Are you exploring an infusion nursing career? IV infusion nurses practice infusion therapy, administering intravenous fluids and medications. Their job titles may include IV nurse, IV therapy nurse, chemotherapy infusion nurse, and oncology infusion nurse.
Benefits of the profession include flexibility and the ability to work in a variety of settings, including home healthcare, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and private practice.
IV Infusion Nurse Career Summary
IV infusion nurses work as part of collaborative teams of healthcare professionals providing treatment that must be administered by intravenous methods. They provide IV infusions to patient populations across all age groups with a focus on improving patient outcomes.
Key Skills and Responsibilities
- Coordinating and administering therapeutic IV treatments and infusions
- Developing care plans
- Educating patients and caregivers
- Managing complications with infusion therapies
- Monitoring patient responses to treatment
- Performing patient assessments
- Reviewing lab reports and drug information
Career Traits
- Advocacy
- Collaboration
- Leadership
- Resourcefulness
Where Do IV Infusion Nurses Work?
Workplace settings for IV infusion nurses include outpatient pharmacies and surgical centers, infusion centers, and patient homes, along with specialty clinics and hospital units.
Home Infusion Nurse Home infusion nurses enjoy flexible schedules and travel to clients' homes to perform patient assessments, develop care plans, and administer one-on-one infusion therapy.
Oncology Infusion Nurse Administering IV treatment to cancer patients in inpatient and outpatient settings, oncology infusion nurses review lab results and assess patients, follow chemotherapy and other applicable infusion protocols, and collaborate with patients' healthcare teams.
Clinical Trials Infusion Nurse These professionals provide case management of patients participating in clinical trials, administering drug infusions, monitoring patient responses, and communicating with the principal investigator of the study. Travel may be involved in this work.
Why Become an IV Infusion Nurse?
Like any career, IV infusion nursing work comes with benefits and drawbacks. For this profession however, the pros seem to outweigh the cons.
Advantages to Becoming an IV Infusion Nurse
Disadvantages to Becoming an IV Infusion Nurse
How to Become an IV Infusion Nurse
Becoming an IV infusion nurse involves four steps: earning a nursing degree, obtaining an RN license, logging work experience, and pursuing certification.
How Much Do IV Infusion Nurses Make?
PayScale lists the average annual salary for IV infusion nurses as $71,565. However, readers should be advised that only a low number of infusion nurses reported salaries.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that RNs in general earn a median annual salary of $93,600.
Infusion nurse salaries can vary according to geographical location, certification, education level, and work setting. For example, California RNs earn the highest salaries nationwide and travel infusion nurses may make more than other categories of infusion nurses.
Frequently Asked Questions About IV Infusion Nurses
Reviewed by:
