Intravenous therapy nurses are also known as infusion nurses. They are high in demand in the nursing field because of their particular job function. They are responsible for administering IV’s to patients that need intravenous therapy of some sort.

What Is Intravenous Therapy Nursing?

This could be blood transfusions, investigational drugs, medications, parenteral nutrition, or antineoplastic agents. Their patients normally range in age and conditions and can come from home, hospice care, be chronically ill, or elderly. This is one type of nursing specialty that needs extra nursing education in order to fulfill the job requirements. Not only that, but knowing more about the specialized part of nursing can provide you with what you need in order to make the most of your profession and provide the best specialized care for the life of your patients.

What Is The Average Salary For An Intravenous Therapy Nurse?

The average median annual salary for an intravenous therapy nurse is anywhere from $57,000 to $62,000 depending on the area that the nurse works in and the training and qualifications that they possess. Not only that, but the more years that the nurse has, the more money they can actually make. Also, intravenous therapy nurses can have benefits from their job. They are able to get health insurance coverage, 401 K plans, and even paid time off. This allows the nurse to have perks along with the job that they specialize in. With the proper nursing education the nurse will be able to qualify for a better position as an intravenous therapy nurse within many different medical care settings.

What Is The Daily Routine For An Intravenous Therapy Nurse?

This type of nursing specialty is highly in demand in the home setting of patients. They are responsible for a wide variety of roles that include, but are not limited to: overseeing pain management with medications that can be distributed through an IV, education for the patient and their family, research and documentation on the patient and their condition. Some of the roles that the intravenous therapy nurse has to do for the patient include: punctures in the venous and arterial areas, maintaining IV tubing, dressings for the IV site, and other types of IV care, monitoring the area and the body for any infections that might occur, assessing the patient during each and every treatment, and initiating any therapies in an emergency setting if needed. There are other tasks that the IV therapy nurse might be asked to do depending on the healthcare setting that they are working in. This could be anything that includes the normal, general nursing tasks.

What Is An Intravenous Therapy Nursing Work Environment?

IV nursing can be practiced in almost all areas of the health care field. They practice within the traditional hospital setting, and can also be found within alternate care settings. For example: clinics that offer chemotherapy, the patient’s home, and even infusion centers through ambulatory care facilities. A lot of times the nurse has to work one on one with a patient alone in a home setting which means that they have to ensure that they have the proper bedside manner. They also have to possess the necessary skills to work with a team of medical professionals when working with anyone in the medical field when in a hospital or facility setting. The work environment all depends on the position that the IV therapy nurse takes, and the setting that they are ultimately in. Each healthcare setting is going to be different because of the many different places that IV nurses are needed. Working with family members is essential when in a patient’s home environment.

What Are The Educational Requirements For An Intravenous Therapy Nurse?

There are many nurses that are qualified to administer fluids and medications through an IV. Some nurses that are not specialized in intravenous therapy are given the task to administer these IV fluids and medications. Other nurses do not possess this skill however. The educational requirements that the nurse must have in order to administer these IVs can be debated however. When in a setting where intravenous therapy nurses work within a specialized team they must be highly capable and experienced as a nurse. The boards in certain states for nursing and medical institutions are the ones that determine the job requirements for this type of nursing specialization. To become an IV therapy nurse, you have to have a RN license, but can have an associates, bachelors, or masters degree in nursing in order to do this specialty. Nurses that have a master degree and many years of experience in this type of nursing specialty can also serve as teachers to those nurses that are new to the field.

What Additional Skills Are Needed For Intravenous Therapy Nursing?

There are actually nine different areas that are considered big keys in IV therapy nursing when it comes to the skills that they have to possess. These areas include: infection control, pharmacology, fluid and electrolyte balance, clinical application, antineoplastic therapy, pediatrics, parenteral nutrition, transfusion therapy, and even quality assurance. These types of nurses also need to keep up through courses and other nursing programs that will keep them updated on any and all new information that they might need to know to perform their job, and make sure they know more about any new high tech equipment advances that might be used.

Nursing programs are out there to help the general nurse specialize in intravenous therapy nursing. Not only that, but the nurse can learn specialized skills that provide them with the extra knowledge needed to administer and become a professional in IV therapy nursing through continued nursing education. There are a number of nursing schools in your area that can take you on, and show you exactly what you need to learn to become a professional in this type of nursing occupation. You can learn more about becoming an intravenous therapy nurse in the ever expanding field of nursing through extra resources provided through the internet.

• Infusion Nurses Society
• Licensed Practical Nurse Intravenous Therapy Scope of Practice
• Intravenous Therapy Study Guide
• Learning about IV Therapy
• IV Therapy
• Initiating Intravenous Therapy Checklist