Taking care of the sick, injured, convalescent or disabled is what the Registered Nurse does. It is their job every day to assess, plan, intervene, implement and evaluate, under general supervision, and according to the established practices and philosophy, to provide a climate which optimizes patient care. RN’s collaborate with other professionals to achieve desired patient outcomes through effective care and treatment. Registered Nurses need communication skills to interact with patients and family members while maintaining professional nursing standards. Travel assignments and jobs are available as the healthcare field continues to grow. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists nursing as a top ten occupations with largest job growth. Travel nursing can allow you to see other areas you have always thought of visiting. Work in a great environment of your choice and enjoy visiting the area in your free time.

PICC RN or Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter Registered Nurse has expertise and certification in vascular access. The certification process in this area can take up to six months. The PICC nurse is specially trained in the insertion of peripheral catheters and is responsible for providing a safe infusion service.

Assessing the patient for adverse reactions and complications is the PICC RN’s responsibility as well as documenting all patient directed activities with the purview of the position. The RN also works closely with the Infection Control Practitioner for the Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infection (CLABSI) program. The PICC RN will perform an overall evaluation of the patient. Under the direction of the physician, the RN will make appropriate assessments of the patient which requires access through a peripherally inserted central catheter. The RN will be responsible for the actual placement of the line under the supervision of the physician and must ensure the line placement was correctly inserted and that everything is in working order. The patient must be monitored constantly by the RN for overall effectiveness and efficiency of the placement of the catheter. The RN will also be responsible for any post care the patient may require.

Work environments for the PICC RN vary widely ranging from hospitals, outpatient clinics to private practice and home care. In the hospital setting PICC RN is part of the team of professionals providing care to the patients. Many outpatient clinics have PICC RN’s who are proficient in telemetry monitoring depending on the type of medication being infused. With the focus on reducing health care costs there are also opportunities for the RN to practice in the patient’s home.

PICC RN duties may include:

• Insertion, care and maintenance of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters
• Ongoing observation and assessment of patient’s vascular access needs to place the right line at the right time.
• Support and educate the staff to maintain appropriate vascular access standards
• Assist with surveillance of all lines and data collection
• Communicate with physicians, staff nurses and patients to advocate for any vascular access issues from admission and beyond
• Assist with education of other staff members by participating in skill fairs, classes, and more.
• Answer questions from staff in troubleshooting any line issues such as obtaining orders for Doppler for suspected DVT, administration of cath flo for occluded lines and other issues regarding the vascular access
• Routine changing of dressings
• Flushing
• Assist with insertion of peripheral IV’s when necessary