Switching Specialties

[zoni56]

I have had the opportunity to have a little break from my specialty due to the recession and circumstances beyond my control. The majority of my 30 + years of nursing experience has been in Labor and Delivery and I am ready for a change. I have found that one of my strengths is IV/phlebotomy. I'm seriously considering changing my specialty and would appreciate some guidance. I currently live in Florida and need to remain here for another 4 years.

[accessqueen]

The only way to become a specialist is to get hired by someone who is willing to train you from scratch. These days most hospitals don't have IV teams anymore just for starting PIV's. What they do have is IV access teams that put in PICC lines, IV's do assessments, dg changes, etc. EVen if you're good at iv's learning the technique for putting in PICCs is a whole new skill set. What a lot of nurses do is go and get PICC certified, and then they get frustrated because they can't get precepted working independently. And you have to be careful right now because a lot of hospitals are eliminating or downsizing their PICC teams. So if you can get someone to hire you as a newbie and is willing to work with you, THEN get PICC certified, and you can train on the job.