Infusion nurses give medication, blood transfusions, and fluids to patients, and may catheterize patients and check for side effects. A nursing degree is required, and good grades and references are important. Certification is optional. Infusion nurses can work in various settings and may pursue higher education.
Infusion nurses observe patients, medicate patients, give blood transfusions, and supply fluids to patients as needed. The work may also include catheterizing patients, healing patients’ wounds, or checking that the patient is not experiencing side effects from medications. If you want to become an infusion nurse, you will usually need a college degree.
It is necessary to obtain a college degree in nursing if you want to become an infusion nurse. The nursing degree will include courses such as anatomy, health assessments, patient well-being, microbiology, and instruction on how to administer infusions. The nursing internship course is also often included as part of the course.
When working on your nursing degree, it can be helpful to get excellent grades and good references from your professors, as a high grade point average (GPA) and good references are things prospective employers want to see. Getting good references from nursing internship supervisors is also important if you want to become an infusion nurse. Performing well on the internship means that you are able to readily transfer the knowledge you learn in the classroom into nursing practice at work, and this is very important if you want to perform well as a nurse at work after college.
During your final semester of college, you’ll typically start looking for a nursing job. The career services office at your college will usually be able to help you with your job search. Also, doing a job search online can be helpful if you want to become an infusion nurse.
Your first year on the job will typically expand on what you learned about infusions in college. You will have a lot of experience administering infusions. Other learning topics include patient nutrition, how to control infection, and how to work with the medical machines patients need.
Certification is not required if you want to become an infusion nurse; however, certification can be helpful. For example, you can obtain a certificate in infusion nursing through the Infusion Nurse Certification Corporation (INCC). To earn this certificate, you must achieve two years of experience and pass an exam designed to assess your knowledge of infusion nursing.
As an infusion nurse, you can work in a variety of situations such as community clinics, home health care, nursing homes or hospitals. Also, after working as an infusion nurse for a few years, you may choose to go back to school to earn a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in nursing if you are interested in higher education. Or, you can earn a Master of Nursing (MSN) degree, which will allow you to hold administrative positions in hospitals or nursing homes.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
