February 17, 2021
Story by Joe Vinduska
Photo by Payton Steiner
Nurses who graduate from the Barton Licensed Practical Nurse program will now have an extra skillset to make them more valuable in the workforce; they have the option to be IV certified.
Barton Nursing Instructor Kristin Steele said the Kansas State Board of Nursing just approved IV certification at the LPN level in the Fall of 2020. In the past, students were not able to get certified unless they went to an outside agency that was usually far away and added hundreds of dollars in cost. In addition, most students were not able to get this done between years of nursing school, and since hospitals require LPNs to be IV certified they were being limited on where they could work.
“We were quick to get approved and have this added to our current curriculum,” she said. “We added the skills portion to our Medical-Surgical II class which begins in the Spring semester. This allows LPN students to practice in the field for the entire spring semester. It makes it easier for our nurses to find work and makes them more valuable to our community. Overall, it strengthens our healthcare system and helps our healthcare institutions meet diverse community workforce needs.”
Steele said students are able to practice in the field alongside nurses at the University of Kansas Health Systems Great Bend Campus in the pre-op unit and Clara Barton Hospital pre-op unit as part of a four-hour clinical rotation, which each student must complete to become certified. They are still able to practice IV skills outside of these four hours with assigned RN preceptors or at acute care clinical experiences with Barton’s community partners to make sure they get all the hands-on experience they need.
Steele said she is very excited about the program enhancement and her students.
“We are so proud of our first group’s confidence, focus, and skills,” she said. “They have been so impressive both in the classroom and the field. We’ve received many compliments from the field on their abilities and it’s very exciting. Way to go!”
For more information, contact Instructor of Nursing Kristin Steele at (620) 792-9220 or steelek@bartonccc.edu. The deadline to apply for the 2021-2022 Barton Nursing Program is March 1. To apply, visit nursing.bartonccc.edu.