PICC Excellence Offers Certification Program for Clinicians

PICC Excellence, Inc. has launched and is expanding its Certified PICC Ultrasound Insertion (CPUI) credentialing program. CPUI is an international certification program for clinicians and medical professionals who place peripherally inserted central IV catheters (PICCs). The program aims at improving patient safety and promoting higher standards in healthcare.

PICC Excellence, a medical and nursing education company, created the CPUI credential in part so patients can verify that an individual clinician is trained and qualified to insert a central venous catheter. The credential verifies training consistent with national recommendations from Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) strategies for improving patient outcomes.

By studying for the CPUI exam, I was able to become a more skilled and confident vascular-access expert, says Leianne Jinkins, RN, BSN, CPUI, lead vascular nurse for the VAIN Team at the Medical University of South Carolina. Holding this certification for our team lets our colleagues and patients know that we are experts in our field. It's a process I recommend for anyone in vascular access who places PICC lines.

This program, which expands the trainings offered by PICC Excellence, is the first credentialing program of its kind for medical professionals performing PICC placement.

Up until now, qualifications to place PICCs have been loosely defined, including completion of an unspecified educational program followed by unconfirmed supervised insertions, says Nancy Moureau, founder and CEO of PICC Excellence. Our initiative is aimed at defining the knowledge necessary for this specialty practice and providing the verification to ensure patient safety with these procedures.

With infection as the most serious concern associated with central venous catheters, becoming a Certified PICC Ultrasound Inserter establishes the clinician as one who is knowledgeable of infection prevention principles and able to function with patient safety in mind.

The CPUI program is a process that certifies clinical qualification to insert PICCs. The qualifying material verifies the participating clinician's initial education, supervised practice and insertion experience.

I feel the CPUI certification shows my dedication to this profession, says Donna DeGennaro, RN, MSN, CRNI, the vascular access coordinator at Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine, Fla. This certification was not a requirement, but I chose to get certified because I believe it identifies me as a professional who is compassionate and competent, with the commitment to giving my patients the best patient care available.

Moureau noted that the mission of PICC Excellence is to share knowledge and elevate vascular access to a higher level of success and safety for nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists, physicians assistants and radiological technicians. The certification program validates clinicians qualifications to perform ultrasound-guided PICC placement, a highly valued procedure, but one that is also very invasive and potentially life-threatening.

The most important piece of a certification is its relevance to the practice while applying patient safety guidelines, says Matthew Ostroff, RN, VA-BC, CEN, CPUI, a vascular access consultant. This certification and exam have a focus on ultrasound, which is a must in todays practice.

Moureau noted that patient safety is a serious issue gaining national attention with guidelines and recommendations created to protect the public. Todays healthcare requires hospitals to apply the guidelines and demonstrate clinician credentialing for all invasive procedures such as central venous catheter insertion.

It has been our dream to advance patient safety by making certification available to more clinicians, Moureau adds. Our future goals include expansion of credentialing opportunities for physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals for all types of central venous devices and ultrasound-guided insertions.  

PICC Excellence is an educational company that provides a support network and continuing education credits for vascular access professionals who insert or manage central venous catheters. The organizations services include e-learning educational programs, workshops, customized on-site training and certification. PICC Excellence also provides a series of infection prevention programs for clinicians and medical professionals interested in improving patient outcomes with vascular access.

PICC Excellence is an approved Continuing Nursing and Radiological Technologist provider of education. All educational programs offer opportunities to earn continue education credits, including online training with hospital site licensing options. Hospital staff and individuals save with access to all 15 educational programs through the discounted site license option.