There are many reasons to become an IV therapy nurse—like more variation and better one-on-one time with patients. But the largest reason is simply that you can make more money which can lead to a whole host of benefits.
To go a little deeper into what it’s like to supplement your nursing career (or even become an IV therapy nurse full-time), we interviewed our nurse manager Madison Galindo to see why she enjoys supplementing her income with IV therapy work—and what she enjoys about being a nurse in general.
Why did you decide to become a nurse?
I think growing up in a big family I always noticed that I like taking care of people. I liked to babysit and enjoyed helping around the house to lighten the load for my mom. When I turned 18, I got my nursing assistant license and it was always the plan to become a nurse to take care of people who needed it the most.
And I knew it would be a rewarding career and that there were many different departments that I wanted to go into—emergency, surgery, hospice, anything! I mean there’s just always something; if you get bored or tired you can switch it up and so the flexibility and the rewarding aspect of it was very alluring.
Where have you worked as a nurse?
I worked in a psychiatric facility and then emergency medicine for a year before I got into mobile IV therapy and then I did both at the same time. So, I did ER nursing (a very high stress job) and working overtime was always available but it was exhausting. I knew I could make more money if I picked up extra shifts, but it was difficult to be in the hospital more than 3 days a week. So, that’s how I got into mobile IV therapy, I was looking for a way to supplement my income but not devote myself to additional 12-hour shifts.
Are you now a fulltime IV therapy nurse?
I left the ER and now I work full time as a public health nurse and I still enjoy doing IV therapy part time. I know nurses who do IV therapy full time and some who choose to do part time. This depends on the hours they can devote to it and of course their work/ life balance. Being a full-time IV therapy nurse is a great option for nurses who don’t need benefits because it’s an independent contractor position.
