Intravenous Therapy (IVT) Training has been part of a newly registered nurse’s list of essential training requirements since 1993. It’s a prerequisite before a nurse can actually get full-time employment or training from any local hospital. And because I’m still waiting in the balance for a job not yet confirmed, I signed up for a 4,000 worth of ANSAP-accredited IVT training (inclusive of the 3-day basic IVT training, 2-day completion duty, 1-day additional phlebotomy training, and the food during the training). I was shocked when I learned that the said training program would be held at hospitals located in Marikina and totally far from my place of residence. The fee was non-refundable so I have no choice but to withstand the backbreaking journey to these hospitals. For those of you who are wondering how on earth did I end up in Marikina, blame it on CHEERS. Although the phlebotomy training was a good bargain from CHEERS training centre, I never thought that they would refer us to a hospital which worked for my own disadvantage (from Bocaue, Bulacan to Marikina yun, kamusta naman di ba?!!).On the other hand, the three days I have spent in the training has been fulfilling and educational, so far. Plus, I will not be wasting my time waiting for the December 2011 IVT Trainings in certain hospitals. I’m glad that I have passed the 3-day basic IVT training. Although I haven’t heard of anyone who failed the training, it feels so good that I’m slowly gaining confidence performing IVT insertions and all the basic skills included on the program. I’m now endorsed for the 2-day completion duty on November 9-10 at another Marikina hospital which is the sister hospital of the previous one where our basic IVT training was held. I’m doing responsible journalism here so please bear with me if I’m not disclosing any hospital names.
IVT Training DAY 1: Hot and Boring!!!!
The venue was held at the 8th floor of the new building so I had to climb stairs and ride the elevator to get there. First impression was almost good; the place made me feel like I’m on a wedding reception or something except for the dysfunctional air-conditioner who turned the rest of the day a total struggle to escape from the sweltering heat. In addition to that, the program started so late and the food they served during the entire training was not that satisfying at all. We had some basic discussions about history of IVT, ANSAP, Anatomy, Drug Computations, BT, TPN, and the likes. These are boring topics but I managed to survive it by listening attentively and pretending that the air-con is working. We also took the pre-test and because I did my reading assignments beforehand, I thought I fared well.
Just a simple tip: do your part and read the basics in advance like the veins and arteries of the arms and hands, TPN, blood transfusion, the golden rules of drug administration, and other basic infos about the IVT.
For IVT General Information, go to this link:
http://ivthub.blogspot.com/2008/09/faq-on-ivt-training.html
For Basic IVT Procedures (which will help you for the practical exam or return demonstration on the 3rd day), go to this link:
http://ivthub.blogspot.com/
IVT Training DAY 2: Skills Demo….
I didn’t know what was wrong with the air-con but we were once again deprived of cool atmosphere during the second day. One of the preceptors told us that they are still fixing it and even reminded us that nurses are usually patient and tolerant so we have no choice but to continue learning while sweating (kamusta naman yun?!). We spent the first half of the day discussing the topics we missed during the previous day and another half by learning the 12 basic IVT Procedures as they were demonstrated one by one by our preceptors. These are the same procedures we were asked to perform during the last day to test our skills and knowledge. We also had our post-test which was totally the same with our pre-test so I thought that it was done for formality’s sake.
IVT Training DAY 3: The Painful Finale…
We were asked to come as early as 6:00 AM wearing our scrub suits and white uniforms. The program started early perhaps because Mrs. Elsa Castro, one of the big names of ANSAP, was there or the preceptors all want the event to be completed the earliest time possible. We were asked to perform the 12 basic IVT procedures one by one in front of a preceptor assigned to a specific procedure. It was nerve-wracking at first but I was able to complete all the 12 skills with few instances of memory lapses and stuttering. After completing the checklists for the 12 procedures, we were asked to find our partner for the one-on-one IVT insertion, the “culminating event” of the training.
Michelle, who was my partner during the phlebotomy training, was my victim for the second time around. She struggled a bit to puncture my vein but eventually got the technique. On the other hand, I was able to find her metacarpal vein and got an early backflow but I was very confused on what part of the catheter should I retract. I forgot that it’s the needle that I should retract so I ended up opening the needle cap and blood just flowed freely from my hands. I panicked for a while especially when my preceptor seemed to turn mad at me for doing something stupid but I was able to get the whole point easily and troubleshoot the problem with poise. It was a bit frustrating but experience is the best teacher. I’m excited for exposing myself more on hospital settings and hone my IVT skills.
The training experience was not perfect for me but it’s the learning experience that I have got that will matter at the end of the day. It’s more than needle pricking because you will learn and discover a lot from your colleagues, from the preceptors, and from yourself as well. It was challenging and fulfilling at the same time to know that I’m few steps away from starting my exciting nursing career. – Nars A. Ko
