vascular access infection prevention
By Judy Thompson MSNEd ., RN , VA-BC™
The Road Back
Smiles , long hugs , laughter , learning , and “ see you next year in Portland ” were seen and heard at the recent Association for Vascular Access ( AVA ) 2022 scientific meeting held in Minneapolis . I arrived early , the Tuesday before the conference , to begin sorting , setting up , and preparing the pre-conference workshops .
The vendor hall was being transformed right before my eyes from an empty room into a bustling , vibrant area for all of us to find the latest and greatest inventions from our industry partners . Then , the presenters , attendees , and others begin to arrive . All this while Ian , a category 4 hurricane , hit Florida . Some Floridians flew in early while some had to miss the conference due to concerns and the effects of Ian .
Many smiles , hugs , and some tears were seen as our vascular access family finally reunited . The prior two years of virtual education got us by , but there is nothing like in-person AVA . The lights go down in the ballroom and the voice from above tells us to “ take our seats , the presentation is about to start .”
Will we ever know what happened to the orange balloon ? We sat mesmerized at times , oohs and ahhs to the Star Wars-themed talk , Our Herbst awardee , Dr . Stephanie Pitts inspiring all of us to do better , be better . Like-minded people facing similar struggles converge into overflowing breakout rooms . New and longstanding faces meet at the hotel bar . Too little sleep , late nights , early mornings , and so much fun .
The educational opportunities flowed , and the presentations were amazing , but the intangible thing that sets AVA apart from other conferences is the renewed energy and enthusiasm it brings to all of us .
If you were unable to join us in Minneapolis , we definitely missed you . You may not be able to capture all the great ‘ intangibles ’ but you can get some of the great education presented by searching the AVA academy . I ’ m already planning for next year ; I hope you are , too .
Judy Thompson MSNEd ., RN , VA-BC™ , is director of clinical education for the Association for Vascular Access ( AVA ).
AVA members expressed their excitement to be gathering in person again after COVID . Courtesy of AVA
Swapna Kakani addressed the patient perspective during her presentation . Courtesy of AVA
Mike Serle delivered his presentation on the topic of kidney considerations for the vascular access specialist . Courtesy of AVA www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com • november 2022
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