Robyn, Joey, Jen and Roxy. Missing is Mark
The nurses at the VA Hospital in Iron Mountain MI, held two days of vascular access education. The hospital currently has 4 nurses who place PICC lines. Adding another nurse will allow the team to be available to “insert PICC’s in a timely manor” said Robyn, a skilled vascular access nurse. The nurses attended a 7 hour MST/Ultrasound class on Monday and a 2 hour care and maintenance class on Tuesday. Great discussion was had about improving patient outcomes and keeping staff educated in the always changing world of vascular access. One of the challenges that smaller hospitals face is assessing the patient for the correct device in a timely manor. When the order is received for a PICC line, the vascular access team has to decide what team member is available and when the line is going to be placed. We know PICC lines are not an emergent line, but we still want to get the line in as soon as we can. When the nurses are working the ICU or ED, it can be difficult to leave the unit to go place the line. Having support from your co-workers and managers is necessary to make the program successful. Thank you to the VA nurses for attending the classes yesterday and today. It was great to see the passion you have for patient care at the VA! Kudos to all of you!
