Nursing-Constructed Central Venous Catheter Program: A Six-Step Guide to Implementation

Nurses have successfully inserted Ultrasound-guided Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICCs) at the bedside for many years. In the face of economic challenges in health care, bedside PICC nurses have expanded their skills to offer safe, effective, and financially viable options to provide bedside vascular access. We describe how the PICC team has successfully integrated ultrasound- and electrocardiogram-guided central venous catheter insertions via the internal jugular vein into a nurse-led vascular access program and have outlined a six-step approach to construction and implementation of a similar process.