Bloodwork, IV's etc.

[Intotheblue12]

Just curious. Do Physician Assistants get trained to take blood and give IV's etc? If you are working in a family medicine office under a physician these tasks are usually outsourced but I am just curious to know whether it is a part of the curriculum and a part of the daily life of being a PA.

[maritimer]

Just curious. Do Physician Assistants get trained to take blood and give IV's etc? If you are working in a family medicine office under a physician these tasks are usually outsourced but I am just curious to know whether it is a part of the curriculum and a part of the daily life of being a PA.

 

That's a good question. I have yet to see a PA on my rotations take blood or start IVs, it is usually the Nurses, or the nursing students supervised by the Nurse. The PA or doc writes the order to do so. I don't think it is part of the daily life of a PA, although I could be wrong. I'm still a student-I only speak from what I've seen during rotations and my experience in the clinical setting.

 

We have one skills lab during first year learning to start IVs, but besides that the rest of our skill labs focus on foleys, central lines, lumbar punctures, ABGs, chest tubes, intubation, suturing, casting, etc. I can tell you as a student I haven't taken blood (besides an ABG) or started IVs yet, but I have yet to do my FM rotation, and think I will ask to do so just for the heck of it and to know how incase I need to.

[hexonu]

You'll probably learn the skill, but it's nursings domain.

[A-Stark]

I don't think there are many (or any) contexts where PAs will be inserting peripheral IVs. Outside the OR, physicians hardly ever do it either. Usually you'd get that experience on an anesthesia rotation, but there are some centres (Hamilton Health Sciences hospitals, for example) where IVs are done in pre-op by nurses.