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Since 2022, UVA Health University Medical Center's nursing-based Vascular Access Team (VAT) team has been busy working in conjunction with Interventional Radiology (IR) to extend coverage for venous access consults seven days a week. But when they pause for a meeting — they're all smiles. “Everybody on this team works really hard meet our patient’s needs,” explains Matt Henrich, MSN, RN, VAT Nurse Manager. “We’re like ducks above water. We might seem calm, but underneath the water, our feet are really paddling.”

The smiles and calm are no coincidence. Talk to anyone on the VAT team, and they will tell you they love their work and enjoy their team. “On the VAT, I am ecstatic to come to work every day, be with these people, and do what we do,” says Jared Barrett, BSN, RN, who's worked in inpatient and outpatient roles at UVA Health. “It's fun and exciting and I'm learning something new every day!” 

Now with two years under their belts on this team, the VAT reflects on what makes their team special. Learn seven secrets to their success:

1. Top Notch Training | Maddi Coyle, BSN, RN, who completed her six-week orientation in September 2024, knows firsthand that VAT members feel prepared from the start because of their intensive training. Orientation topics include how to use the various types of machinery, which IVs are best for which medications and procedures, how to best place both standard and ultrasound IVs, and how to advocate for patients who don’t necessarily need an IV. “The orientation process was all-encompassing,” says Coyle. “There’s a steep learning curve, but they do a really good job! I got off orientation feeling prepared for anything.”

Henrich is proud that many VAT members are Vascular Access-Board Certified (VA-BC). “We are able to collaborate with clinicians to meet our patient’s needs, reduce their risk of infection, and provide the device they need in a timely manner," she explains.

2. Truly Engaging Work | Feeling good about the direct impact they have on patients is at the core of what makes this team so successful. “It feels good knowing that we're able to step in and place a line with ultrasound for the nursing team,” explains Barrett. “Helping a young child getting the medication they need right away, for example, just means the world to us. At the end of the day, we leave here with a great sense of fulfillment.”

There’s more, says Jacqui Wheeler, BSN, RN: the team’s move in the past two years toward being more of a “concierge service” allows for even deeper engagement with their work. “Clinicians still page us to the bedside to place lines, but we also spend time figuring out what would be the best next step, meeting the patient's need through their vascular device, and maintaining the integrity of the vasculature. We try to advocate for the veins as well, by taking lines out so the veins can heal, and we don’t place lines that are not absolutely needed.”

3. Provider Recognition From Across University Medical Center | The numbers say it all! The VAT fields approximately 35,000 requests per year, including peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and midlines. “Over the last couple of years, everyone on this team has done an excellent job of really owning and embracing the mastery of our craft,” says Henrich. “Our growth really speaks to how our colleagues depend on us.”

J. Fritz Angle, MD, agrees. “The VAT is doing a terrific job! Their success rates for placing PICCs exceeds all expectations, and patients are spared having to be transported to a procedure room. Most importantly, the VAT is providing much needed continuity from placement to removal.” VAT continues to expand in breadth and scope to manage the increase in requests from all over University Medical Center — including inpatient, outpatient, pediatrics, or procedural units.

Nursing Director Leigh Gauriloff, MSN, RN, CMSRN, says this expansion has helped with patient progression delays. “I want to highlight the help VAT has provided to Medicine and acknowledge that they have moved outside of their coverage to get patients discharged in a timely manner.” Henrich shares they are planning on offering PICCs and midlines on weekdays soon, as they now only offer these advanced placement lines Fridays through Sundays.

4. One UVA Health Team | One of the challenges of being on such a valued team is the near-constant flow of requests. But Cam Jarvis, BSN, RN, says they have each other’s backs, and that makes it work. He explains that everyone on the team is in constant communication throughout the day, helping to prioritize and triage requests. “Being so specialized in what we do, we've become such a huge resource for the entire organization. It really shows in the number of pages we get on a daily basis,” he says. “But we feel that it's not the sole responsibility of the person who's on the page to handle the request. It’s the responsibility of the entire team.” 

Austyn Bessette, BSN, RN, VA-BC, agrees and attributes VAT’s success to their unique team dynamic. “We're doing things on our own all day, but we have this super tight bond between us that allows us to feel supported. We've all become really close throughout our work experience. Matt really took the lead in making this team what it is, and that is super important to us. We’re excited that Al Sloane, BSN, RN, VA-BC, has become our assistant nurse manager as well, because she has worked with us during all these years that we've been working together as a team. She’s perfect for the role. Everyone on this team is just phenomenal!"