Intravenous Nursing / Infusion Nursing
Nurses working in this area are often go by the title intravenous nurse or infusion nurse, this type of nursing is about providing care by administering medication, fluids, nutrition, or blood through injections or arterial catheters. Infusion therapy has become highly specialized. It involves monitoring patients, maintaining tubing, and careful surveillance, watching for any potential complications or adverse reactions. Infusion nurses have knowledge of infection control, pharmacology, and specialized skills administering IVs.
Infusion nurses can work in a variety of healthcare settings where nursing care is present, such as hospitals, clinics, home care or private practices. However while infusion therapy is used in most hospital patients, it is no longer confined to the hospital and is practiced often in long-term and residential care facilities as well as home health agencies.
How to Become an Infusion Nurse
If you are already a registered nurse (RN) and seeking a career in the infusion nursing specialty, you could pursue Infusion nurse certification/IV Certification and/or seek an entry-level job in infusion nursing. Employers of infusion nurses like previous work experience in the areas of Med Surg. nursing and Telemetry nursing where nurses learn maintenance and insertion of PICC lines, chemotherapy administration as well as IV insertion skills.
If you are still at the considering nursing phase, consider focusing on a specialty and taking pertinent courses while you earn your RN degree. Nursing is becoming more and more specialized, and nurses who focus on a certain area are in more demand and will enjoy more career options and job security. The path toward becoming an RN is varied. You can earn a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing from a four-year college or university. This is your best bet for a competitive salary and higher job prospects. Earning your Associate Degree of Science in Nursing from a community college is also a valid option, and can also be later transferred to a four-year institution if you choose to pursue a bachelor’s degree. A nursing diploma from a hospital nursing program is also an option for you. Once you complete your education, you only have to successfully pass your state’s board of nursing licensing exam (NCLEX) and you will be ready to practice as a licensed, registered nurse.
Infusion nursing certification through the Infusion Nursing Certification Corporation will help make you more competitive and demonstrate your knowledge and dedication to your job. You can take the exam to become a certified registered nurse infusion (CRNI) and will have to recertify every three years.
According to simplyhired.com, the average salary for an intravenous nurse is $51,000. This can vary greatly based on experience, education, employer, and geographic location. The Journal of Infusion Nursing and the Infusion Nurses Society could prove to be excellent professional resources as you begin this career to network and keep abreast of current news and developments in the field. Professional societies are great for networking, continuing education opportunities, and even learning more about the career, if it is one you are interested in. The outlook for nursing is outstanding, so find the best educational path toward the specialty that suits you, as all indicators support that the field of nursing will continue to grow.
(Sources: Infusion Nurses Society, Certified Registered Nurse Infusion (CRNI) Test Review)