Respiratory Therapists Inserting PICC Lines

Specialties Infusion

Published

Here in Arizona several of the hospitals have started an experiment, they are actively replacing PICC nurses with RTs and calling them "Vascular Access Specialists." These RTs will place PICC lines, midlines, and US guided PIVs. My local INS chapter has not issued an official statement about this and my local AVA chapter is fully supporting this with about half of the members being RTs.

Any thoughts on this? Has anyone seen this in any other State?

IWell ill tell you this again because I don't know where you got that from..my WIFE and Mother in law, plus my grandmother are nurses.i have cousins who are nurses as well.i have a brother and cousins who are respiratory therapist as I am.i never stated that anyone can do your job or said that it was easy..I'm proud of what my family does nurses included.my mother in law is a nurse manager in CVICU.i work with her quite a bit.they are very smart nurses up there.id trust them with my life...All of them.my wife works in the ER at the same hospital..at my hospital respiratory isn't part time or cunsultants.we are there every day weaning heart patients and dealing with critical situations. I NEVER said anything negative about nurses for one my wife would kill me but also i know what they do.my grandmother has been a nurse longer than I've been on this earth.i just told you i have seen the curriculum and they have seen mine.they were amazed at what was taught in respiratory and the things we know.i gave a lecture to a nursing class about hemodynamics due to i have a friend who is a instructor at Kaplan University. Like i said look at the curriculum for respiratory if you think i fabricating anything. I think there's a lot you have no idea of.if you still think I feel nurses are beneath me then I don't know what to tell you.we are equals.i said I could do what's asked of me with confidence that i know what I'm doing.inserting PICC lines is one of them..i think your just upset cause you think we're crossing over into your territory. .well I'm sorry but every place don't just use respiratory as a consultant or have them just on call.matter of fact I've never heard of a big critical care hospital doing that..nursing homes or rural hospitals maybe but i live in the city so it doesn't work like that here..plus i also know alot of those rural hospitals will probably close after ACA kicks in..

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
matter of fact I've never heard of a big critical care hospital doing that..

Ya but you have already told us you practice in a backward area.

plus i also know alot of those rural hospitals will probably close after ACA kicks in.

LOL! Right, all the rural critical care hospitals are going to close as a result of ACA. Guess what? ACA didn't nulify the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997.

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Hello

I do not understand why the No, no? Most RN I have talked to about PICCs think that they are the only people that can competently be trained. PICCs are not part regular training for RNs and not RRT but we both can be trained.

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I'm not sure why you would say I practice in a backward area..i guess your trying to be funny.the balance budget act of 1997 is what caused all this mess..why do you think they're try to change it..The balance budget act had medical cost sky rocket through the roof...that's why they are change to the readmission penalties. .i was actually around when it was implemented. .and yes RRT4u that's what I've been n telling them but I guess that they think respiratory isn't qualified to do something they we're trained to do.we all can be trained to perform PICC lines.you know that AP 1 and class you took..we took it as well.unless in your book human anatomy has changed in some way.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency, Education, Informatics.

Your going to find that whenever someone is perceived to be encroaching on someone else's turf, the circling of the wagons response is instinctive. The interesting thing is the same arguments that buses use are the arguments that were used against them when nurses started doing PICCs and taking them away from interventional radiology.

The discussion points are valid though. These procedures aren't without risk. Just because the line is being inserted peripherally, it's perceived as a "safe" "easy" procedure.

The hard part is discussing those points, with an open mind with the true goal of providing the best safest service to the patient population.

And yes $$ has to play into things. My RRT students have been having a hard time finding jobs when they graduate. There are a finite number of available positions. Expanding their role in a way that provides both fills a need and makes more jobs is something that their profession is going to need.

Then all it takes is one troll and the conversation can go to you know where quickly.

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Well if your students we here in Florida they wouldn't have a hard time.we have a ton of positions open.we don't have enough people to fill them.but you do know it's not just respiratory. There are alot of nurses out the that can't find jobs as well.it just depends on your area.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

First...I do know someone at the JC and they have returned to being called TJC..."The Joint Commission". JACHO is still being used interchangeably but they have decided to be TJC again About The Joint Commission | Joint Commission

The practice of RT's inserting PICC lines is highly variant depending on the individual states practice acts and then the individual facilities.

Personally I think RT's are highly specialized individuals that are valuable to the healthcare team and far too busy to be utilized this way.

I have been a transport nurse and yes some transport protocols allow RT's to administer certain meds...but these individuals have received special training and facility certification to allow this practice.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

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Thanks for understanding where i was coming from.if you would've entered this conversation along time ago the conversation would've been over along time ago.i never said anything bad about nurses.the ones I work with a very dynamic and smart.we cross over into each others expertise often to do what needs to be done.i guess you just have some on this board that don't understand that..

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
i never said anything bad about nurses.

You most certainly did. You have demonstrated a condescending and superior attitude towards nurses frequently during this discussion. In addition you have made some false statements. Several people have asked you to explain the false statements. We have provided exact quotes. We have also provided specific examples of your rude, superior, and condescending attitude yet you continue to ignore requests for explanations R/T the false statements and you continue to insist you have said nothing bad about nurses despite being provided specific examples.

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Well I addressed everything you stated.ive said numerous times I DO NOT think I'm above nurses at all.Even a couple of your colleagues have stated exactly what I was saying. Please tell me when did I ever say anything negative about nurses? Give me an example of that.You said you could do everything I can.i just said that it goes both ways.i may have somethings negative about your comments but never about your profession. Here we are not used as consultants.we are very involved in pt care.ive never heard of a hospital using respiratory as consultants.now small rural hospitals I don't know about because we don't have them here.even the small hospitals here staff respiratory 24-7.you even had a transport nurse on here that verified everything I was saying.as far as whatever evidence you need please be more specific. If you think I'm lying look at the scope if practice for respiratory. As far as the legislation I told you about all of this is easily found on the Internet. Just check the AARC board for all that Info.i told you i have family members who are nurses so please get off that I said negative things cause that is not true. .

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I love your comments especially by Eleanor Roosevelt, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Albert Einstein!

Been in vascular access for over 35years. Its always been a concern that our job would disappear anyday .

However, I believe that if it is within the scope of practice, we can empower nurses or respiratory therapist to safely place PICC lines.

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