Danger Archives - Sharon M Weinstein

I began my infusion nursing career in the emergency department at University Hospital, Tamarac, FL. I was working with an arrogant (imagine that) physician when a patient entered our facility with chest pain. He asked me to start an IV, and I had never done an infusion. I had come from an academic environment in which nurses monitored the lines that were placed by members of the medical staff. Dr. J told me, “Any fool can do it…just read the label.” Well, I read the label and the policy/procedure, and I did it. imagesixi8m4sf

As a matter of fact, I did it with such ease that I decided that I had indeed identified my niche within nursing. But, if I was to be an infusion nurse, I needed to know more. So I found a book entitled Plumer’s Principles and Practice of Intravenous Therapy, and I purchased that book and carefully read it from beginning to end. I was lucky to have a mentor; he was a PharmD who aligned me with an anesthesia group for specialized training. The rest is history. Four years later, I was the president-elect of our professional society and the author of the ongoing chapters of Plumer. So who was ‘Plumer?’ The name Ada Plumer is synonymous with infusion therapy. A leader, pacesetter, and co-founder of the professional society, Plumer set the tone for our professional practice, served as a mentor to many nurses, and encouraged excellence in the delivery of intravenous nursing care. Ms. Plumer wrote, “In spite of the increasing use and importance of parenteral therapy, little training is required of the average therapist to carry it out. It is considered sufficient by some that the therapist is able to perform a venipuncture. This does not contribute to the optimal care of the patient whose prognosis depends on quality intravenous therapy. The purpose of this book is to present a source of practical information essential to safe and successful therapy.” Ada Plumer was a visionary; little could she know that the knowledge base would expand to such a critical level and that infusion nurses would advance from novice to expert, continuing to educate nurses through their findings, their practices, and their research.

1914592_10205063511502045_5956789356282388030_n From my first entry into this rapidly changing field to today, I have used Plumer’s book as a reference, a guide, and a bible for professional practice. Plumer’s retains its position today as the only complete source of information available to the practicing clinician, student, and educator. The growth of our practice is likewise a result of her initial efforts; we remember her with great respect. She set the standard and raised the bar! I was privileged to be chosen as the author of the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th editions. Plumer’s is still in the title, but it is by Sharon M. Weinstein. What an honor to have earned my place in infusion therapy history, simply because I read the label, the procedure, and purchased the book. That opened the door to opportunity…to lead infusion teams nationwide, and to serve the professional society as national president and chair of the certification corporation. The rest is indeed history…

I’ve come a long way since that day back in Tamarac, FL, because I started the IV on the patient in room C.

As a professional speaker, I have the privilege of sharing many stories with my audiences. As a speaker, I have struggled with content…with how to make my point and generate an emotion, a reaction, to tug at the heart and to influence the mind. Many of my stories are based on my nursing platform! Think about it – with years of nursing in a diversity of settings and countries, I have some unique stories to share. I reflect on my early nursing career and the situations I faced; I also reflect on my responses. In the early 70’s, I was working at a historic hospital that was founded in 1751 by none other than Benjamin Franklin. I was told that Franklin had to be secretary of the hospital rather than president because he was not a wealthy man. I never knew how true that story was, nor did I ever question it.

My position was in the Emergency Room (now euphemistically known as the Emergency Department), and I worked nights because the money was better! The hospital was truly historic, and the ER had its own special history, some of which would make the popular TV show, “Scandal” look mild. For example, the back stairs to the ER had seen lots of action, and not from patients. Our ER functioned like a fine-tuned machine, and our services even included de-licing prior to admission to one of the wards. Our patients were regulars, and we kept file cards (not computer records) on each of the regulars, many of whom stopped by for drugs, and I don’t mean drugs for the heart, blood pressure, or infection, although we did see lots of STDs. Our lay-out was not unlike the Florence Nightingale design of years ago, and our medication room, self-contained, had a transom window, solid wood door, and a lock that opened with what looked like a skeleton key. One night, mid-shift in the knife and gun club, I was confronted by a gun-wielding man who demanded “the drugs.” The lone security guard in the ER had taken a break, and the physician and resident were both napping (an advantage of working nights). I found myself alone with the armed man and I needed to act quickly. Customer-service oriented, I promptly led him to the rear of the ER where the medication room was located and allowed him to peruse the inventory. He was so involved in the process that he never noticed when I left the room, slamming the door behind me and locking him inside with that trusty skeleton key. Shots were fired through the door, marring the beautiful wood finish. Philadelphia’s finest were called to the rescue and escorted our would-be patient into the paddy-wagon. No-one was harmed during this mild break in a night’s routine. We finished the shift by providing great care to those in need, de-licing along the way, and band-aiding the damaged door! And, I had a new storyline.

Can you start an IV on the patient in room C?

The storyline…”Give me the drugs.”

To start the process: