Worried About I.v.'s

Nurses General Nursing

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ktwlpn, LPN

3,844 Posts

Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Originally posted by Jay-Jay

This is scary!! In Ontario, RPN's (registered practical nurses) are allowed to give hydration therapy. When I was last in for surgery, the RPN was running the IV at 125 an hour. She did have orders to decrease it to KVO when/if I was drinking and peeing well. I had to BEG her to decrease it as I was going into fluid overload (borderline hypertensive, AND losing control of my overloaded bladder!) I think an RN would have had the judgement skills to have reduced it WITHOUT being asked.

RPN's/LVN's giving IV meds, esp. IV push meds?? Scares the daylights out of me!! :o

I would hate to see this thread turning into THAT debate so I'll just say-I have worked with several NURSES whom were seriously lacking in common sense....

ktwlpn, LPN

3,844 Posts

Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Originally posted by Jay-Jay

This is scary!! In Ontario, RPN's (registered practical nurses) are allowed to give hydration therapy. When I was last in for surgery, the RPN was running the IV at 125 an hour. She did have orders to decrease it to KVO when/if I was drinking and peeing well. I had to BEG her to decrease it as I was going into fluid overload (borderline hypertensive, AND losing control of my overloaded bladder!) I think an RN would have had the judgement skills to have reduced it WITHOUT being asked.

RPN's/LVN's giving IV meds, esp. IV push meds?? Scares the daylights out of me!! :o

I would hate to see this thread turning into THAT debate so I'll just say-I have worked with several NURSES whom were seriously lacking in common sense....

sueb

30 Posts

I don't necessesarily think that an RN, just because he/she has those initials, would have know to slow down the I.V. Every LPN that I know has to go through an IV course just like the RNs do. Where I live IV Therapy is not a part of the RN education, it is taught by the facility the nurse works at.I know RNs who cannot touch an IV because they are not certified. RN or LPN, I think IV therapy is a skill that can and should be taught to both.

sueb

30 Posts

I don't necessesarily think that an RN, just because he/she has those initials, would have know to slow down the I.V. Every LPN that I know has to go through an IV course just like the RNs do. Where I live IV Therapy is not a part of the RN education, it is taught by the facility the nurse works at.I know RNs who cannot touch an IV because they are not certified. RN or LPN, I think IV therapy is a skill that can and should be taught to both.

MishlB

406 Posts

I don't think you are giving enough credit to LPN's. Obviously training will be required...doesn't scare me at all. Don't want to debate RN vs LPN...

MishlB

406 Posts

I don't think you are giving enough credit to LPN's. Obviously training will be required...doesn't scare me at all. Don't want to debate RN vs LPN...

nurse2002

147 Posts

Originally posted by Jay-Jay

This is scary!! In Ontario, RPN's (registered practical nurses) are allowed to give hydration therapy. When I was last in for surgery, the RPN was running the IV at 125 an hour. She did have orders to decrease it to KVO when/if I was drinking and peeing well. I had to BEG her to decrease it as I was going into fluid overload (borderline hypertensive, AND losing control of my overloaded bladder!) I think an RN would have had the judgement skills to have reduced it WITHOUT being asked.

RPN's/LVN's giving IV meds, esp. IV push meds?? Scares the daylights out of me!! :o

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

nurse2002

147 Posts

Originally posted by Jay-Jay

This is scary!! In Ontario, RPN's (registered practical nurses) are allowed to give hydration therapy. When I was last in for surgery, the RPN was running the IV at 125 an hour. She did have orders to decrease it to KVO when/if I was drinking and peeing well. I had to BEG her to decrease it as I was going into fluid overload (borderline hypertensive, AND losing control of my overloaded bladder!) I think an RN would have had the judgement skills to have reduced it WITHOUT being asked.

RPN's/LVN's giving IV meds, esp. IV push meds?? Scares the daylights out of me!! :o

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

nurse2002

147 Posts

Originally posted by Jay-Jay

This is scary!! In Ontario, RPN's (registered practical nurses) are allowed to give hydration therapy. When I was last in for surgery, the RPN was running the IV at 125 an hour. She did have orders to decrease it to KVO when/if I was drinking and peeing well. I had to BEG her to decrease it as I was going into fluid overload (borderline hypertensive, AND losing control of my overloaded bladder!) I think an RN would have had the judgement skills to have reduced it WITHOUT being asked.

RPN's/LVN's giving IV meds, esp. IV push meds?? Scares the daylights out of me!! :o

Sorry, but being a nurse, a lpn, if I even thought I was hypertensive an in fluid overload and the nurse would not kvo me, I would do it myself.

nurse2002

147 Posts

Originally posted by Jay-Jay

This is scary!! In Ontario, RPN's (registered practical nurses) are allowed to give hydration therapy. When I was last in for surgery, the RPN was running the IV at 125 an hour. She did have orders to decrease it to KVO when/if I was drinking and peeing well. I had to BEG her to decrease it as I was going into fluid overload (borderline hypertensive, AND losing control of my overloaded bladder!) I think an RN would have had the judgement skills to have reduced it WITHOUT being asked.

RPN's/LVN's giving IV meds, esp. IV push meds?? Scares the daylights out of me!! :o

Sorry, but being a nurse, a lpn, if I even thought I was hypertensive an in fluid overload and the nurse would not kvo me, I would do it myself.

cokie

113 Posts

back to the argument that there is much much more to i.v. therapy than there is to being i.v. certified. i.v. certification means that one observes proper technique when starting an i.v. line. running i.v. meds is another story. as far as teaching someone the skill of running i.v. meds, ok, start with pharmo, then take micro, a and p, then and only then do i truly believe that one can have the big picture.....also, study the effects of drugs on the renal system, and the liver....oh my, does this sound like the r.n. curriculum,,,,,bingo.....like i said, it's a lot more than just programming the pump. as far as pt. doing their own i.v. therapy, no guess work there...doctor orders the meds..they hang them. in our area an rn comes by once a day to check the site.

cokie

113 Posts

back to the argument that there is much much more to i.v. therapy than there is to being i.v. certified. i.v. certification means that one observes proper technique when starting an i.v. line. running i.v. meds is another story. as far as teaching someone the skill of running i.v. meds, ok, start with pharmo, then take micro, a and p, then and only then do i truly believe that one can have the big picture.....also, study the effects of drugs on the renal system, and the liver....oh my, does this sound like the r.n. curriculum,,,,,bingo.....like i said, it's a lot more than just programming the pump. as far as pt. doing their own i.v. therapy, no guess work there...doctor orders the meds..they hang them. in our area an rn comes by once a day to check the site.

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