THE CVAA
Newsletter of the Canadian Vascular Access Association
Winter/Spring 2019
Message from the Outgoing Student Ambassador In 2017, CVAA created the new role of Student Ambassador and we were thrilled to have had Adriana Congi from the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at St. Clair College in collaboration with the University of Windsor with us. Thank you, Adriana! I have been the Student Ambassador on the Canadian Vascular Access Association’s Board of Directors for the past two years. This has been such a valuable experience for me. As the Student Ambassador, I was given the opportunity to attend monthly board meetings, strategic planning meetings, discussions with the CNA, two conferences and more! My favourite moment related to the position was being able to attend the CVAA conference. At the conference, I was able to expand my knowledge related to infusion therapy and vascular access. I was able to practise inserting an IV into a mannequin arm, I learned about ultrasound-guided IV technology, the possible
life-threatening harms related to vascular access and about the nursing considerations that can prevent these challenges and so much more. I was able to observe the process of the development of the CVAA guidelines and discover the numerous job opportunities for nurses in vascular access. I appreciated the chance to be part of the multidisciplinary collaboration between healthcare professionals with the goal of improving healthcare across Canada and even in other countries. I have been recognized for my work with CVAA from my peers and my professors and hopefully will be by my future employers, as I was able to add this experience to my portfolio. Everything I learned was beyond the education I received in my theory courses and I was able to excel in my clinical settings and my nursing program in general. Most importantly, I have developed relationships with healthcare professionals across
Canada that I will cherish for the rest of my career as a nurse and my life. Update: I was voted into the position of Student Liaison for the RNAO’s Maternal Child Nurse’s Interest Group. I am excited to be able to work alongside such knowledgeable nurses and hopefully bring more awareness to infusion therapy in maternal healthcare. I am also completing a placement in oncology this semester and I am being exposed to infusion therapy more than ever! I am able to continue to develop what I have learned from being part of CVAA and provide better care to my patients.