The month of September always brings to mind a return to school. New outfits anticipating the new year and crisp white pages stacked neatly in binders, ready to receive hurried notes and idle doodles. Breathless recaps of a summer vacation gone too fast, with only a fading tan and a few freckles as corroborating evidence. The smell of lush grass and the fading summer sun mixed with the earthy scents of textbooks and freshly sharpened pencils. The phrase back to school imprints itself into a person's mind uniquely; even as that person passes through gate after gate in pursuit of ever-higher education, and even after they're old enough to look back fondly on their own child's return to the classroom, their personal recollection of those days might still burn brighter.
For those of us whose answer to the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" was and always will be, "a nurse!" our education never stops; continuous learning is the bedrock of our entire profession. For the CRNI(R)s (and those striving to become a CRNI(R)), finding infusion-specific education in the first place can be an achievement; at best, there is minimal coverage of infusion therapy during nursing school. And when nurses graduate, they often find limited resources in clinical practice that could help them confidently and correctly perform infusion therapy.
Fortunately, nurses today don't need to search high and low for specialty education. They don't even need to experience the first-day jitters that come with physically stepping into a new classroom and surveying the space for an empty seat-the Infusion Nurses Society (INS) classroom goes beyond brick and mortar, with our virtual learning center. The INS LEARNING CENTER features a vast menu of educational offerings that empower learners to create their own learning pathways. Podcasts, conference sessions, clinical community discussions, and live, on-demand webinars accommodate any schedule. This array of subjects is relevant to every care setting and of interest to health care professionals in just about every specialty. Best of all, users are able to obtain all 40 recertification units online.
As INS continues to grow its catalog of digital learning tools for the modern nurse, this fall will see its greatest infusion of new material since it went online: the Fundamentals of Infusion Therapy (FIT). FIT is an online program designed with motion graphics, videos, and clinical scenarios that challenge the learner with activities that simulate real-life experiences. It is packed with clinical resources and is based on INS' Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. FIT encompasses 8 learning modules:
* Safe infusion therapy practice
* Assessment of patient physiology and anatomy to determine correct device selection
* Proper preparation, insertion, and securement of short peripheral catheters
* Care and management of devices
* Calculation and administration of various medications
* Correct removal of short peripheral, midline, and peripherally inserted central catheters
* Identification and resolution of complications
* A comprehensive final challenge
At the conclusion of all the learning modules, a course evaluation will occur. The learner will then be awarded nursing contact hours and will receive a certificate of completion. Each module is based on a particular scenario and is designed to be interactive. Nurses new to the practice of infusion therapy will gain vital clinical experience that is traditionally difficult to come by in nursing school and on the job; experienced nurses can gain a vital refresher and possibly discover gaps in their practice.
So as tomorrow's nurses are sitting down right now to their first class in nursing school, or discussing career paths with a guidance counselor, or even trying to master their ABCs, take a moment to reflect on the educative journey that led you to where you are right now, reading these words in a publication dedicated to advancing a field that you've decided to become a part of; you're all grown up-are you the nurse you've always wanted to be? The INS LEARNING CENTER is here to help you answer "yes."
Mary Alexander