What can an LPN do, related to Intravenous/Infusion Therapy, in the state of Maine?
Any LPN wishing to practice Intravenous/Infusion Therapy in the state of Maine must go through and pass a Maine State Board of Nursing (MSBON) approved course. All information about this regulation is available at the Maine State Board of Nursing by simply clicking here: www.maine.gov/boardofnursing
Once you are there:
Click on Laws and Rules
Click on Chapter 10; Administration of Intravenous Therapy by Licensed Nurses
Chapter 10 spells out clearly the role of the LPN in the practice of
Intravenous/Infusion Therapy in Maine.
When did it become legal for LPNs to work with Central Vascular Access Devices?
The regulation was changed in 1999 to include central vascular access devices (CVAD) in the scope of practice of the properly certified LPN in the state of Maine. See the answer to question one for all the details.
As an LPN, do I have to take this course every place
that I go to work?
No. The courses are designed to prepare you to work at any Maine facility.
You will, however, have to prove competency, at each new facility, on the use of
their infusion equipment and infusion policies and procedures.
Where can I find one of these LPN IV Courses to attend?
Give me a call. I usually have at least one planned that I can fit you into.
If not, I’ll get you into the next one.
How do I become a Certified Registered Nurse in
Infusion Therapy (CRNI®)?
The Infusion Nurses Society (INS) has all the information on becoming a
CRNI®. Click here: www.ins1.org. On the INS Home Page there is a link to
"Certification". Go for it!
Where can I find the Infusion Nurses Society’s
Standards of Practice?
The 2011 INS Standards of Practice are available at the INS website.
Click here: www.ins1.org. On the INS Home Page there is a link to the
"Online Store". These Standards are what the practice of Infusion Therapy is held
to in a court of law. All policies and procedures should be based on these Standards. Get your own copy today!
What is "MST"?
MST
stands for "Modified Seldinger Technique". When a central
catheter is put into the vascular system over a wire, this is called
the Seldinger
Technique. We can’t easily place PICCs this way so a modified method was
developed. We use the wire to place the introducer, then remove the
wire and
proceed with the threading of the PICC. Special training, beyond Basic PICC
Insertion Training is necessary to be considered competent to perform MST.
How often should a nurse (RN or LPN)
prove
competency to perform Infusion Therapy?
The particulars of
"frequency of competency validation" will be set out by
each institution employing nurses who perform infusion therapy. JCAHO states
that every nurse performing infusion therapy will show competency on a
"regular"
basis.
Most
facilities tend to do competency validation of "basic" infusion
therapy
procedures every two years, with "high risk" procedures being
validated every year.
This
validation goes into the nurse’s file. Legal problems arise when it is
proven that a nurse has been performing infusion therapy skills without proper
validation in the file
What are the CDC Guidelines that I keep hearing about?
In 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a set
of infection control guidelines for dealing with infusion therapy catheters. It is
entitled: Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections.
These guidelines go hand-in-hand with the INS Standards of Practice.
To get your copy, simply click here: www.cdc.gov/mmwr. Type the above
title, in the MMWR Search Engine. Click on the title. You may read it on-line or
print it out.
How do I qualify to take a Basic PICC/Midline
Insertion
Training Course?
It is recommended that you:
• Show
documentation of 1600 hours of clinical practice
with Infusion Therapy
responsibilities during the previous
2 years.
• Show documentation of experience
with central vascular
access device
management.
