Peripheral IV Cannulation

An hour on siting a peripheral cannula safely — choosing the vein, choosing the device, getting it in, and looking after it afterwards.

1 CPD hour / 6 modules / ~1 hr at your own pace / 80% pass mark

Who it’s for

Registered and student nurses, midwives, nursing associates, allied health professionals and doctors who cannulate, or who are working towards being assessed to cannulate.
It’s also useful as a refresher if you cannulate rarely, or if you’re establishing your practice in a new system.

What’s covered

1 Scope, accountability, consent (8 min)
2 Anatomy and choosing a site (8 min)
3 Device and gauge (8 min)
4 Infection prevention and preparation (7 min)
5 The insertion procedure (9 min)
6 Care and complications (9 min)

How it works

Work through the six modules in any order, with knowledge checks as you go. There’s an interactive forearm to explore, a gauge selector, and a phlebitis scoring tool.

The final assessment is 15 questions drawn from a larger bank and shuffled, so retaking it gives you a different paper. Pass at 80% and you get a certificate recording 1 CPD hour.

Your progress saves to your account, so you can start on your phone and finish later on a computer.

What it’s built on

The NMC Code
RCN Standards for Infusion Therapy
UK Vessel Health and Preservation framework
epic3 infection prevention guidance
ANTT Clinical Practice Framework

What this course does not do

It records theoretical knowledge only. It does not make you competent to cannulate. Safe practice also requires simulated practice, supervised clinical practice, and a documented assessment of competence by a competent assessor, in line with your employer’s policy.