Sodium Bicarbonate IV Administration

[Mseenurse]

Hi, just wanna ask you guys, if sodium bicarbonate should be given by resident doctors or nurses? I have no problem giving sodium bicarbonate IV to my patients. there is this one female patient who is a diabetic, her doctor told us to give sodium bicarb 1 vial iv bolus because she was having a metabolic acidosis. I told one of my junior staff assigned to that patient to administer IV bolus, but she refused because according to her it should be given by a resident on duty. I reassured her that nurses can give IV sodium bicarb but she told me that I should give it since I was so sure about it. I 'm confused aren't we suppose to give sodium bicarb?

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

Did you copy and paste this from somewhere? Never mind, not important.

What does your facility/unit say about giving a bolus of sodium bicarb?

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

Look up "administration of sodium bicarb" on this site as the same question was asked and has some interesting stuff, but that was in 08'. Perhaps the nurse her/hisself was uncomfortable in administration of bicarb because her/his understanding of the drug is obviously bad, or it could be that your facility may have a policy about RNs and push meds.

[sistrmoon, BSN, RN]

I work on an Onc floor and we give them with Methotrexate protocol to raise urine ph.

[tarotale]

I have given tPA, etomidate, rocc/succ before when doctor handed it to me and said "push it" in his presence. sod bicarb is still bicarb no matter who gives it lol

[firstinfamily, RN]

I haven't given Na HCO3 in years, but definitely have given it in the past. It depends what your facility's protocol is on this medication. It is very caustic to skin tissue, so we would give it in a central line. If the nurse was uncomfortable in giving the medication, or unfamiliar with it, she does have the right to refuse to give it. Was this nurse a RN or LPN?

[Mseenurse]

Tnx guys for replying; really appreciated. I ask one of our supervisors theirs no policy/protocol that we shouldn't give sodium bicarb. I was just wondering why she said that I thought I was doing something wrong. I tend to respect other peoples opinions so I took what she said seriously and freak out :)

[Mseenurse]

Tnx, your right about her rights to refuse to give the medication, I was just worried that I was doing something wrong.

[Mseenurse]

RN; tnx your right about her rights to refuse to give the meds.

[dexm]

I'm not an expert, but I don't think I've ever heard of an MD being required to administer sodium bicarb instead of an RN. It might depend on the facility's policy. But sodium bicarb is also an ACLS drug, so I would say that RNs can definitely administer it.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Duplicate threads merged as per the Terms of service.

Yes nurses give Bicarb. Are you in the US? Did you mean one amp of bicarb? What do you mean by junior staff?

I am thinking that you are not in the US. It is difficult for us to answer for the practices overseas. I do not know what you mean by your junior staff...are you a charge nurse? Did you take the order? Who's patient is this? Yours or the "junior nurse".

Here in the US RN's give bicarbonate IV.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

We push it all the time. It's to buffer all those little H+ ions...actually I've never heard of an MD giving it.