vascular access infection prevention
By Cate Brennan , MBA , CAE
Working Together for a Better Prepared Workforce
An important role of any professional association is the development of the next generation of professionals or workforce . In healthcare professions , workforce development is a combination of academic preparation , early career onboarding and ongoing continuing education . These elements are owned by a wide range of stakeholders . Colleges and universities own the academic prep side . Employers own the onboarding process . And the professional associations , along with the individual practitioners and employers , own continuing education , also known as professional development . All have a responsibility for advancing knowledge and professional practice , ensuring patient safety , and building adequate human and other resources for the future . All these people and organizations , including federal and state governments have an obligation to thoughtfully and collaboratively build a safe and prepared workforce and to advance the future of healthcare on behalf of the patient .
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught many hard lessons related to workforce . It exposed the increasing shortages of medical , nursing and allied health professionals , whether those shortages were caused by Baby Boomer retirements , the Great Resignation or lack of capacity in academic programs because of faculty shortages . The COVID-19 crisis exposed the dire consequences that happen to patients and front-line providers when healthcare specialists are either in high demand or unavailable when a crisis hits . It exposed the high personal cost of provider burnout now and in the future . It exposed the high cost of depending on traveling nurses when full-time staffing is inadequate . The U . S ., in all industries , not just healthcare , has focused for decades on just-in-time inventory and achieving the highest productivity at the least cost . These demands for profit and productivity are sometimes met with lean staffing models . Those business philosophies are not necessarily bad , but for healthcare organizations , a higher priority on workforce while considering the pandemic lessons will help insulate the healthcare system from future stresses .
Which takes us back to workforce development . The
American Association of Colleges of Nursing ( AACN ), for example , does outstanding work in developing closer academic-practice partnerships through its programs . It has partnered with
American Organization for Nursing Leadership ( AONL , a division of American Hospital Association ) to develop toolkits , exemplar partnerships and other resources . The AACN Essentials was refocused in 2021 to move toward a new model and framework for nursing education . The Essentials now focuses on using a competency-based approach through its resources , education and advocacy .
Pre-licensure students — whether medical , nursing or allied health — often don ’ t feel as prepared as they would like on “ day one ” of their professional practice . To help boost their confidence and ease them into practice , the
Association for Vascular Access ( AVA ) is working with academic partners to help prepare these novice professionals with its
Fundamentals of Peripheral IV
course , a free three-part curriculum available to nursing , medical and allied health colleges and universities . Because vascular access is the most common invasive procedure performed in healthcare , with more than 380 million placements of PIVCs in patients annually in the U . S ., all healthcare providers should be highly skilled on day one .
Mid-career professionals can benefit from competency-based certificates . For the individual healthcare provider , these high-value , advanced certificates many times are the building blocks for professional growth and demonstrate specific skill competency . Competency certificates , like the ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous vascular insertions ( USGPIV ) offered by the Association for Vascular Access ( AVA ), validate knowledge and skills . Other benefits are respect from peers as a recognized expert , increased confidence and personal reputation , and possibly , increase marketability and earning power .
The
ACE by AVA competency certificate program is designed for practicing healthcare professionals , whether novice , mid-career or experienced . While many healthcare organizations have dedicated vascular access teams ( VAT ) that serve all hospital departments , it is almost always beneficial to have other providers through the hospital system who are highly skilled in the specialty . They help to reduce or eliminate the staffing stress when the VAT is unavailable .
Competency certificates are especially important in the vascular access and infusion communities because of the constant innovation of devices and products . There any many healthcare device and product incubators – some run by venture capital organizations , some run by established leaders in the VA market and some run by academic medical centers – that are fueled by the ideas and passion of frontline providers . The VA specialists are deeply concerned with improving patient safety and comfort ( i . e ., no blind sticks ). Frequently the see a problem and are happy to help find a solution .
Currently , AVA offers three levels of preparation for the USGPIV competency : Basic for the novice or pre-licensure students ; Standard for clinicians with general vascular access knowledge and bedside experience ; and Advanced for clinicians with limited vascular access knowledge and bedside experience . These courses are written for AVA plans many more competency certificates in 2023 .
Staffing shortages partially caused by inadequacies in the workforce pipeline will continue to threaten patient safety and access , as well as the U . S . healthcare system . Healthcare leaders must employ new thinking to recruit and train students , encourage more people to become faculty and support the continuing education and advanced skill competency of front-line clinical professionals . It ’ s a group effort .
At the time of writing , Cate Brennan , MBA , CAE , was chief executive officer of the Association for Vascular Access .