Centre for Professional Development and Lifelong Learning

Health, Safety and Biosecurity

Barbados and the OECS face a health care environment that is becoming increasingly complex and costly to maintain.  The challenges presented by the health care environment demand that medical personnel engage in continuous learning, and that average citizens play a greater role in personal and familial and community health management.  As a response to societal needs and concerns, the Centre for Professional Development and Lifelong Learning at the Cave Hill Campus offers a suite of continuing education and professional development courses to doctors, nurses and therapists, while offering beginners’ courses in the management of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the general public. The Centre also offers courses in health and safety, and sustainable building concepts for the building sector, as well as courses in Biosecurity and its relevance in the Caribbean context.

Health

Peripheral Intravenous Access and IV Access Care

Peripheral Intravenous Access and IV Access Care

Overview

Intravenous access is an intermediate level clinical skill that can mean the difference between life and death for patients. It also bears great responsibility from care providers, as it can become a significant source of morbidity and mortality if poorly placed, secured, or maintained. This course seeks to equip health care professionals with this vital skill set and to increase confidence with the placement and management of intravenous therapy in patients 16 years of age and older.
The course is specially designed for the professional development of health care professionals working in the clinical setting such as hospitals, clinics, acute care departments/ surgical or day-case centres, home care and hospice care, where IV access may be required in an elective or emergency setting and/ or care of vascular access and infusion therapy may be required.

What will I Learn?

On successful completion of the course delegates will be able to:
Identify:

  • the relevant anatomy of the upper limb for correct placement of intravenous (IV) access;
  • equipment and adjuncts commonly used for placement and care of IV access, infusion therapy, maintenance and after care;
  • signs/symptoms of a dysfunctional IV access;
  • good vs poor sites for IV access;

Explain:

  • the indications and contraindications for IV access and therapy;
  • the legal, moral and professional responsibility of IV management;

Demonstrate:

  • correct interpretation of IV infusion therapy prescription;
  • appropriate choice of equipment for IV access and/ or therapy;
  • proper preparation and assembly of equipment;
  • competence with IV access placement;
  • good aseptic technique;
  • appropriate management of biohazard waste;
  • appropriate documentation of IV access placement, monitoring and infusion therapy;
  • critical thinking skills regarding the evaluation, recognition and troubleshooting options;
  • good bedside manner.

Who Should do this Course

Health care professionals working in the clinical setting, home care, long term care, and acute care wherever IV access may be required in an elective or emergency setting and/ or care of vascular access and infusion therapy, including but not limited to:
Registered nurses, lab technicians, phlebotomists, paramedics, pharmacists, physiotherapists, anaesthetic aides/technicians, dentists, medical students* (3rd year BHSc/ BMedSci students/other), physician’s assistants, medical researchers.

At a Glance

  • Admissions Term: 2019/2020 Semester II
  • Date: Postponed until further Notice
  • Time: Mondays (ONLINE), Tuesdays (Face-to-Face), alternate Fridays (ONLINE – except final class) and alternate Saturdays (Face-to-Face)
  • Duration: 5 weeks (18 hours)
  • Certificate Awarded: Professional Development Certificate of Competence
  • Course Code: PDLL152
  • Capacity: 25
  • Cost: BDS $2300/ US $1650

The following topics will be addressed:

  1. Focused Anatomy of the Upper Limb
  2. Focused Anatomy of the Large Veins
  3. Routes of Administration
  4. Indications and Contra-Indications for IV access/ IV Infusion Therapy
  5. Vein Selection
  6. Equipment for IV access placement/ therapy
  7. Physiology of IV Fluid Therapy.
  8. Pharmacology of IV Fluids
  9. IV Access Placement – Practical 1+2
  10. Difficult IV Placement – Predictors, Problems and Troubleshooting
  11. Complications of IV Access Placement x 2hrs
  12. IV Access Site Post-Placement Care
  13. Medico-Legal Considerations of IV Access placement and Therapy
  14. IV Access Placement – Practical 2
  •  Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Nurses
  • Emergency Health Care (Emergency Room) Nurses
  • Recovery Room (RR) Nurses
  • Mid-wives
  • Operating Theatre (OT) Nurses
  • Field Hospital Nurses, registered for three or more years who: Works in a private Day-Case Clinic setting; Are Advanced Cardiovascular Life support (ACLS) trained

 

This course will be delivered using the blended learning format and will consist of lectures (in-person, video and online), tutorials, demonstrations and practicals.

Dr Karisha Hinkson-LaCorbinière

Dr Karisha Hinkson-LaCorbinière currently lectures in Physiology FMS at the UWI Cave Hill Campus. In addition to this, she is also a Consultant Anaesthetist with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Bayview Hospital and Anaesthetic Solutions Inc. and a Member of the Anaesthesia Specialty Board. Prior to this she was an Associate Lecturer of Anaesthesia, an Advanced Trainee Paediatric Intensive care at Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Australia and Faculty Instructor of the Paediatric ICU BASIC course (2014, 2016, 2017). She is a MBBS Graduate from UWI Mona Campus, Jamaica (2005) and received her DM Anaesthesia and Intensive Care from UWI Cave Hill Campus, Barbados (2012).