. Her employer offered some remedial and she refused. Basically, she was 'dumping' an aspect of her job on her co-workers.

You want to ask me to do something for you and you for me? Fine. You demand that I do part of your job because it's unpleasant for you? NOT FINE. If this is the rule, I can think of SEVERAL unpleasant aspects of my job that I 'just can't do' anymore (see the thread on wiping butts).

If you refuse to do some part of your job description: it's time to find a job where that isn't in your job description. In any case, don't be surprised if your employer decides to replace you with somebody that will do the job they are paying to have done.

This isn't a thread about level of skill; it's a thread about insubordination.

~faith,

Timothy.

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