Specialists in vascular access are key for not only gaining difficult access, but the equally important job of maintaining that access. VA-BC™ Kelly Walker rooted her poster presentation in this idea and won accolades for her vascular access team, proving their impact.
Kelly Walker, BSN, RN, VA-BC™, wanted to focus on the effects of her vascular access team’s rounding on the institution. The team spent hours not only getting eyes on all central accesses and charting but educating other staff on best practice when it comes to caring for these devices.
At the end of the study, they found that their rounding did not decrease CLABSI rates. What the practice did, however, was decrease central line days.
“Our premise was that we prevented further CLABSIs. We don’t just establish vascular access – we maintain vascular access.”
That is where a team of specialists with advanced knowledge in vascular access comes in. Clinicians across teams should work together to make sure that each patient’s vasculature is treated responsibly and maintained for future use. The efforts of Walker’s team to not only evaluate the patient’s needs with their device type but to educate other staff on best practice helped make further infections possible.
“We’re hands-on. We’re real-time education with rounding,” Walker said. “We would never say that rounding, just because it doesn’t decrease CLABSIs, is not effective – of course that is your ultimate goal. But it did bring awareness of practices.”
Walker’s team won the first-place quality and safety award at UPMC’s Quality and Safety Fair. They also took home the first-place prize in the Executive Management Award.
That poster was the first done by Walker’s team, but she is familiar with firsts. In her promotion to a leadership role with the vascular access team, Walker became the first person on her unit to be VA-BC™, starting in 2022. Three years later, she was also one of the first to go through the renewal process.
Now, she is an advocate for the certification throughout her institution.
“I will always advocate for getting a certification. It is paid for, and although it is work to sit for the certification, it is a win-win.”
She has become the first contact for those looking to take the exam, renew their certification, or just find out more about the specialty. She has taken to lending out her own copy of the Association for Vascular Access Resource Guide to any interested parties. She enjoyed the resource so much as a study tool, that her hospital bought the second edition for her team as a reference for their daily practice.
UPMC Shadyside pays for their employees to gain relevant certifications like the VA-BC™. As Walker explains, having employees with specialty certifications aids an institution’s quest for Magnet status, and it boosts the knowledge base of clinicians, leading to improved patient outcomes.
Walker transitioned to a casual position in the second half of 2024. When she sought reimbursement for her December 2024 VA-BC™ renewal, however, HR initially denied the request, as the policy stated that casual employees could not be reimbursed for certifications.
Not to be discouraged, Walker reached out to the Director of Patient Experience to get her reimbursement.
Thanks to her efforts, UMPC now pays for casual employees’ certification exam or renewal fees through a continuing education scholarship.
Despite her semi-retired status, Walker intends to keep up with her certification. “I don’t know where I’m going to be in three years. I may be back in leadership, but I have three years to use this credential.”
