August 31, 2018 • 56 mins
Episode 6 of the ISAVE That Podcast focuses on leadership in vascular access. Hosts Judy Thompson, Ramzy Nasrallah and Eric Seger welcome a trio of leaders from our multidisciplinary specialty to discuss the tiers and expectations of leadership and much more. All three are also speakers at AVASM18 next month in Columbus!
0:40 – With so many great interviews waiting in the wings, a quick intro is all that is needed. The 2018 national AVA Scientific Meeting is less than three weeks away!
1:38 – A quick word from our Episode 6 sponsor, The Clinician Exchange
2:18 – To kick off our leadership in vascular access series, we welcome Lorelle Wuerz, Ph.D., RN, VA-BC™, NEA-BC to the stage, a passionate and driven leader who practices at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
23:11 – Next up is Staci Harrison, DPN, RN, a vascular access leader on the west coast.
40:02 – This episode's conversation on leadership wraps up with Amy Bardin-Spencer, MS, RRT, VA-BC™, a Phoenix-based leader who serves as the Director of Clinical and Medical Affairs for Teleflex.
53:35 – AVA Network Events; did we mention the conference is next month?
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
This episode of the ISAVE That Podcast is made possible by The
Clinician Exchange.
The Connection Exchange is thehealthcare industry's hub for
clinical education services,providing a suite of clinical
support resources from thevirtual classroom to the
bedside.
To get started, go towww.theclinx.com.
That's w w w dot the c l i n xdot com.
(00:32):
From the Association forVascular Access, this is the
ISAVE That Podcast.
Ramzy (00:40):
Season 1, Episode 6 of the ISAVE That Podcast.
This is Ramzy Nasrallah.
I'm joined by JAVAEditor-In-Chief and AVA Director
of Communications, Eric Seger aswell as AVA's Director of
Clinical Education, JudyThompson.
Judy, this is the leadershipepisode of the podcast.
What does that mean?
Judy (01:01):
That means that we're gonna be talking about how
leadership affects VascularAccess and how Vascular Access
affects leadership.
We have 3 amazing speakers onthis podcast.
Dr.
Lorelle Wuerz, Doctor StacyHarrison, and Amy Bardin, who is
working to finish up herdoctorate, all speaking on
(01:22):
different aspects of leadershipand Vascular Access.
Eric (01:25):
It sounds like we have quite a bit to get to and we'll
go ahead and dive right in tothat right after the break.
Stay tuned.
Ramzy (01:38):
The Clinician Exchange is the industry's first
tech-enabled crowdsourcingplatform connecting the
expertise of clinicians aroundthe world with med tech
companies seeking to enhancetheir clinical support and
educational capabilities.
They've developed themultidisciplinary network of
clinicians who want to advancehealthcare by enhancing the way
med tech organizations interactwith their customers.
If you're interested in learningmore about how you can further
(02:00):
advanced healthcare whilegetting personal incentives
beyond visit www.theclinx.com ww w dot t h e c l i n x dot com
and exchange your expertise.
Eric (02:18):
And we're happy to be joined by Dr Lorelle Wuerz from
New York Presbyterian Hospitaland individual with years of
experience in the VascularAccess specialty and recently
she's taken on more of aleadership role at her
institution.
Lorelle, how are you?
Lorelle (02:32):
I'm wonderful, Eric.
Thank you.
Thanks for having me.
Eric (02:35):
Absolutely.
We're happy you were able tojoin us today.
Ramzy (02:38):
Hey, Lorelle!
Lorelle (02:38):
Hi, this is great.
I'm excited.
Judy (02:42):
It's going to be fun.
Lorelle this is Judy Thompson aswell.
So we have Ramzy, myself, Eric,and you.
But we're excited to have you onthis.
We are doing a bit of a serieson leadership and how it relates
to Vascular Access.
And I know you've had a bevy ofdifferent jobs and been a
specialist in Vascular Access,involved in AVA for many years,
(03:04):
but, what's been going on withyou of recent?
Congratulations on yourdoctorate and your new position.
Lorelle (03:11):
Thank you so much.
Yes, so I've been in nursing forquite a while.
A lot of those years in VascularAccess since 2005.
And the large part of it is, hasin Vascular Access, but on the
leadership side of things and aswell as managing Aascular
access, different areas ofnursing.
So I've had a lot of, you know,kind of great experience on the
(03:34):
inpatient side of nursing, aswell as some of the outpatient
arena.
But just recently I had a reallyexciting opportunity in New York
Presbyterian to join thecorporate leadership team and
really look more globally at thediscipline of nursing and
(03:55):
professionalism across ourenterprise and how we can
standardize and innovate andintegrate nursing care across a
really large academic medicalteaching center in New York
City.
And so I just started this rolea couple of months ago and I'm
(04:15):
kind of really immersed in thedetails and getting to know
everybody, but it's been really,really fantastic.
And giving me a different sideof leadership and how senior
leaders can really influencehealth care and patient
outcomes.
Judy (04:30):
That sounds so exciting and I think knowing you and your
energy and enthusiasm, you're aperfect fit.
It sounds wonderful.
Lorelle (04:41):
Yeah, I'm excited.
Judy (04:42):
That's great.
So, we have a few questions foryou.
Now there's two questions thatwe're asking each of the
participants that have beenspeaking on this.
And then there's a couple thatwe've set up specifically for
you.
So one of the questions thatwe've asked everyone is, how
important is leadershipengagement in regard to Vascular
(05:02):
Access?
Lorelle (05:04):
Gee, leadership engagement is important in all
areas of healthcare, right?
I'd say it extends beyondleadership engagement to an
engagement of all healthcareproviders regardless of your
role or your title, right?
Conceptually, I think, and Ithink we know that engagement is
(05:26):
linked to empowerment and jobsatisfaction and how people are
involved in their jobs.
And their are organizationalcommitment.
All of that is linked.
And well-versed leaders knowthat.
They understand that and staffwho are engaged in their work
exhibit passion and commitmentand, and this willingness to
(05:48):
invest in themselves that thentranslates to an organization's
success and helps theorganization overall succeed.
And it's more important thanever, for frontline nurses be
engaged in their work andcommitted to the organization's
mission.
They have to be capable ofdelivering like this world class
(06:09):
high-quality care in a complexand constantly changing
environment, right?
And so Vascular Access, in myopinion, is one area that's
often overlooked.
Although if you think about it,it affects almost all patients
admitted in the inpatientsetting and nearly every single
patient in your hospital and aninpatient bed has some type of
(06:33):
vascular access device.
Sometimes we don't think thistopic is so important.
It blows my mind.
Vascular Access, it can berather basic.
Yet, it's critical for patientcare in both the hospital and
ambulatory patient settings.
And so leadership engagement andVascular Access are very much
(06:53):
interconnected.
Judy (07:05):
I couldn't agree more on that.
Now, let's step it up one morestep: How does executive
leadership affect a VascularAccess team?
Lorelle (07:06):
Executive leadership is, you know, I'll answer this
as a nurse leader in healthcareinstitutions.
So this is my lens of, you know,the professional discipline of
nursing and nurses in general,right?
And we all say this, I'm almostsick of hearing myself say it,
but it's true (07:21):
Healthcare is rapidly changing and it's
growing in complexity, right?
I mean, I hear it every day.
But it's so true.
And this necessitates that allcare providers collaborate in
this interdisciplinary type offashion and they're maximizing
their efficiency and whounderstands that better than
(07:44):
nurses?
Nurses are the largest group ofhealthcare professionals in the
hospital and they're the leaderson the front lines.
They're the ones doing thepatient care all day long.
System executive nurse leaders,bring a unique perspective and
increasingly valuableperspective to champion the
(08:06):
efforts of these bedside nursesfrom various areas including
vascular access.
And that'll translate from thebedside to the top of the
leadership ladder.
The role of the nurse executive,interestingly enough I think has
evolved and it used to befocused all on nurse services
and now it's a broaderaccountability of patient care
(08:29):
services across the healthcarecontinuum.
And the expansion of that roleand responsibilities positions a
nurse executive as a member ofthe senior leadership team more
so now than it ever did.
Judy (08:41):
I agree.
I agree.
Now, let's flip that around alittle bit.
What can the Vascular AccessSpecialist provide to the
executive team to help thatleadership make decisions that
support best patient care andthe Vascular Access Specialists
itself?
Lorelle (08:59):
So, the Vascular Access Specialist is going to provide
something to the executive team.
I think whenever a staff nurseis going to go to a leader or an
executive leader, even more so,you gotta be prepared.
You got to do your homework.
It's all about the data and theresearch and so Vascular Access
to clinicians should do theirhomework and come prepared, but
(09:22):
they got to share the evidenceavailable on a topic of interest
that supports their creativeideas and their passions, right?
If there's no evidence, then youneed to do your own homework
first.
Do you need to do your ownresearch, present preliminary
outcomes of data that youcollected or trials that you've
done on a smaller level,presenting that in a factual
(09:45):
manner to senior leadership willgain their support.
So, what you don't want to do,do not go to nursing leadership
or senior leaders with vagueideas or opinions or ideas
generated off of like'the way welike to do it' or'the way we've
done it for years.' That will gonowhere.
Nursing needs to bolster theirprofessionalism and professional
(10:10):
behaviors.
And you know what that includes?
That includes the developmentuse and evaluation of research
as well as theory in yourpractice.
So, I'm going to say if aVascular Access Specialist wants
to be heard, be succinct,prepared, do your homework, have
the data and research to supportyour point of view.
Judy (10:32):
Absolutely.
In fact to make your point, Idid something similar back in
the day.
I came in with a problem.
I came in with data.
I came in with a solution, apossible solution which took
about three minutes.
Very succinct.
(10:54):
And coming in with that kind ofinformation exactly the way that
you mentioned it is reallyeffective and understandable.
But data (11:03):
data is really important, as well.
Like you said, don't come inwith your theory.
Or just a problem I believe.
I think we need more than justthe problem.
Lorelle (11:16):
Right.
You said the keyword (11:17):
Solutions.
Possible solutions.
That's the key.
Judy (11:21):
Exactly.
Exactly.
So, what steps, if you had aVascular Access Specialist that
is practicing right now, whatsteps would you recommend that
they take to possibly advancetheir career?
Lorelle (11:38):
For me, I think always it's all about investing in your
education.
Be a lifelong learner, right?
Education can be done lots ofdifferent ways.
Some are formal, some are lessformal, like you know, degree
programs.
Even get certified in aspecialized nursing program and
(11:58):
you have to pick which option isbest for you at whatever point
in your career and personallife.
Like we have to have work-lifebalance, right?
Your personal and work life needto be married together well at
the same time.
But,, you know, formal educationis definitely one way to keep
that education rolling.
Another is seekingcertification.
(12:18):
So certification is superimportant to your
professionalism in thediscipline of nursing.
Professional nurses demonstratetheir commitment to nursing and
their career in thecertification process.
The American NursesCredentialing Center supports
lots of different nursingrelated certification programs
(12:41):
that can help you advance inyour career.
And it's your choice.
It's the nurse's choice toadvance their career and that
can potentially prove yourability to provide the best
possible patient care.
That's why you want to increaseyour knowledge base and your
education, right?
So you can apply it to yourpractice.
And specifically a VascularAccess clinician should look
(13:03):
into the Vascular Access BoardCertification™, I'm Vascular
Access Board Certified.
I think anybody who's in theVascular Access arena, this is
invaluable.
The certification exams, it'sthe standard, right for our
basic knowledge skills and theabilities, the things that we're
expected to know asprofessionals working in
(13:24):
Vascular Access.
And it's offered through AVA,through our organization,
through the Association forVascular Access through VACC,
the Vascular AccessCredentialing Center.
So, I think formal education isone.
I think certification isanother.
You know, what else I think?
I don't think that we usementors enough.
(13:44):
I think, I highly recommendhaving a formal mentor.
Throughout my career I've alwayshad a mentor and it's not that
difficult to find one.
Nurses should just take a look,identify someone who they feel
comfortable with or who theyconsider a role model and start
developing that mentor-menteerelationship.
(14:04):
There's formal mentoringprograms, but there's also
informal ways to do it.
You could join like a researchgroup or journal club or
volunteer on a special projectand that's a great avenue to
meet people who could mentoryou.
Just pick a date, talk to them,ask if you could meet on a
regular basis to start thatmentoring relationship.
(14:27):
Let's see.
Advancing yourself as aclinician, you know, what else
is key to your professionalism?
Is participation in aprofessional organization.
One like AVA, right?
I highly recommend VascularAccess Specialist.
Again, not only to havecertification, but be involved
with AVA because of all thebenefits of being a member.
(14:48):
Then we have our scientificmeeting year.
We have a network of people whoare other experts.
You could meet other VascularAccess clinicians.
You get the journal, the Journalof the Association for Vascular
Access.
I read that, every journal thatcomes out, I still read it.
Access to other industryexperts.
(15:11):
The Intravascular Quarterly–love that, that publication just
got freshened up and I love it.
They're all invaluable.
Eric (15:17):
Thanks, Lorelle! I appreciate that.
Lorelle (15:17):
Yeah, Eric! Shoutout!
Ramzy (15:29):
Always good to shout out the editor of the journal you're
referring to.
Lorelle (15:32):
Yeah.
Right.
Exactly.
Judy (15:36):
You and I both belong to kind of a handful of
professional organizations.
Not just AVA– I love it.
I love the Association forVascular Access.
Because, we just can't be insilos.
We don't, Vascular Accessdoesn't live on an island.
I belong to APIC, ONS, INS.
There's many organizations thatare part of my bevy of
(15:58):
professional organizations thatI need to understand and be
with, so I agree with you onevery point you made on that.
I think that those are wonderfulpoints on advancement for
careers.
So thanks.
Those are good.
Ramzy (16:13):
Hey Lorelle, I have a question for you.
Lorelle (16:14):
Yeah.
Ramzy (16:16):
Your career has really taken off as you've worked your
way up at Presby in New YorkCity, in an environment that's
filled with very strongpersonalities, not just a lot of
people, but a lot of people whoinsist on being heard.
And I'm just wondering how as aleader in an organization that
complex and that visible, haveyou been able to manage and
(16:38):
mediate when there have beentimes of crisis or disagreement
and how you can advance yourteam, several teams to getting
past what might be a significantbump in the road, to get back to
your mission?
Lorelle (16:54):
Yeah, I mean, I think it goes back to the basics.
None of this is really likerocket science.
For me as a leader, it's aboutlistening, right?
I mean truly listening, which isso hard to do.
I practice it myself every day.
I still don't think I'm a greatlistener yet.
I tried to be better listenerevery day, but listening and
(17:16):
when you've got differentopinions and points of view,
well, isn't that valuablethough?
That is super important in termsof coming to the best solution
because the more people you haveat the table and the more
opinions you have, the betterthe possible solution.
It's up to the leader, though,to take the emotion out of it,
(17:36):
right?
To really understand the vision,the goal, where you're headed
and in healthcare that is alsovery simple.
We all went the same thing.
We want to do the best for ourpatients, right?
Putting patients first, makingpatients centric to our care and
(17:57):
offering the best possiblequality care.
Nobody wants to debate on thatin healthcare.
So, you could get a ton ofpeople with difference of
opinions, but when the end goalis the same and you can get
everybody in the room to agreethat that end goal is the same,
having different opinions andheated discussions actually
makes your solution better, inmy opinion.
(18:18):
It's up to the leader to mediatethat, to filter out the emotion
and make sure you're getting allthe best information to come up
with best solutions.
That takes time and you buildthat over time and practice and
stuff like that.
But, that's in my opinion, it'snot really that complex.
It goes back to the simplestuff: Listening, having a goal
(18:42):
and collaborating.
Judy (18:49):
You make it sound so simple.
It does! It sounds so simple.
Because, in my brain, I'mthinking,'OK, you come the table
you have a complex concern andin your brain you might have
something you think will workand someone comes up with
another idea that you would passas yours or it's a totally
different idea.
How do you personally draw youremotion back enough that you can
(19:11):
listen and open it up?
Lorelle (19:14):
No, that's up to leader to mediate that because as you
know, and you set the tonebefore a meeting like that,
that's going to be that strewnwith emotion and opinion and
kind of high stakesconversations.
You set the tone in thosemeetings before you even get
started by saying, hey, youknow, one of the things that my
organization really is strong ona respect, we have a respect
(19:36):
credo.
And before I would start ameeting like that, I would
remind everybody about therespect credo, about the fact
that we all want the same endgoal, right?
And, and that we're all reallybrilliant, you know, healthcare
professionals and to rememberthat in our discussion.
Sometimes as the leader when itgets heated you have to remind
people.
(19:57):
You validate their opinions andyou make sure that everybody
else understands the facts ofwhat they've just said and then
you keep moving on But youcan't, you have to take out the
nasty comments or the digs, orthings like that.
And you have to call people outon that as the mediator of a
meeting.
You can't condone that.
And if you don't address it,you're condoning it.
Judy (20:21):
Yeah.
That's great advice.
OK, I've got one final questionfor you before we wrap this up.
I just want to be cognitive ofyour time.
I know you're a very busy woman.
Understanding the importance ofreportable events to the
C-Suites.
What advice can you offer theexecutive to help them
understand how the VascularAccess Specialist can help them
(20:42):
actually achieve theorganizational goals?
Lorelle (20:47):
First, the Vascular Access Specialist needs to know
what the organization's goalsare, right?
So you gotta be familiar withwhat are the priorities for the
organization.
But it's safe to say if notmost, all organization's goals
include quality metrics andthey're looking to improve
patient care and outcomes.
Right?
I mean that's what we do.
We want to do no harm, zero harminitiatives.
(21:08):
These are paramount inhealthcare right now.
It's an obvious priority to savelives and this is aligned with
so many national, initiatives.
And I say that CLABSI– centralline-associated blood stream
infections, has one of thelargest impacts on an
organization right now.
It has become a high priorityfor senior leaders.
(21:30):
And that's because of itsrelationship not only to patient
mortality, but also toreimbursement structures and how
they're shifting now to outcomebased or value-based purchasing
models, as well as the impact onthe organization's reputation.
It's kind of like a triplewhammy here.
CLABSI is going to hit you onall three areas and your data
(21:53):
gets publicly reported.
So, there's your reputationagain.
But Vascular Access clinicianscan show their engagement,
they've gotta be aligned withthose goals and they got to know
what their contributions are.
That helps them, understandtheir value and be clear on the
research and yes, to supportbest practices and present those
(22:15):
ideas and solutions like yousaid before to collaborate with
leaders.
They can contribute to theorganization's goals.
That stems from the insertion ofcatheters all the way through to
care and maintenance.
So the life cycle of a VascularAccess Device.
But I think that's really whereit's at and being aligned and
(22:37):
engaged and contributing towardorganization goals.
Judy (22:43):
Well said.
Thank you so much.
You've been wonderful, Dr.
Wuerz.
Thank you so much for your time.
Lorelle (22:58):
Thank you so much for having me!
Eric (22:58):
Thank you, Lorelle!
Judy (22:58):
Have a great day! And we'll see you in about 2 weeks.
Lorelle (23:03):
Yes, love it.
Can't wait.
Eric (23:12):
It is our honor to be joined by Dr.
Staci Harrison, the ClinicalRegional Director of MedSurge
and Critical Care of herhealtcare system to continue our
discussion on leadership andVascular Access.
Staci, thanks for joining us.
How are you?
Staci (23:25):
I'm wonderful.
How are you?
Eric (23:27):
Great.
I'm here with Judy Thompson,AVA's Director of Clinical
Education as well as AVA CEORamzy Nasrallah, who I know you
know well.
Ramzy (23:37):
Hi, Staci.
Staci (23:39):
Hi, Ramzy.
Hi, Judy.
Judy (23:40):
Hi, guys.
Great to have you on.
Thank you so much for agreeingto talk with us and be on our
podcast on leadership today.
Staci (23:48):
I'm excited to be here.
Judy (23:49):
Well, we're excited to have you.
Before we get into our interviewquestions, wanted to talk to you
a little bit about yourengagement with AVA and what
it's like to be a part of AVAnow, because I know you came to
your first AVA conference lastyear?
And presented– not only yourfirst conference, but you also
(24:10):
presented at your firstconference.
Tell us your viewpoint, if youwould.
Staci (24:17):
I was actually really nervous about just presenting at
an international conference anda conference such as AVA.
And honestly, I was so excitedand overwhelmed by all the
wealth of information andknowledge that I gained while I
was there.
By trade, I am not a VascularAccess nurse, but have a lot of
(24:38):
knowledge about it.
The conference last year inArizona was phenomenal.
One of the best conferences thatI've attended in my career.
Judy (24:48):
Wow.
That's high praise
Staci (24:52):
Yes.
I specifically, I brought backto the organization, Michelle
DeVries, did I pronounce thatright?
Judy (25:01):
Chellie DeVries?
You're really close.
Staci (25:04):
I always, always mess it up.
Chellie DeVries– and she wasphenomenal just to talking about
the quality and data.
It was just absolutelyphenomenal.
There were so many goodspeakers.
I wish I could have gone to allof the sessions, but that's just
not possible.
Judy (25:23):
No, it's not.
It's really hard.
I have the same problem.
I see the three things at a timeperiod and I want to go play and
I want to go listen to everyone.
But fortunately we record everysession and we videotape almost
every session, even thebreakouts.
So, you can always go to the AVALearning Center post-conference
and check out what you missed.
(25:44):
So that's good.
Staci (25:44):
One thing that I want it to say, Judy, about the
conference, that I think I wasmost impressed with was that it
was like multidisciplinary.
So, it wasn't just about being aVascular Access nurse, it had to
do with physicians and surgeonsand Pediatrics.
You have a whole session onPediatrics, Interventional
Radiology.
There's so many differentspecialties that covers, and
(26:07):
that's what I really liked aboutit.
It was just total, it wasencompassing of different
specialties.
Judy (26:13):
I agree with you.
Thanks.
So that's kind of what grabs myattention as well.
Ramzy (26:19):
Hey, rolling into our mission!
Judy (26:23):
That multidisciplinary thing we claim we are.
And it's exciting.
It's really nice to be shoulderto shoulder with my favorite
radiologists and my favoriteinternist and then and surgeons
and respiratory therapists.
So, it's wonderful for me too.
I'm a long time AVA advocate andit's really nice to hear a
(26:44):
perspective from a new AVAadvocate.
So, we welcome you into ourgroup.
And knowing that Vascular Accessis not your specialty, can you
tell us a little bit about whatbrought you in?
Staci (26:58):
My organization had a work group that was very region
specific and the director ofinfection control and quality at
the time had this group and sheinvited me to the group and I
had no clue I was coming to thegroup.
I went to the group one time andby the next time we had a
(27:19):
meeting I was running the groupand she retired.
I don't, I don't know if it wasjust, you know how the chips
fall, but I am so thankful thatI lead this group because they
are a wonderful group ofVascular Access specialists and
we have expanded the group notjust to be in one region but to
(27:41):
multiple regions within ourhealthcare organization.
Judy (27:44):
Oh, that's wonderful.
We always talk about breakingsilos and improving patient care
and I think that's just awonderful way to do it, to bring
everybody together and get onthe same book.
Staci (27:55):
I totally agree with you.
Judy (27:57):
I love it when people say.
You just made my day.
OK, we're done.
No, we're not done.
So, I have a set of questionsI'd love to ask you– a couple of
them, we've asked each of thespeakers, so I'm going to go
over the first one that iscommon to the group of speakers
we've had for this leadershiptalk today.
So, the first one, let's go withhow important is the leadership
(28:20):
engagement regarding VascularAccess?
Staci (28:24):
Well, that's a very interesting question because as
a nurse leader, whether you'rein the C Suite or you're
managing Vascular Access, youhave to know how to lead this
particular group because theyare definitely the subject
matter experts.
You might not have all theexpertise or knowledge in that
(28:45):
area and you really depend onthem to know what they're doing.
So I think what really comesinto play is you do your basic
things, you know, checkinglicense competencies, A, B, C,
D, E, F, G, but then to reallyjust sit down and talk to them
and get to understand wheretheir challenges are, if it's
patient-related, if itsphysician-related, what is it
(29:08):
related to?
That's really important.
So I think it's important thatVascular Access nurses really,
they're a special carve out,similar to wound care nurses.
And it would be nice to see themhave their own, even though they
have their own specialty, butthroughout the nation, they're
(29:28):
seen as their own specialty asVascular Access specialists in a
separate like job category andjob code.
And just seen not just as an RNwho places PICC lines.
Judy (29:41):
Oh, great point.
And it's a great segue way tosomething that's coming to AVA,
so you've got to hold tight onthat one a little bit.
But, now a little bit differentslant on that.
Now you mentioned the work groupthat you lead, that is across
the region/nation.
(30:01):
Now, that's a Vascular Accessspecialist.
Is there a similar type group oris there collaboration amongst
the leaders of thosespecialists?
Staci (30:12):
Absolutely.
So in the region that I'm in,which is Southern California, we
have multiple leaders and we areall standardized on the same
page.
Actually, we're trying to getour other regions who have now
joined this work group or peergroup, whatever you want to call
it.
And we meet quarterly andthey're now taking our standards
(30:36):
and implementing them in theirregions.
So it is working out to become amore national group more so than
like a regional group.
Judy (30:46):
That's impressive.
Now could you tell us a littlebit of what the mission of this
team is?
Staci (30:52):
Absolutely.
Our mission initially was toimprove patient outcomes by
promoting and implementing thebest practices through evidence
based research and collaboratingthroughout the organization.
And that is our Vascular AccessDevice group's mission.
(31:14):
However, it is directly in linewith our organizations nursing
mission, which is as leaders,clinicians and researchers,
innovators and scientists, wewill, nurses will advance the
delivery of excellent,compassionate care for our
members across the continuum.
Judy (31:35):
Very nice.
Very nice.
I liked the way they dovetail toone another.
I'm going to switch gears just alittle bit.
Talking about leadership styles–how do, how do you think they
affect team dynamics?
Staci (32:23):
It affects it dramatically.
I mean, you can't have, well youcan't have an autocratic
leadership style and really makethings move and shake them up,
right?
So, you have to have more of aneye.
My leadership style is more likea servant leadership style and
which really has characteristicslike listening and awareness.
Foresight, building communitywithin the organization,
commitment to growth of others,acceptance.
Which leads intotransformational leadership
style.
Transformational leadershipstyle, as we all know, maybe
similar, it's really aboutmotivating the members through
like a shared mission or vision.
So that's what I think this isneeded for to lead a group like
this.
I think it's very important,yes, you always have tasks and
(32:46):
deadlines and different thingsthat you need to accomplish.
But really listening to otherpeople and hearing their voice
in their opinion is reallyimportant to making the group
work together and making itfunction and move towards one
goal.
Judy (33:03):
Very nice.
Now you mentioned elevatingothers and helping clinicians
grow.
Do you have suggestions forthose clinicians that might be
striving to go upward intoleadership?
Staci (33:16):
I think education is the most important thing.
If you do not have your BSN oryour masters, then please go
back to school and start workingon it.
There are so many programs outthere that can help you.
They're not expensive now.
A lot of them are very flexible.
Some are online, some are onground, but it is really
(33:37):
important to have the educationbehind your name.
If you've been a nurse 25, 30years, it's still really
important to have thateducation.
So, I would suggest that, youknow, any nurse or in any
profession elevate in educationto your highest level in your
profession.
Ramzy (33:57):
Is this a good time to mention that AVA members get 10%
off their tuition at GrandCanyon University?
Judy (34:04):
It could be.
It could be.
Ramzy (34:06):
I just wanted to check.
I'm not going to say it, I justwanted to...
Judy (34:10):
I think it's a great time to mention it.
Yeah, it could be.
It could be.
Yeah, we do.
We do have a partnership withGrand Canyon University for 10%
off tuition.
So that doesn't hurt.
Especially because tuition canbe costly.
Staci (34:26):
That is a great school and it does not hurt.
They have, for nurses they goall the way from my bachelor's
to a doctorate.
Judy (34:33):
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
So Ramzy, I know you had aquestion for Staci.
Ramzy (34:40):
I do.
I wanted to ask you, Staci,about the role of being a leader
in a crisis managementsituation, whether it's a
clinical crisis or institutionalor regarding personnel and
people management is everyonehas to deal with, you know,
small and galactic drama on adaily basis.
Is there a process you followand what sort of guidance could
(35:00):
you give our listeners?
Because it's, it's really easyto be a leader when things are
easy.
People like having the titlethat like having the notoriety,
but leaders are worth theirmettle when the sea gets choppy.
And I just wanted to hear yourthoughts on that.
Staci (35:14):
Oh, I think the sea is always choppy in healthcare
because things are alwayschanging.
I love that.
I would like to see a calm sea,but will we shall see about
that.
So, Ramzy, that's a really goodquestion.
I, you know, I think justwalking the walk and I know that
(35:36):
sounds really cliché and justtalking the talk.
You are seen as the leader, youare always on, you're always
being watched.
So, I think it's reallyimportant to just like take a
step back, assess the situation,how urgent is it and then
(35:57):
address it like you normallywould address it.
I always have a backup plan.
That's one of my keys is alwayshave a backup plan.
If I make a decision, it may notbe exactly what the right
decision, but I have a backupplan in case that doesn't work.
And I think it's reallyimportant to just like always be
authentic and be yourself andhave integrity.
Ramzy (36:17):
Wise words.
Judy (36:18):
Nicely said.
Nicely said.
Staci, I have one more questionfor you and this is another one
I've asked a couple of the otherspeakers here.
Understanding the importance ofreportable events to C Suites,
what advice can you offer tohelp executives understand how
Vascular Access specialists canactually help them achieve their
(36:41):
own organizational goals?
Staci (36:43):
Great question.
First of all, the C Suite needsto know that there is a Vascular
Access team or specialist.
That's the important thing andwhy they're so important.
So, I think it's reallyimportant for, like maybe the
CNE cause usually they fallunder the CNEs to really, make
(37:05):
sure that they're recognized andrewarded, you know, publicly and
what's going on.
It's usually you find out youhave, when you're that much of a
subject matter expert usuallyfind out when something goes
wrong but not when something isOK and goes right.
Your CLABSI rates are down, theVascular Access team and nurses
never get credit for that.
(37:25):
It's just the nurses on thefloor.
It's really important to reallyinvolve the people that need to
be involved and recognize andreward them.
So I would say just, just makingsure that they're aware how
important Vascular Accessspecialists are to the
organization.
Judy (37:44):
I agree with you wholeheartedly, but I know I've
spoken to many nursesspecifically, but clinicians,
even the respiratory therapistthat don't feel they have a
voice within C Suites They don'tfeel like there's a door to go
open.
Staci (38:04):
I think there is a voice.
It just depends on what, what,what they're looking for.
So you always have to find, I'lluse the term, a mentor or that
you can ask the question, isthis an appropriate question for
me to ask the chief nursingofficer?
Is it appropriate?
(38:25):
Is this a complaint or does itgo into a different pile?
So, when you really gather yourdata and come up with a good
business case for what you andI, I'm using business case
loosely, so not in terms ofobtaining a product, but what
are you trying to getaccomplish?
What are you asking them for?
What is the ask and make it veryclear and simple and concise to
(38:50):
them.
Then I think that's okay andthey will hear you.
It's not just, oh I need anothernurse cause I'm tired.
You've just can't go with thesimple things, you know, it has
to be, this is why we have somany cases.
Our membership has growndramatically over the last three
years.
So you want to show them thedata.
They like evidence too and theylike data also.
(39:11):
So when you show them data andevidence then it's like, oh OK.
And then it gets things that getconsidered.
Judy (39:18):
I like it.
I like it a lot.
Well Dr.
Harrison, your time is veryvaluable.
We appreciate you very much andI can't wait to see you in
Columbus.
It's going to be fun.
Speaker 8 (39:28):
I am looking forward to it.
I will be speaking yet anothertopic and we're talking about
products this time, so pleasejoin me on Saturday at, I can't
even think of the name of it butI'll be speaking with Craig
Holmes!
Judy (39:45):
I'll be there.
I'll be there.
Thanks so much.
Ramzy (40:02):
And we now continue with our leadership in Vascular
Access series.
We are joined by the Director ofClinical and Medical Affairs for
Vascular Unit at TeleflexMedical.
Her name is Amy Bardin-Spencer.
Amy, how are you doing?
Amy (40:16):
Fantastic, thanks Ramzy.
Eric (40:18):
Hi Amy, we're happy to have you on.
This has been a great discussionalready with our other invitees
and our members of this podcastand looking forward to talking
to you.
Judy (40:27):
Amy Bardin it's so good to chat with you.
I've missed seeing you all thetime lately, but this is
exciting.
I'm so excited to have aleadership series for AVA.
It's a very important topic.
So we're going to jump right in,if that's OK with you.
Amy (40:46):
OK by me.
Judy (40:48):
Perfect.
So, we've asked each participanttwo common questions.
So we're going to start withthis one: How important is
leadership engagement withinVascular Access?
Amy (41:00):
Wow, Judy, that's a great question.
So leadership engagement inVascular Access.
So in the, in the world rightnow, Vascular Access and
hospitals that are looking toreduce waste and time and cost
because of either healthcarepenalties or poor performance in
other areas in the hospital.
(41:21):
Leadership engagement inVascular Access is the ultimate
importance, meaning thatleadership needs to know who you
are.
Leadership needs to know whatyou're responsible for, but
probably most importantly,leadership needs to know how you
help them make the hospitalperform better.
And I think that's where some ofour Vascular Access teams, we
(41:42):
could do better.
We could show better, we couldinvolve more and we could get to
know our leadership as well asmuch as we want them to get to
know us.
Judy (41:51):
I agree entirely.
Now how can teams shareproductivity with their
leadership?
Amy (41:57):
So, every team that does Vascular Access today and
actually any procedural team inthe hospital is required by
several different associations,whether it be INS or SHEA, to
track their metrics andbenchmark their value and their
worth.
So first, just benchmarking whatyou're doing.
You might not be expanding, youmight not be doing something new
(42:19):
or different than the hospitaldown the street.
But understanding justspecifically one, what your
staffing needs to be because ofyour benchmarks, what your
patient outcomes are because ofyour benchmarks, and when you
bring in new equipment orproduct or even trial, the
requirement to reestablish thosebenchmarks and to always be
looking at yourself, your ownteam to see where and whether
(42:41):
you should or need to improve.
So, I guess the first place Iwould start is showing the
hospital leadership and sharingthe benchmarks.
So how are my benchmarks goingto help you do your job more
effectively?
And how are these benchmarks,how can they be moved or changed
based on what we decide to bringin as a team to the hospital to
(43:02):
change patient outcome?
And I'll say one thing (43:03):
the leadership should never be
surprised that your team istrying to positively impact
patient outcome.
You should share your value,show your worth and have them
involved in all of thosedecisions.
And sometimes you need them tohelp you, especially in
purchasing and other areas inthe hospital to bring in that
better, more superior productfor patient outcome.
Judy (43:25):
I agree with you that sharing this information.
Giving these teams to sharetheir productivity.
The importance cannot beoverstated on that.
I get called frequently about'myteam is being minimized now.
We are cutting budget, we'recutting people were cutting the
(43:46):
team.' So some of these thingsyou're talking about right now
play right into that point.
They don't know who theirVascular team is and what
they're doing for them.
Amy (43:56):
Yeah.
Judy, you know, on that, on thatpoint I also get a lot of calls
and I get a lot of calls where Italk through what teams can do
and how to help for you to findthemselves and the teams that
are being cut, if I couldsummarize it and not to, not to
minimize it, but to summarizeit, they haven't been involved
(44:19):
as much as they could be withadministration and, and that
messaging of showing theirvalue.
I have to just remind you ofthis like, a hospital acquired
or hospital associatedinfection, that the hospital
receives, the smaller thehospital one matters one, one
one matters.
So, if those little teams, causethat's who is being disbanded
(44:41):
right now.
It's not the great big teamsthat are working around the
clock that are providing a lotof services.
It's the teams that arestruggling to get two to three
FTEs to establish a greatpractice.
So, what they have to do is showthe value that they do have,
show the value of having aninside hospital team versus an
external team because that'ssome of the direction and also
(45:02):
show the value of therelationships that you have, the
clinical team has with thevascular access team and what
that might look like if that wasto go away.
I think that sometimes justhaving that dialogue and having
it early before the decision'salready been made is more
effective than trying to have itway late in the game.
Judy (45:20):
Well said.
Let's talk a little bit aboutteam recognition.
So, why would it be important– Ithink this is kind of a slam
dunk a little bit here, but– therecognition of a team plays
right into what we just talkedabout.
But talk more a little bit aboutwhy it's important for teams to
be recognized within thehospital.
Amy (45:39):
Yeah.
I always say this little phraseright: There is no I in team,
but there is one in silo.
It is really hard for a team toget recognized when people don't
realize you're established.
So, I think recognition,reiterate, as healthcare
providers, we're all trying todo the right thing.
We're all there for the rightreason and we go into segmented
(46:02):
care such as vascular accessbecause we have a true desire
and passion to be in it.
And I'm going to ask, I'm gonnachallenge you to view that
listens to this.
I want you to recognize eachother.
I want you to tell one of yourcolleagues or peers how grateful
you are to have them on yourteam.
I also want you to recognizethough, when you have a team
(46:22):
that's really dynamic and goingand going, going, how to
identify the next you becauseone, you want to be recognized
and you want to be a recognizer.
Two, you want to work withleadership and make sure that
they know you and you, thatmeans that the person that you
hire and bring on to your teamis somebody that you would put
in front of your leadership.
I mean, think of that when you,when you bring on your next team
(46:44):
member, and we always say trainfor attitude, hire for success.
I can't say that more becausewhen we get recognized in the
hospital, it's not a lot of thetime, I would have to say it's
under, we're under appreciatedjust a little bit.
But when you help yourleadership to the common goal
and you create a true teamenvironment and you're flexible
(47:08):
and you attempt to say yes morethan you attempt to say no, that
recognition comes naturally andit comes naturally from several
different layers of thehospital.
Judy (47:17):
I want, I'd love for you to give out just an Amy
Bardin-ism, a little nugget ofpersonal advice to all the
vascular folks out there.
Amy (47:27):
So I guess my nugget is, I know this might sound, this
might sound a little different,but my nugget is to try to do
more with less because doingmore with less, will get you
more.
And I say that and I don't wantyou to think of a scenario.
OK (47:44):
So you have a long clinical day.
Every Vascular Access Devicematters and every single patient
matters.
And if you, it is an honor todayas a Vascular Access specialist
to be selected, to be put on ateam, to place the device in a
patient that could or could notcause them harm.
Respect that, take thatownership like it's your own
family member, which I know mostof us all do, and try to get
(48:07):
there sooner than you can.
Try to say yes more often thannot.
Try to offer yourself toleadership to say, what else can
we do to make you look better?
What else can we do to make thishospital better?
How can we stay a team withinthis organization?
Judy (48:21):
I like that a lot, almost as much as I like, well I'd love
your nugget, but the silo.
The I in silo.
I did like that one too.
I've got another question foryou.
Eric (48:33):
Well, it sounds like, what you're mentioning Amy is being a
leader in your own right.
Obviously, we all look to theleaders in our life, but, in
your own situations wheresituation or problems arise or
crisis or anything like that,you sometimes have to be a
leader in your own right.
And to show what you weretalking about before show your
worth and the need to have youon this team and to have a team
(48:56):
in general.
Amy (48:59):
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
I think that, I think thatsometimes, we take having the
job for granted, but it's havinga purpose, right?
You know, we say that a lot.
Find your purpose and if yourpurpose is to be on a Vascular
Access team, then your purposeis to help the better good of
the healthcare organization.
So, and I think that's where we,where we don't do that.
(49:20):
You know, we think of it's justus.
But in your own right, you'rethe leader.
A lot of the time you make orbreak the patient's scenario or
situation and with all the newdevice algorithms, you are the
king leader now.
You get to make the choice basedon your assessment.
That's you.
That's you doing that.
Judy (49:40):
Thank goodness.
So we're going to end on this.
The final question here, andthis is another question I'm
asking all the panelists (49:46):
So, understanding the importance of
reportable events to our CSuite, what advice can you offer
the C Suite help them understandhow the Vascular Access
specialist can help them achievethe organizational goals?
Amy (49:59):
That's a great question, Judy.
So, I think it's important thatwe understand as Vascular Access
specialists, that not everybodyunderstands what we do.
And I think the best way toreiterate to leadership in a
healthcare organization that'sin the C Suite that has hospital
acquired conditions as their No.
1 driving force that you takethem by the hand and that you
(50:20):
take them around with you andthat you round together and that
you grab infection preventionand you talked through what your
goals are, what your ambitionsfor your team is and what you're
doing to help the overall planof the hospital.
I think that when you show aninterest in what they're doing
and they have time to see and beinterested in what you are
doing, the collaboration comestogether and I do believe that
(50:43):
the best vascular access teamshave the hand of the leadership,
the ear of infection prevention,they have a phone call away from
the pharmacy team and it's verymuch a team today is not just
the team that you work with thathas insures the cart and the
ultrasound machine.
You have a lot more team memberswithin your hospital that you're
impacting every day.
Judy (51:03):
You make me smile when I talk to you.
It's empowering.
And I can't thank you enough forbeing on our podcast with us.
You are a leader in thisVascular Access field.
We're in.
And before we let you go, I knowyou're coming to our national
conference and you're speaking.
Can you tell me a little bitabout your session?
Amy (51:23):
Yeah.
So this year I am focused on thepre-con sessions and we're
having I believe it's our fourthyear for the procedural cadaver
lab.
And I really put a lot of timeand dedication into this session
because there's some'aha'moments that I think that as
Vascular Access specialists welearn as we attend hands on
(51:44):
simulation experiences.
So, this year we've increasedthe ultrasound assessment
station to where the attendeeswill really learn needling
because that's one thing thatwhen you're going for a large
target area, don't realize thatwhen you go for the peripheral
space and the hand or in thelower part of the arm, that the
skill that's required a littlebit differently than maybe when
(52:07):
we're placing a peripherallyinserted central catheter or
even an IJ catheter.
And then we, having access tocadaveric tissue and really
sharing and showing the anatomyis something that we don't have
enough time always to do.
Have a great group of facultycoming in and we really look
(52:27):
forward to engaging with a newgroup of Vascular Access
specialist we hope in Columbus.
I hope to have a really greattime and I'm looking to forward
to attending sessions andlearning this year from
attendees as they've learnedfrom me in the past years.
Judy (52:44):
Me as well.
Now I know I've been, I've beenthe cadaver lab.
I've taught in a few cadaverlabs, or procedure labs should
say, most of the attendees thatwalk out walk out with starry
eyes.
One, about the respect that'sshown who to the cadaveric
tissue that's there.
Amy (53:03):
Yes.
Judy (53:04):
But the learning experience that people get in
that lab is bar none.
So, I'm excited about having youguys back to the procedural lab,
excited to see you and can'twait to see you in Columbus.
Thank you so much.
Amy (53:22):
Thank you for having me.
This episode of the ISAVE That Podcast is made possible by The
Clinician Exchange.
The Connection Exchange is thehealthcare industry's hub for
clinical education services,providing a suite of clinical
support resources from thevirtual classroom to the
bedside.
To get started, go towww.theclinx.com.
That's w w w dot the c l i n xdot com.
(00:32):
From the Association forVascular Access, this is the
ISAVE That Podcast.
Ramzy (00:40):
Season 1, Episode 6 of the ISAVE That Podcast.
This is Ramzy Nasrallah.
I'm joined by JAVAEditor-In-Chief and AVA Director
of Communications, Eric Seger aswell as AVA's Director of
Clinical Education, JudyThompson.
Judy, this is the leadershipepisode of the podcast.
What does that mean?
Judy (01:01):
That means that we're gonna be talking about how
leadership affects VascularAccess and how Vascular Access
affects leadership.
We have 3 amazing speakers onthis podcast.
Dr.
Lorelle Wuerz, Doctor StacyHarrison, and Amy Bardin, who is
working to finish up herdoctorate, all speaking on
(01:22):
different aspects of leadershipand Vascular Access.
Eric (01:25):
It sounds like we have quite a bit to get to and we'll
go ahead and dive right in tothat right after the break.
Stay tuned.
Ramzy (01:38):
The Clinician Exchange is the industry's first
tech-enabled crowdsourcingplatform connecting the
expertise of clinicians aroundthe world with med tech
companies seeking to enhancetheir clinical support and
educational capabilities.
They've developed themultidisciplinary network of
clinicians who want to advancehealthcare by enhancing the way
med tech organizations interactwith their customers.
If you're interested in learningmore about how you can further
(02:00):
advanced healthcare whilegetting personal incentives
beyond visit www.theclinx.com ww w dot t h e c l i n x dot com
and exchange your expertise.
Eric (02:18):
And we're happy to be joined by Dr Lorelle Wuerz from
New York Presbyterian Hospitaland individual with years of
experience in the VascularAccess specialty and recently
she's taken on more of aleadership role at her
institution.
Lorelle, how are you?
Lorelle (02:32):
I'm wonderful, Eric.
Thank you.
Thanks for having me.
Eric (02:35):
Absolutely.
We're happy you were able tojoin us today.
Ramzy (02:38):
Hey, Lorelle!
Lorelle (02:38):
Hi, this is great.
I'm excited.
Judy (02:42):
It's going to be fun.
Lorelle this is Judy Thompson aswell.
So we have Ramzy, myself, Eric,and you.
But we're excited to have you onthis.
We are doing a bit of a serieson leadership and how it relates
to Vascular Access.
And I know you've had a bevy ofdifferent jobs and been a
specialist in Vascular Access,involved in AVA for many years,
(03:04):
but, what's been going on withyou of recent?
Congratulations on yourdoctorate and your new position.
Lorelle (03:11):
Thank you so much.
Yes, so I've been in nursing forquite a while.
A lot of those years in VascularAccess since 2005.
And the large part of it is, hasin Vascular Access, but on the
leadership side of things and aswell as managing Aascular
access, different areas ofnursing.
So I've had a lot of, you know,kind of great experience on the
(03:34):
inpatient side of nursing, aswell as some of the outpatient
arena.
But just recently I had a reallyexciting opportunity in New York
Presbyterian to join thecorporate leadership team and
really look more globally at thediscipline of nursing and
(03:55):
professionalism across ourenterprise and how we can
standardize and innovate andintegrate nursing care across a
really large academic medicalteaching center in New York
City.
And so I just started this rolea couple of months ago and I'm
(04:15):
kind of really immersed in thedetails and getting to know
everybody, but it's been really,really fantastic.
And giving me a different sideof leadership and how senior
leaders can really influencehealth care and patient
outcomes.
Judy (04:30):
That sounds so exciting and I think knowing you and your
energy and enthusiasm, you're aperfect fit.
It sounds wonderful.
Lorelle (04:41):
Yeah, I'm excited.
Judy (04:42):
That's great.
So, we have a few questions foryou.
Now there's two questions thatwe're asking each of the
participants that have beenspeaking on this.
And then there's a couple thatwe've set up specifically for
you.
So one of the questions thatwe've asked everyone is, how
important is leadershipengagement in regard to Vascular
(05:02):
Access?
Lorelle (05:04):
Gee, leadership engagement is important in all
areas of healthcare, right?
I'd say it extends beyondleadership engagement to an
engagement of all healthcareproviders regardless of your
role or your title, right?
Conceptually, I think, and Ithink we know that engagement is
(05:26):
linked to empowerment and jobsatisfaction and how people are
involved in their jobs.
And their are organizationalcommitment.
All of that is linked.
And well-versed leaders knowthat.
They understand that and staffwho are engaged in their work
exhibit passion and commitmentand, and this willingness to
(05:48):
invest in themselves that thentranslates to an organization's
success and helps theorganization overall succeed.
And it's more important thanever, for frontline nurses be
engaged in their work andcommitted to the organization's
mission.
They have to be capable ofdelivering like this world class
(06:09):
high-quality care in a complexand constantly changing
environment, right?
And so Vascular Access, in myopinion, is one area that's
often overlooked.
Although if you think about it,it affects almost all patients
admitted in the inpatientsetting and nearly every single
patient in your hospital and aninpatient bed has some type of
(06:33):
vascular access device.
Sometimes we don't think thistopic is so important.
It blows my mind.
Vascular Access, it can berather basic.
Yet, it's critical for patientcare in both the hospital and
ambulatory patient settings.
And so leadership engagement andVascular Access are very much
(06:53):
interconnected.
Judy (07:05):
I couldn't agree more on that.
Now, let's step it up one morestep: How does executive
leadership affect a VascularAccess team?
Lorelle (07:06):
Executive leadership is, you know, I'll answer this
as a nurse leader in healthcareinstitutions.
So this is my lens of, you know,the professional discipline of
nursing and nurses in general,right?
And we all say this, I'm almostsick of hearing myself say it,
but it's true (07:21):
Healthcare is rapidly changing and it's
growing in complexity, right?
I mean, I hear it every day.
But it's so true.
And this necessitates that allcare providers collaborate in
this interdisciplinary type offashion and they're maximizing
their efficiency and whounderstands that better than
(07:44):
nurses?
Nurses are the largest group ofhealthcare professionals in the
hospital and they're the leaderson the front lines.
They're the ones doing thepatient care all day long.
System executive nurse leaders,bring a unique perspective and
increasingly valuableperspective to champion the
(08:06):
efforts of these bedside nursesfrom various areas including
vascular access.
And that'll translate from thebedside to the top of the
leadership ladder.
The role of the nurse executive,interestingly enough I think has
evolved and it used to befocused all on nurse services
and now it's a broaderaccountability of patient care
(08:29):
services across the healthcarecontinuum.
And the expansion of that roleand responsibilities positions a
nurse executive as a member ofthe senior leadership team more
so now than it ever did.
Judy (08:41):
I agree.
I agree.
Now, let's flip that around alittle bit.
What can the Vascular AccessSpecialist provide to the
executive team to help thatleadership make decisions that
support best patient care andthe Vascular Access Specialists
itself?
Lorelle (08:59):
So, the Vascular Access Specialist is going to provide
something to the executive team.
I think whenever a staff nurseis going to go to a leader or an
executive leader, even more so,you gotta be prepared.
You got to do your homework.
It's all about the data and theresearch and so Vascular Access
to clinicians should do theirhomework and come prepared, but
(09:22):
they got to share the evidenceavailable on a topic of interest
that supports their creativeideas and their passions, right?
If there's no evidence, then youneed to do your own homework
first.
Do you need to do your ownresearch, present preliminary
outcomes of data that youcollected or trials that you've
done on a smaller level,presenting that in a factual
(09:45):
manner to senior leadership willgain their support.
So, what you don't want to do,do not go to nursing leadership
or senior leaders with vagueideas or opinions or ideas
generated off of like'the way welike to do it' or'the way we've
done it for years.' That will gonowhere.
Nursing needs to bolster theirprofessionalism and professional
(10:10):
behaviors.
And you know what that includes?
That includes the developmentuse and evaluation of research
as well as theory in yourpractice.
So, I'm going to say if aVascular Access Specialist wants
to be heard, be succinct,prepared, do your homework, have
the data and research to supportyour point of view.
Judy (10:32):
Absolutely.
In fact to make your point, Idid something similar back in
the day.
I came in with a problem.
I came in with data.
I came in with a solution, apossible solution which took
about three minutes.
Very succinct.
(10:54):
And coming in with that kind ofinformation exactly the way that
you mentioned it is reallyeffective and understandable.
But data (11:03):
data is really important, as well.
Like you said, don't come inwith your theory.
Or just a problem I believe.
I think we need more than justthe problem.
Lorelle (11:16):
Right.
You said the keyword (11:17):
Solutions.
Possible solutions.
That's the key.
Judy (11:21):
Exactly.
Exactly.
So, what steps, if you had aVascular Access Specialist that
is practicing right now, whatsteps would you recommend that
they take to possibly advancetheir career?
Lorelle (11:38):
For me, I think always it's all about investing in your
education.
Be a lifelong learner, right?
Education can be done lots ofdifferent ways.
Some are formal, some are lessformal, like you know, degree
programs.
Even get certified in aspecialized nursing program and
(11:58):
you have to pick which option isbest for you at whatever point
in your career and personallife.
Like we have to have work-lifebalance, right?
Your personal and work life needto be married together well at
the same time.
But,, you know, formal educationis definitely one way to keep
that education rolling.
Another is seekingcertification.
(12:18):
So certification is superimportant to your
professionalism in thediscipline of nursing.
Professional nurses demonstratetheir commitment to nursing and
their career in thecertification process.
The American NursesCredentialing Center supports
lots of different nursingrelated certification programs
(12:41):
that can help you advance inyour career.
And it's your choice.
It's the nurse's choice toadvance their career and that
can potentially prove yourability to provide the best
possible patient care.
That's why you want to increaseyour knowledge base and your
education, right?
So you can apply it to yourpractice.
And specifically a VascularAccess clinician should look
(13:03):
into the Vascular Access BoardCertification™, I'm Vascular
Access Board Certified.
I think anybody who's in theVascular Access arena, this is
invaluable.
The certification exams, it'sthe standard, right for our
basic knowledge skills and theabilities, the things that we're
expected to know asprofessionals working in
(13:24):
Vascular Access.
And it's offered through AVA,through our organization,
through the Association forVascular Access through VACC,
the Vascular AccessCredentialing Center.
So, I think formal education isone.
I think certification isanother.
You know, what else I think?
I don't think that we usementors enough.
(13:44):
I think, I highly recommendhaving a formal mentor.
Throughout my career I've alwayshad a mentor and it's not that
difficult to find one.
Nurses should just take a look,identify someone who they feel
comfortable with or who theyconsider a role model and start
developing that mentor-menteerelationship.
(14:04):
There's formal mentoringprograms, but there's also
informal ways to do it.
You could join like a researchgroup or journal club or
volunteer on a special projectand that's a great avenue to
meet people who could mentoryou.
Just pick a date, talk to them,ask if you could meet on a
regular basis to start thatmentoring relationship.
(14:27):
Let's see.
Advancing yourself as aclinician, you know, what else
is key to your professionalism?
Is participation in aprofessional organization.
One like AVA, right?
I highly recommend VascularAccess Specialist.
Again, not only to havecertification, but be involved
with AVA because of all thebenefits of being a member.
(14:48):
Then we have our scientificmeeting year.
We have a network of people whoare other experts.
You could meet other VascularAccess clinicians.
You get the journal, the Journalof the Association for Vascular
Access.
I read that, every journal thatcomes out, I still read it.
Access to other industryexperts.
(15:11):
The Intravascular Quarterly–love that, that publication just
got freshened up and I love it.
They're all invaluable.
Eric (15:17):
Thanks, Lorelle! I appreciate that.
Lorelle (15:17):
Yeah, Eric! Shoutout!
Ramzy (15:29):
Always good to shout out the editor of the journal you're
referring to.
Lorelle (15:32):
Yeah.
Right.
Exactly.
Judy (15:36):
You and I both belong to kind of a handful of
professional organizations.
Not just AVA– I love it.
I love the Association forVascular Access.
Because, we just can't be insilos.
We don't, Vascular Accessdoesn't live on an island.
I belong to APIC, ONS, INS.
There's many organizations thatare part of my bevy of
(15:58):
professional organizations thatI need to understand and be
with, so I agree with you onevery point you made on that.
I think that those are wonderfulpoints on advancement for
careers.
So thanks.
Those are good.
Ramzy (16:13):
Hey Lorelle, I have a question for you.
Lorelle (16:14):
Yeah.
Ramzy (16:16):
Your career has really taken off as you've worked your
way up at Presby in New YorkCity, in an environment that's
filled with very strongpersonalities, not just a lot of
people, but a lot of people whoinsist on being heard.
And I'm just wondering how as aleader in an organization that
complex and that visible, haveyou been able to manage and
(16:38):
mediate when there have beentimes of crisis or disagreement
and how you can advance yourteam, several teams to getting
past what might be a significantbump in the road, to get back to
your mission?
Lorelle (16:54):
Yeah, I mean, I think it goes back to the basics.
None of this is really likerocket science.
For me as a leader, it's aboutlistening, right?
I mean truly listening, which isso hard to do.
I practice it myself every day.
I still don't think I'm a greatlistener yet.
I tried to be better listenerevery day, but listening and
(17:16):
when you've got differentopinions and points of view,
well, isn't that valuablethough?
That is super important in termsof coming to the best solution
because the more people you haveat the table and the more
opinions you have, the betterthe possible solution.
It's up to the leader, though,to take the emotion out of it,
(17:36):
right?
To really understand the vision,the goal, where you're headed
and in healthcare that is alsovery simple.
We all went the same thing.
We want to do the best for ourpatients, right?
Putting patients first, makingpatients centric to our care and
(17:57):
offering the best possiblequality care.
Nobody wants to debate on thatin healthcare.
So, you could get a ton ofpeople with difference of
opinions, but when the end goalis the same and you can get
everybody in the room to agreethat that end goal is the same,
having different opinions andheated discussions actually
makes your solution better, inmy opinion.
(18:18):
It's up to the leader to mediatethat, to filter out the emotion
and make sure you're getting allthe best information to come up
with best solutions.
That takes time and you buildthat over time and practice and
stuff like that.
But, that's in my opinion, it'snot really that complex.
It goes back to the simplestuff: Listening, having a goal
(18:42):
and collaborating.
Judy (18:49):
You make it sound so simple.
It does! It sounds so simple.
Because, in my brain, I'mthinking,'OK, you come the table
you have a complex concern andin your brain you might have
something you think will workand someone comes up with
another idea that you would passas yours or it's a totally
different idea.
How do you personally draw youremotion back enough that you can
(19:11):
listen and open it up?
Lorelle (19:14):
No, that's up to leader to mediate that because as you
know, and you set the tonebefore a meeting like that,
that's going to be that strewnwith emotion and opinion and
kind of high stakesconversations.
You set the tone in thosemeetings before you even get
started by saying, hey, youknow, one of the things that my
organization really is strong ona respect, we have a respect
(19:36):
credo.
And before I would start ameeting like that, I would
remind everybody about therespect credo, about the fact
that we all want the same endgoal, right?
And, and that we're all reallybrilliant, you know, healthcare
professionals and to rememberthat in our discussion.
Sometimes as the leader when itgets heated you have to remind
people.
(19:57):
You validate their opinions andyou make sure that everybody
else understands the facts ofwhat they've just said and then
you keep moving on But youcan't, you have to take out the
nasty comments or the digs, orthings like that.
And you have to call people outon that as the mediator of a
meeting.
You can't condone that.
And if you don't address it,you're condoning it.
Judy (20:21):
Yeah.
That's great advice.
OK, I've got one final questionfor you before we wrap this up.
I just want to be cognitive ofyour time.
I know you're a very busy woman.
Understanding the importance ofreportable events to the
C-Suites.
What advice can you offer theexecutive to help them
understand how the VascularAccess Specialist can help them
(20:42):
actually achieve theorganizational goals?
Lorelle (20:47):
First, the Vascular Access Specialist needs to know
what the organization's goalsare, right?
So you gotta be familiar withwhat are the priorities for the
organization.
But it's safe to say if notmost, all organization's goals
include quality metrics andthey're looking to improve
patient care and outcomes.
Right?
I mean that's what we do.
We want to do no harm, zero harminitiatives.
(21:08):
These are paramount inhealthcare right now.
It's an obvious priority to savelives and this is aligned with
so many national, initiatives.
And I say that CLABSI– centralline-associated blood stream
infections, has one of thelargest impacts on an
organization right now.
It has become a high priorityfor senior leaders.
(21:30):
And that's because of itsrelationship not only to patient
mortality, but also toreimbursement structures and how
they're shifting now to outcomebased or value-based purchasing
models, as well as the impact onthe organization's reputation.
It's kind of like a triplewhammy here.
CLABSI is going to hit you onall three areas and your data
(21:53):
gets publicly reported.
So, there's your reputationagain.
But Vascular Access clinicianscan show their engagement,
they've gotta be aligned withthose goals and they got to know
what their contributions are.
That helps them, understandtheir value and be clear on the
research and yes, to supportbest practices and present those
(22:15):
ideas and solutions like yousaid before to collaborate with
leaders.
They can contribute to theorganization's goals.
That stems from the insertion ofcatheters all the way through to
care and maintenance.
So the life cycle of a VascularAccess Device.
But I think that's really whereit's at and being aligned and
(22:37):
engaged and contributing towardorganization goals.
Judy (22:43):
Well said.
Thank you so much.
You've been wonderful, Dr.
Wuerz.
Thank you so much for your time.
Lorelle (22:58):
Thank you so much for having me!
Eric (22:58):
Thank you, Lorelle!
Judy (22:58):
Have a great day! And we'll see you in about 2 weeks.
Lorelle (23:03):
Yes, love it.
Can't wait.
Eric (23:12):
It is our honor to be joined by Dr.
Staci Harrison, the ClinicalRegional Director of MedSurge
and Critical Care of herhealtcare system to continue our
discussion on leadership andVascular Access.
Staci, thanks for joining us.
How are you?
Staci (23:25):
I'm wonderful.
How are you?
Eric (23:27):
Great.
I'm here with Judy Thompson,AVA's Director of Clinical
Education as well as AVA CEORamzy Nasrallah, who I know you
know well.
Ramzy (23:37):
Hi, Staci.
Staci (23:39):
Hi, Ramzy.
Hi, Judy.
Judy (23:40):
Hi, guys.
Great to have you on.
Thank you so much for agreeingto talk with us and be on our
podcast on leadership today.
Staci (23:48):
I'm excited to be here.
Judy (23:49):
Well, we're excited to have you.
Before we get into our interviewquestions, wanted to talk to you
a little bit about yourengagement with AVA and what
it's like to be a part of AVAnow, because I know you came to
your first AVA conference lastyear?
And presented– not only yourfirst conference, but you also
(24:10):
presented at your firstconference.
Tell us your viewpoint, if youwould.
Staci (24:17):
I was actually really nervous about just presenting at
an international conference anda conference such as AVA.
And honestly, I was so excitedand overwhelmed by all the
wealth of information andknowledge that I gained while I
was there.
By trade, I am not a VascularAccess nurse, but have a lot of
(24:38):
knowledge about it.
The conference last year inArizona was phenomenal.
One of the best conferences thatI've attended in my career.
Judy (24:48):
Wow.
That's high praise
Staci (24:52):
Yes.
I specifically, I brought backto the organization, Michelle
DeVries, did I pronounce thatright?
Judy (25:01):
Chellie DeVries?
You're really close.
Staci (25:04):
I always, always mess it up.
Chellie DeVries– and she wasphenomenal just to talking about
the quality and data.
It was just absolutelyphenomenal.
There were so many goodspeakers.
I wish I could have gone to allof the sessions, but that's just
not possible.
Judy (25:23):
No, it's not.
It's really hard.
I have the same problem.
I see the three things at a timeperiod and I want to go play and
I want to go listen to everyone.
But fortunately we record everysession and we videotape almost
every session, even thebreakouts.
So, you can always go to the AVALearning Center post-conference
and check out what you missed.
(25:44):
So that's good.
Staci (25:44):
One thing that I want it to say, Judy, about the
conference, that I think I wasmost impressed with was that it
was like multidisciplinary.
So, it wasn't just about being aVascular Access nurse, it had to
do with physicians and surgeonsand Pediatrics.
You have a whole session onPediatrics, Interventional
Radiology.
There's so many differentspecialties that covers, and
(26:07):
that's what I really liked aboutit.
It was just total, it wasencompassing of different
specialties.
Judy (26:13):
I agree with you.
Thanks.
So that's kind of what grabs myattention as well.
Ramzy (26:19):
Hey, rolling into our mission!
Judy (26:23):
That multidisciplinary thing we claim we are.
And it's exciting.
It's really nice to be shoulderto shoulder with my favorite
radiologists and my favoriteinternist and then and surgeons
and respiratory therapists.
So, it's wonderful for me too.
I'm a long time AVA advocate andit's really nice to hear a
(26:44):
perspective from a new AVAadvocate.
So, we welcome you into ourgroup.
And knowing that Vascular Accessis not your specialty, can you
tell us a little bit about whatbrought you in?
Staci (26:58):
My organization had a work group that was very region
specific and the director ofinfection control and quality at
the time had this group and sheinvited me to the group and I
had no clue I was coming to thegroup.
I went to the group one time andby the next time we had a
(27:19):
meeting I was running the groupand she retired.
I don't, I don't know if it wasjust, you know how the chips
fall, but I am so thankful thatI lead this group because they
are a wonderful group ofVascular Access specialists and
we have expanded the group notjust to be in one region but to
(27:41):
multiple regions within ourhealthcare organization.
Judy (27:44):
Oh, that's wonderful.
We always talk about breakingsilos and improving patient care
and I think that's just awonderful way to do it, to bring
everybody together and get onthe same book.
Staci (27:55):
I totally agree with you.
Judy (27:57):
I love it when people say.
You just made my day.
OK, we're done.
No, we're not done.
So, I have a set of questionsI'd love to ask you– a couple of
them, we've asked each of thespeakers, so I'm going to go
over the first one that iscommon to the group of speakers
we've had for this leadershiptalk today.
So, the first one, let's go withhow important is the leadership
(28:20):
engagement regarding VascularAccess?
Staci (28:24):
Well, that's a very interesting question because as
a nurse leader, whether you'rein the C Suite or you're
managing Vascular Access, youhave to know how to lead this
particular group because theyare definitely the subject
matter experts.
You might not have all theexpertise or knowledge in that
(28:45):
area and you really depend onthem to know what they're doing.
So I think what really comesinto play is you do your basic
things, you know, checkinglicense competencies, A, B, C,
D, E, F, G, but then to reallyjust sit down and talk to them
and get to understand wheretheir challenges are, if it's
patient-related, if itsphysician-related, what is it
(29:08):
related to?
That's really important.
So I think it's important thatVascular Access nurses really,
they're a special carve out,similar to wound care nurses.
And it would be nice to see themhave their own, even though they
have their own specialty, butthroughout the nation, they're
(29:28):
seen as their own specialty asVascular Access specialists in a
separate like job category andjob code.
And just seen not just as an RNwho places PICC lines.
Judy (29:41):
Oh, great point.
And it's a great segue way tosomething that's coming to AVA,
so you've got to hold tight onthat one a little bit.
But, now a little bit differentslant on that.
Now you mentioned the work groupthat you lead, that is across
the region/nation.
(30:01):
Now, that's a Vascular Accessspecialist.
Is there a similar type group oris there collaboration amongst
the leaders of thosespecialists?
Staci (30:12):
Absolutely.
So in the region that I'm in,which is Southern California, we
have multiple leaders and we areall standardized on the same
page.
Actually, we're trying to getour other regions who have now
joined this work group or peergroup, whatever you want to call
it.
And we meet quarterly andthey're now taking our standards
(30:36):
and implementing them in theirregions.
So it is working out to become amore national group more so than
like a regional group.
Judy (30:46):
That's impressive.
Now could you tell us a littlebit of what the mission of this
team is?
Staci (30:52):
Absolutely.
Our mission initially was toimprove patient outcomes by
promoting and implementing thebest practices through evidence
based research and collaboratingthroughout the organization.
And that is our Vascular AccessDevice group's mission.
(31:14):
However, it is directly in linewith our organizations nursing
mission, which is as leaders,clinicians and researchers,
innovators and scientists, wewill, nurses will advance the
delivery of excellent,compassionate care for our
members across the continuum.
Judy (31:35):
Very nice.
Very nice.
I liked the way they dovetail toone another.
I'm going to switch gears just alittle bit.
Talking about leadership styles–how do, how do you think they
affect team dynamics?
Staci (32:23):
It affects it dramatically.
I mean, you can't have, well youcan't have an autocratic
leadership style and really makethings move and shake them up,
right?
So, you have to have more of aneye.
My leadership style is more likea servant leadership style and
which really has characteristicslike listening and awareness.
Foresight, building communitywithin the organization,
commitment to growth of others,acceptance.
Which leads intotransformational leadership
style.
Transformational leadershipstyle, as we all know, maybe
similar, it's really aboutmotivating the members through
like a shared mission or vision.
So that's what I think this isneeded for to lead a group like
this.
I think it's very important,yes, you always have tasks and
(32:46):
deadlines and different thingsthat you need to accomplish.
But really listening to otherpeople and hearing their voice
in their opinion is reallyimportant to making the group
work together and making itfunction and move towards one
goal.
Judy (33:03):
Very nice.
Now you mentioned elevatingothers and helping clinicians
grow.
Do you have suggestions forthose clinicians that might be
striving to go upward intoleadership?
Staci (33:16):
I think education is the most important thing.
If you do not have your BSN oryour masters, then please go
back to school and start workingon it.
There are so many programs outthere that can help you.
They're not expensive now.
A lot of them are very flexible.
Some are online, some are onground, but it is really
(33:37):
important to have the educationbehind your name.
If you've been a nurse 25, 30years, it's still really
important to have thateducation.
So, I would suggest that, youknow, any nurse or in any
profession elevate in educationto your highest level in your
profession.
Ramzy (33:57):
Is this a good time to mention that AVA members get 10%
off their tuition at GrandCanyon University?
Judy (34:04):
It could be.
It could be.
Ramzy (34:06):
I just wanted to check.
I'm not going to say it, I justwanted to...
Judy (34:10):
I think it's a great time to mention it.
Yeah, it could be.
It could be.
Yeah, we do.
We do have a partnership withGrand Canyon University for 10%
off tuition.
So that doesn't hurt.
Especially because tuition canbe costly.
Staci (34:26):
That is a great school and it does not hurt.
They have, for nurses they goall the way from my bachelor's
to a doctorate.
Judy (34:33):
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
So Ramzy, I know you had aquestion for Staci.
Ramzy (34:40):
I do.
I wanted to ask you, Staci,about the role of being a leader
in a crisis managementsituation, whether it's a
clinical crisis or institutionalor regarding personnel and
people management is everyonehas to deal with, you know,
small and galactic drama on adaily basis.
Is there a process you followand what sort of guidance could
(35:00):
you give our listeners?
Because it's, it's really easyto be a leader when things are
easy.
People like having the titlethat like having the notoriety,
but leaders are worth theirmettle when the sea gets choppy.
And I just wanted to hear yourthoughts on that.
Staci (35:14):
Oh, I think the sea is always choppy in healthcare
because things are alwayschanging.
I love that.
I would like to see a calm sea,but will we shall see about
that.
So, Ramzy, that's a really goodquestion.
I, you know, I think justwalking the walk and I know that
(35:36):
sounds really cliché and justtalking the talk.
You are seen as the leader, youare always on, you're always
being watched.
So, I think it's reallyimportant to just like take a
step back, assess the situation,how urgent is it and then
(35:57):
address it like you normallywould address it.
I always have a backup plan.
That's one of my keys is alwayshave a backup plan.
If I make a decision, it may notbe exactly what the right
decision, but I have a backupplan in case that doesn't work.
And I think it's reallyimportant to just like always be
authentic and be yourself andhave integrity.
Ramzy (36:17):
Wise words.
Judy (36:18):
Nicely said.
Nicely said.
Staci, I have one more questionfor you and this is another one
I've asked a couple of the otherspeakers here.
Understanding the importance ofreportable events to C Suites,
what advice can you offer tohelp executives understand how
Vascular Access specialists canactually help them achieve their
(36:41):
own organizational goals?
Staci (36:43):
Great question.
First of all, the C Suite needsto know that there is a Vascular
Access team or specialist.
That's the important thing andwhy they're so important.
So, I think it's reallyimportant for, like maybe the
CNE cause usually they fallunder the CNEs to really, make
(37:05):
sure that they're recognized andrewarded, you know, publicly and
what's going on.
It's usually you find out youhave, when you're that much of a
subject matter expert usuallyfind out when something goes
wrong but not when something isOK and goes right.
Your CLABSI rates are down, theVascular Access team and nurses
never get credit for that.
(37:25):
It's just the nurses on thefloor.
It's really important to reallyinvolve the people that need to
be involved and recognize andreward them.
So I would say just, just makingsure that they're aware how
important Vascular Accessspecialists are to the
organization.
Judy (37:44):
I agree with you wholeheartedly, but I know I've
spoken to many nursesspecifically, but clinicians,
even the respiratory therapistthat don't feel they have a
voice within C Suites They don'tfeel like there's a door to go
open.
Staci (38:04):
I think there is a voice.
It just depends on what, what,what they're looking for.
So you always have to find, I'lluse the term, a mentor or that
you can ask the question, isthis an appropriate question for
me to ask the chief nursingofficer?
Is it appropriate?
(38:25):
Is this a complaint or does itgo into a different pile?
So, when you really gather yourdata and come up with a good
business case for what you andI, I'm using business case
loosely, so not in terms ofobtaining a product, but what
are you trying to getaccomplish?
What are you asking them for?
What is the ask and make it veryclear and simple and concise to
(38:50):
them.
Then I think that's okay andthey will hear you.
It's not just, oh I need anothernurse cause I'm tired.
You've just can't go with thesimple things, you know, it has
to be, this is why we have somany cases.
Our membership has growndramatically over the last three
years.
So you want to show them thedata.
They like evidence too and theylike data also.
(39:11):
So when you show them data andevidence then it's like, oh OK.
And then it gets things that getconsidered.
Judy (39:18):
I like it.
I like it a lot.
Well Dr.
Harrison, your time is veryvaluable.
We appreciate you very much andI can't wait to see you in
Columbus.
It's going to be fun.
Speaker 8 (39:28):
I am looking forward to it.
I will be speaking yet anothertopic and we're talking about
products this time, so pleasejoin me on Saturday at, I can't
even think of the name of it butI'll be speaking with Craig
Holmes!
Judy (39:45):
I'll be there.
I'll be there.
Thanks so much.
Ramzy (40:02):
And we now continue with our leadership in Vascular
Access series.
We are joined by the Director ofClinical and Medical Affairs for
Vascular Unit at TeleflexMedical.
Her name is Amy Bardin-Spencer.
Amy, how are you doing?
Amy (40:16):
Fantastic, thanks Ramzy.
Eric (40:18):
Hi Amy, we're happy to have you on.
This has been a great discussionalready with our other invitees
and our members of this podcastand looking forward to talking
to you.
Judy (40:27):
Amy Bardin it's so good to chat with you.
I've missed seeing you all thetime lately, but this is
exciting.
I'm so excited to have aleadership series for AVA.
It's a very important topic.
So we're going to jump right in,if that's OK with you.
Amy (40:46):
OK by me.
Judy (40:48):
Perfect.
So, we've asked each participanttwo common questions.
So we're going to start withthis one: How important is
leadership engagement withinVascular Access?
Amy (41:00):
Wow, Judy, that's a great question.
So leadership engagement inVascular Access.
So in the, in the world rightnow, Vascular Access and
hospitals that are looking toreduce waste and time and cost
because of either healthcarepenalties or poor performance in
other areas in the hospital.
(41:21):
Leadership engagement inVascular Access is the ultimate
importance, meaning thatleadership needs to know who you
are.
Leadership needs to know whatyou're responsible for, but
probably most importantly,leadership needs to know how you
help them make the hospitalperform better.
And I think that's where some ofour Vascular Access teams, we
(41:42):
could do better.
We could show better, we couldinvolve more and we could get to
know our leadership as well asmuch as we want them to get to
know us.
Judy (41:51):
I agree entirely.
Now how can teams shareproductivity with their
leadership?
Amy (41:57):
So, every team that does Vascular Access today and
actually any procedural team inthe hospital is required by
several different associations,whether it be INS or SHEA, to
track their metrics andbenchmark their value and their
worth.
So first, just benchmarking whatyou're doing.
You might not be expanding, youmight not be doing something new
(42:19):
or different than the hospitaldown the street.
But understanding justspecifically one, what your
staffing needs to be because ofyour benchmarks, what your
patient outcomes are because ofyour benchmarks, and when you
bring in new equipment orproduct or even trial, the
requirement to reestablish thosebenchmarks and to always be
looking at yourself, your ownteam to see where and whether
(42:41):
you should or need to improve.
So, I guess the first place Iwould start is showing the
hospital leadership and sharingthe benchmarks.
So how are my benchmarks goingto help you do your job more
effectively?
And how are these benchmarks,how can they be moved or changed
based on what we decide to bringin as a team to the hospital to
(43:02):
change patient outcome?
And I'll say one thing (43:03):
the leadership should never be
surprised that your team istrying to positively impact
patient outcome.
You should share your value,show your worth and have them
involved in all of thosedecisions.
And sometimes you need them tohelp you, especially in
purchasing and other areas inthe hospital to bring in that
better, more superior productfor patient outcome.
Judy (43:25):
I agree with you that sharing this information.
Giving these teams to sharetheir productivity.
The importance cannot beoverstated on that.
I get called frequently about'myteam is being minimized now.
We are cutting budget, we'recutting people were cutting the
(43:46):
team.' So some of these thingsyou're talking about right now
play right into that point.
They don't know who theirVascular team is and what
they're doing for them.
Amy (43:56):
Yeah.
Judy, you know, on that, on thatpoint I also get a lot of calls
and I get a lot of calls where Italk through what teams can do
and how to help for you to findthemselves and the teams that
are being cut, if I couldsummarize it and not to, not to
minimize it, but to summarizeit, they haven't been involved
(44:19):
as much as they could be withadministration and, and that
messaging of showing theirvalue.
I have to just remind you ofthis like, a hospital acquired
or hospital associatedinfection, that the hospital
receives, the smaller thehospital one matters one, one
one matters.
So, if those little teams, causethat's who is being disbanded
(44:41):
right now.
It's not the great big teamsthat are working around the
clock that are providing a lotof services.
It's the teams that arestruggling to get two to three
FTEs to establish a greatpractice.
So, what they have to do is showthe value that they do have,
show the value of having aninside hospital team versus an
external team because that'ssome of the direction and also
(45:02):
show the value of therelationships that you have, the
clinical team has with thevascular access team and what
that might look like if that wasto go away.
I think that sometimes justhaving that dialogue and having
it early before the decision'salready been made is more
effective than trying to have itway late in the game.
Judy (45:20):
Well said.
Let's talk a little bit aboutteam recognition.
So, why would it be important– Ithink this is kind of a slam
dunk a little bit here, but– therecognition of a team plays
right into what we just talkedabout.
But talk more a little bit aboutwhy it's important for teams to
be recognized within thehospital.
Amy (45:39):
Yeah.
I always say this little phraseright: There is no I in team,
but there is one in silo.
It is really hard for a team toget recognized when people don't
realize you're established.
So, I think recognition,reiterate, as healthcare
providers, we're all trying todo the right thing.
We're all there for the rightreason and we go into segmented
(46:02):
care such as vascular accessbecause we have a true desire
and passion to be in it.
And I'm going to ask, I'm gonnachallenge you to view that
listens to this.
I want you to recognize eachother.
I want you to tell one of yourcolleagues or peers how grateful
you are to have them on yourteam.
I also want you to recognizethough, when you have a team
(46:22):
that's really dynamic and goingand going, going, how to
identify the next you becauseone, you want to be recognized
and you want to be a recognizer.
Two, you want to work withleadership and make sure that
they know you and you, thatmeans that the person that you
hire and bring on to your teamis somebody that you would put
in front of your leadership.
I mean, think of that when you,when you bring on your next team
(46:44):
member, and we always say trainfor attitude, hire for success.
I can't say that more becausewhen we get recognized in the
hospital, it's not a lot of thetime, I would have to say it's
under, we're under appreciatedjust a little bit.
But when you help yourleadership to the common goal
and you create a true teamenvironment and you're flexible
(47:08):
and you attempt to say yes morethan you attempt to say no, that
recognition comes naturally andit comes naturally from several
different layers of thehospital.
Judy (47:17):
I want, I'd love for you to give out just an Amy
Bardin-ism, a little nugget ofpersonal advice to all the
vascular folks out there.
Amy (47:27):
So I guess my nugget is, I know this might sound, this
might sound a little different,but my nugget is to try to do
more with less because doingmore with less, will get you
more.
And I say that and I don't wantyou to think of a scenario.
OK (47:44):
So you have a long clinical day.
Every Vascular Access Devicematters and every single patient
matters.
And if you, it is an honor todayas a Vascular Access specialist
to be selected, to be put on ateam, to place the device in a
patient that could or could notcause them harm.
Respect that, take thatownership like it's your own
family member, which I know mostof us all do, and try to get
(48:07):
there sooner than you can.
Try to say yes more often thannot.
Try to offer yourself toleadership to say, what else can
we do to make you look better?
What else can we do to make thishospital better?
How can we stay a team withinthis organization?
Judy (48:21):
I like that a lot, almost as much as I like, well I'd love
your nugget, but the silo.
The I in silo.
I did like that one too.
I've got another question foryou.
Eric (48:33):
Well, it sounds like, what you're mentioning Amy is being a
leader in your own right.
Obviously, we all look to theleaders in our life, but, in
your own situations wheresituation or problems arise or
crisis or anything like that,you sometimes have to be a
leader in your own right.
And to show what you weretalking about before show your
worth and the need to have youon this team and to have a team
(48:56):
in general.
Amy (48:59):
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
I think that, I think thatsometimes, we take having the
job for granted, but it's havinga purpose, right?
You know, we say that a lot.
Find your purpose and if yourpurpose is to be on a Vascular
Access team, then your purposeis to help the better good of
the healthcare organization.
So, and I think that's where we,where we don't do that.
(49:20):
You know, we think of it's justus.
But in your own right, you'rethe leader.
A lot of the time you make orbreak the patient's scenario or
situation and with all the newdevice algorithms, you are the
king leader now.
You get to make the choice basedon your assessment.
That's you.
That's you doing that.
Judy (49:40):
Thank goodness.
So we're going to end on this.
The final question here, andthis is another question I'm
asking all the panelists (49:46):
So, understanding the importance of
reportable events to our CSuite, what advice can you offer
the C Suite help them understandhow the Vascular Access
specialist can help them achievethe organizational goals?
Amy (49:59):
That's a great question, Judy.
So, I think it's important thatwe understand as Vascular Access
specialists, that not everybodyunderstands what we do.
And I think the best way toreiterate to leadership in a
healthcare organization that'sin the C Suite that has hospital
acquired conditions as their No.
1 driving force that you takethem by the hand and that you
(50:20):
take them around with you andthat you round together and that
you grab infection preventionand you talked through what your
goals are, what your ambitionsfor your team is and what you're
doing to help the overall planof the hospital.
I think that when you show aninterest in what they're doing
and they have time to see and beinterested in what you are
doing, the collaboration comestogether and I do believe that
(50:43):
the best vascular access teamshave the hand of the leadership,
the ear of infection prevention,they have a phone call away from
the pharmacy team and it's verymuch a team today is not just
the team that you work with thathas insures the cart and the
ultrasound machine.
You have a lot more team memberswithin your hospital that you're
impacting every day.
Judy (51:03):
You make me smile when I talk to you.
It's empowering.
And I can't thank you enough forbeing on our podcast with us.
You are a leader in thisVascular Access field.
We're in.
And before we let you go, I knowyou're coming to our national
conference and you're speaking.
Can you tell me a little bitabout your session?
Amy (51:23):
Yeah.
So this year I am focused on thepre-con sessions and we're
having I believe it's our fourthyear for the procedural cadaver
lab.
And I really put a lot of timeand dedication into this session
because there's some'aha'moments that I think that as
Vascular Access specialists welearn as we attend hands on
(51:44):
simulation experiences.
So, this year we've increasedthe ultrasound assessment
station to where the attendeeswill really learn needling
because that's one thing thatwhen you're going for a large
target area, don't realize thatwhen you go for the peripheral
space and the hand or in thelower part of the arm, that the
skill that's required a littlebit differently than maybe when
(52:07):
we're placing a peripherallyinserted central catheter or
even an IJ catheter.
And then we, having access tocadaveric tissue and really
sharing and showing the anatomyis something that we don't have
enough time always to do.
Have a great group of facultycoming in and we really look
(52:27):
forward to engaging with a newgroup of Vascular Access
specialist we hope in Columbus.
I hope to have a really greattime and I'm looking to forward
to attending sessions andlearning this year from
attendees as they've learnedfrom me in the past years.
Judy (52:44):
Me as well.
Now I know I've been, I've beenthe cadaver lab.
I've taught in a few cadaverlabs, or procedure labs should
say, most of the attendees thatwalk out walk out with starry
eyes.
One, about the respect that'sshown who to the cadaveric
tissue that's there.
Amy (53:03):
Yes.
Judy (53:04):
But the learning experience that people get in
that lab is bar none.
So, I'm excited about having youguys back to the procedural lab,
excited to see you and can'twait to see you in Columbus.
Thank you so much.
Amy (53:22):
Thank you for having me.
Popular Podcasts
Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club
Welcome to Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club — the podcast where great stories, bold women, and irresistible conversations collide! Hosted by award-winning journalist Danielle Robay, each week new episodes balance thoughtful literary insight with the fervor of buzzy book trends, pop culture and more. Bookmarked brings together celebrities, tastemakers, influencers and authors from Reese's Book Club and beyond to share stories that transcend the page. Pull up a chair. You’re not just listening — you’re part of the conversation.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!