The League of Intravenous Nurses is “dedicated to providing support and knowledge to the healthcare community in vascular access and infusion therapy through education, current resources and networking”. The organization plans to accomplish this mission by:
- “Promoting and providing professional opportunities through scholarly activity, networking and educational seminars.
- Establishing guidelines that promote safe, efficient and cost-effective intravenous therapy in a multitude of care settings”
It is an undisputed fact that the health care field is constantly undergoing numerous changes due to advances in technology as well as in large part due to a number of changing perceptions related to what people expect from health care. In the ever-changing healthcare field it is critical that the demand for continuing education be filled by professional organizations with the best interests of the health care system at heart. The League of Intravenous Nurses is one such organization as it provides a number of continuing education opportunities to its members. The League of Intravenous Nurses is a national education association that functions across the United States. The specific areas of health care on which this organization has a strong focus are:
- Infusion therapy
- Vascular access
- Home care
- Oncology
- Acute care
- Extended care
There are a number of different mediums through which the League of Intravenous Nurses offers access to education and training opportunities for its members. TO begin with it offers a number of educational seminars for health care professionals. In addition to this the organization provides support to personnel and students and also promotes professional opportunities through scholarly activities, networking and research activities. The League of Intravenous Nurses works to establish guidelines that promote safe, efficient and cost effective intravenous therapy in a multitude of care settings.
Membership Benefits
For a fee of $65 you can become an active member of the League of Intravenous Nurses. The following benefits will then become available to you:
- Continuing education such as that offered by the League of Intravenous Nurses can be extremely expensive. This is why the league has chosen to offer special member pricing for the educational classes and events that is provides throughout the year. Only members of the actual association will have access to these discount structures.
- In addition to that you will be provided with a great deal of information regarding legislation in the filed of nursing as the league aims to provide you with Board of Nursing and other legislative updates on a consistent and timely basis.
- The league runs an Annual Educational Conference which exists specifically in order to ensure that nurses in this line of work are given a chance to network and improve their knowledge in the field. Members of the League of Intravenous Nurses will receive special prices in order to attend this conference.
- Staying up to date with the latest news and developments in this line of work is extremely important when it comes to maintaining an excellent level of care and making the profession look good. As a result the league provides a quarterly electronic newsletter on intravenous therapy to augment your knowledge on the matter.
- Advocacy is an important part of the league’s mission, which is why all nurses that are members of the league are given the opportunity to have a collective voice on issues important to the profession of nursing in general and intravenous therapy in particular.
- It has long been acknowledges that one of the best ways to further your career is by networking with other professionals who function in the same field as you do. The League of Intravenous Nurses provides a number of networking opportunities for its members.
- Because there are so many ways in which your knowledge and skills can be advanced through your membership with the organization, you will be able to make yourself more valuable to your current employer and more attractive to any future employers with whom you may apply for a job.
- You will receive free subscription to the League of Intravenous Nurses quarterly newsletter if you decide to become a member which will provide you with invaluable information about the profession.
- Perhaps one of the most important advantages of belonging to this group is the fact that you will be provided with the ability to share views on IV therapy issues at meetings. Not only will you be able to share your views, but your view may also be acted on.
- Furthering your education is an essential aspect of modern life as technological changes make any profession a constant learning experience. The League of Intravenous Nurses is aware of this which is why it provides opportunities for learning the latest nursing, medical and pharmacology information.
- You will be in a unique position to develop your professional skills through involvement with committee or board activities. This will serve you well the next time you apply for a job as it shows that your leadership skills and abilities are tried and tested.
- Through the League of Intravenous Nurses you will be provided with invaluable peer support that is aimed at ensuring that you are well cared for and that you will never feel alone in your profession.
Perhaps one of the most important benefits that may not be immediately apparent when looking through the list mentioned above is the fact that all of this serves to improve your resume and therefore your employment opportunities. Through membership with this organization you are showing that you are dedicated to the profession and that you are willing to go just that little bit further and ensure that you are well versed in the issues and procedures related to the role that you have chosen to fulfill. Being an intravenous nurse can be quite a competitive sector of the health care profession with which to choose to associate yourself and it is therefore necessary to give yourself a professional edge in whatever way possible. This may include professional membership with an organization that has a strong focus on the line of work that you are interested in, in this case the League of Intravenous Nurses.
In order to apply for membership you can print the application form which can be found online, following which you will need to submit the application form to the association, or you can follow the online application procedure which is made available.
Training
The main purpose of the League of Intravenous Nurses is to provide training to its members. It must be noted that continuing education is an essential prerequisite in rode rot renew your licensure as a nurse in most states. Consequently the League of Intravenous Nurses aims to help its members achieve these necessary continuing education credits by offering Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) activities and contact hours. These contact hours are approved by the Ohio Nurses Association (which is essential in order for your hard work to mean something in the grander scheme of things – if the education units that you complete in order to meet the continuing education requirements for relic ensure are not approved in some way, they will not count and you will not be able to become relicensed). The Ohio Nurses’ Association is an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. The League of Intravenous Nurses can customize training activities to meet your particular needs, so you can be guaranteed of receiving the best training possible for your particular situation. There are a number of criteria for the successful completion of CNE programs offered by the League of Intravenous Nurses:
- You will be required to attend the entire activity
- You will be required to submit a completed evaluation at the end of the activity
Once you have completed each of the continuing education programs offers you will receive a separate certificate of completion with the contact hours that you are awarded as a result. This can go quite a long way in terms of boosting your resume as a nurse.
Although it is unlikely that membership with the League of Intravenous Nurses will be compulsory for applying for a job within this area of nursing, you may find that many employers prefer to hire individuals that have professional membership of some kind. Generally speaking this is considered to speak for your dedication to the profession and your willingness to learn new things about the job and how to best execute your duties.
If you would like to find out more about this organization, please make use of the following contact information in order to do so:
2400 Ardmore Blvd.
Suite 302
Pittsburgh, PA 15221
Phone: 412-244-4338
Fax: 412-243-5160
Email: info@lite.org
