IV therapy course for nurses in Ontario
An IV therapy course for nurses in Ontario, and for NPs and physicians: vitamin drips and infusion, plus B12 and lipotropic intramuscular injections. Here the map moves to the forearm: the veins, the access, and the client you watch while the drip runs.
6Off the face - In clinicTheory, then supervised hands-on
- 3 students maxVery small groups
- Live modelsEach assessed by an NP or physician
- DatesAsk admissions. All dates
- PriceAdmissions gives the price
One arm. Five modules.
Mark 6 is the only one off the face, so the course maps the arm instead. You learn each module in class first, map it on a live model in clinic, then do it under supervision.
- 6Off the face The arm Reading the forearm and the inner elbow: which veins you can see and feel, which you choose, and which you leave alone. You draw the veins before you touch the client. Respect: The inner elbow. An artery and a nerve run close beside the veins there, so you learn where they lie before you choose a site.
- 6Off the face Access Respect: Asepsis. The line goes straight into the bloodstream, so the clean field and the order of steps come before speed.
- 6Off the face Infusion and monitoring Checking the order against the bag, setting the rate, and watching the client for the whole drip: the site, how they feel, and when you stop. You chart what went in, when, and how the client did. Respect: The site, every few minutes. Swelling or pain at the site means you stop and check before anything else.
- 6Off the face B12 and lipotropic injections Respect: The nerve near each site. You landmark the muscle so the needle stays clear of the nerve that runs nearby.
- !Red lines The red lines A reaction during a drip, a fainting client, a line that has slipped out of the vein: what you see first, the emergency kit in the room, and what you do, in order. Practised before your first model, not after. The full day is Complications. Why it's a module: Every course on the map teaches its own red lines. On the arm, they start the moment the drip does.
Your clinic days
Step 1AssessAn NP or physician assesses every live model first.
Step 2MapYou mark landmarks and vessels. Your trainer checks it.
Step 3TreatYou inject under supervision, 3 students at most.
Dates
- DatesAsk admissions.All dates
Admissions gives the next date for this course. After this: Dates
Questions first? Read the course FAQ or see admissions.
Before you book
Who it's for, what you leave with, and what nurses ask.
Who can take it
Check your licence on the Can I train? list.
What you leave with
A certificate of completion. It records the course you took and the training you finished. Permission to start an IV or give an injection comes from your licence and, for RNs and RPNs, an order from an NP or physician.
Can an RPN start an IV for a vitamin drip in Ontario?
Yes, with an order from an NP or physician. Nurses may start an IV without an order only in narrow situations where a client needs urgent care, and an elective vitamin drip is not one of them.
Can a naturopathic doctor write the order for my drips?
No. For an RN or RPN to start an IV, the order has to come from a physician, NP or another provider CNO lists, and naturopathic doctors are not on that list.
I'm an ND. Does this course get me IV authorization?
No. NDs need the CONO-approved IV course and the CONO exam before they can practise IV therapy. This course adds hands-on practice on the arm but doesn't replace either, and you treat live models here only once you hold CONO authorization for IV practice.
Are the B12 and lipotropic injections part of the same course?
Yes. They're intramuscular injections, so they come after the IV modules, with their own landmarks and charting.
Who are the models?
People who want the treatment. Each one is assessed by an NP or physician, who decides whether treatment is right for them and writes the order.
Is there anything on the face in this course?
No. Mark 6 is off the face. If you want the face, start with Foundations.
Get the one-page order check: what a client-specific order should contain, and the questions to ask before every injection.
Your checklist is ready.
Download it, print it, and keep it by the chair.
Next on the map
Learn in a small group. Practice with guidance. Grow with ongoing support.