This column is designed to help you with issues, concerns, and clinical challenges you face every day. Send us your questions; IVAD will print them and the answers in future editions. Clinical practice should be based upon sound scientific research, and we will strive to proVide you with the most current il'iformation available.
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I 11;l\c' "llc'",kd ;1
PICL
l.,dUC;llioll
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~l
cl'rtiflclll"
of
years with venipuncture and CVC management experience or a high percent of success with venipuncture procedures.
,11 lCIKbnCl' \\"h:l1
2. Attend a continuing education
d"l' i... required heron.:.' 1 ;11ll "u:11 iflL'l! " to pbc<.: PI CC.... "'inl'!.:' I do nol \\.1111 In he imuh<.:d \\ ilh tll..., ;IClu;t! infu",ioll 01
course to learn all the infonnation nec-
drug.... hlood. (I]" lllilrilio!1. llll.' lelliricllion in infu",iOI1 1111.:.-rap} (JC,I) i...
essary. This usually includes a lab practicum component. The NAVAN PICC Course Approval Program recommends that anatomical models be used
much more than what I nel..''''!.
~~ ,.. . .~
.....
The word "certify" or "certificahon" 1S a very misused and misunderstood term
in healthcare, especially nursing. Certification is applied exclusively to national certification exams offered by the professional organizations such as ONS, INS, or AACN. These certifications indicate that one has mastered the content identified by those groups. At the present time, NAVAN does not offer a similar certification limited to PICC insertion or vascular access only. National certifications cover a wide scope of knowledge within that specially and are not oriented to a specific task, such as PICC insertion. Employers use the term "certification" to indicate that someone is com-
petent and qualified to perform a certain task. The ]CAHO now uses the term "competency assessment" for this process. For PICC insertion, this complete process would include, 1. Meeting criteria established by the employer about skills and experience required to begin the learning process on a particular task. Examples include a policy requiring a specific number of
56
"'VAC
Gain skills Attend CE meetings
instead of healthy volunteers because the risk to the volunteer is too great. 3. Perform t!he task, under supervision, for the required number of times. For PICC insertion, this usually ranges from 3 to 5 supervised successful insertions.
4. Subsequent annual competency assessment processes are dependent
upon the outcomes of the PICC insertions performed. This process indicates that the complete "certification" comes from the
employer. A continuing education course alone Le; not sufficient for the
entire process, although many employers require the professional to have a "certificate of allendance" from an education course. Successful clinical experience is required. Ongoing competency requires an assessment of clinical outcomes and a periodic re-assessment
based on those outcomes. •
Perform under supervision Do annual competency
S P r i n g '2 0 0 I
Lynn Hadaway, MEd, RNe, CRN!, has 25years e:x:fJeri"m;e in intr
Send or fax questions to, NAVAN 1P\ill Z05 11 ~ 17 South 700 Ea.t Draper ur &iOZO
FAX OWl) 576-1824