title: The right person.
abstract: I have read with much interest the recent lively debate on the administration of IV drugs. Initiated by Dr Bird's letter (Nursing Standard November 15-21) it appears to me that all who have replied to that letter have been so busy arguing 'it's not my job' that they have failed to consider the patients. I have been on an intensive two day course, I have undergone a series of practical assessments and successfully gained a deserved certificate of competence. No doctor I have ever met has the same qualification or, come to think of it, any formal tuition regarding this procedure. It would therefore appear that I am the professional most highly qualified to administer IV drugs. I believe that patients deserve the highest quality of care that can be given by trained professionals. I therefore deem it my responsibility to give the IVs not to palm the task off on someone less able than myself.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bailey