Foundations of IV Therapy Practice

This unit introduces fundamental principles, legal frameworks, and core technologies of intravenous (IV) therapy, covering indications, equipment, infection control, and basics of IV medications, blood components, and chemotherapy. It prepares students to perform safe, compliant IV procedures in simulated clinical scenarios and to progress to advanced clinical and pharmacologic competencies in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the purpose, indications, and patient-centered goals of IV therapy across common care settings and relate these to clinical decision-making and care planning
• Evaluate Texas legal, ethical, and regulatory requirements governing IV therapy practice and apply compliant documentation, consent, and scope-of-practice decisions
• Demonstrate correct identification, setup, and safe handling of common IV equipment and supplies (catheters, IV sets, infusion pumps) and implement standard infection-control and complication-prevention techniques in simulation
• Apply pharmacologic principles, dose calculation, compatibility checks, and monitoring protocols for IV medications, blood components, and basic chemotherapeutic agents, including recognition and initial management of adverse reactions