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IV Nurse Specialist Combines Love of Teaching and Patient Care to Help People Regain Their Health

Christine Doherty, BSN, RN, was a visiting nurse for nearly a decade when she decided to promote her patients’ health and independence in a new way — by stepping into a crucial role at VNA Care that would transform her career and the lives of countless patients.

As an IV Nurse Specialist, Christine has dedicated the past seven years to teaching, guiding, and empowering patients and nurses alike to manage complex IV therapy needs in the home setting. Her work and that of the nurses she mentors makes it possible for patients to bypass extended stays in rehabilitation and other facilities.

VNA Care’s IV patients most often return home with PICC lines (peripherally inserted central catheter), a long, flexible tube that is typically inserted into a vein in the arm and passed through to the larger veins near the heart. PICC lines bring higher risk for complications like infections and blood clots, but make it possible to administer cancer treatments, liquid nutrition, antibiotics, and other critical treatments over the course of many weeks.

Christine educates VNA Care’s nurses about the intricacies of IV therapy in both the classroom setting and one-on-one in patients’ homes. Her teaching also extends beyond her nursing colleagues. She loves working directly with patients and their loved ones, helping them learn all they need to be successful in completing their IV therapy with the support of their home health care team.

“Your PICC line is your best friend,” Christine explains to patients. “It’s keeping you out of rehab, and it’s keeping you out of the hospital. But it’s also a responsibility, and you need to take great care with it.”

Christine sees some remarkable transformations over the course of treatment, especially among those receiving Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), liquid nutrition for patients who are unable to eat or absorb nutrients properly. This includes people with serious gastrointestinal issues, those who have undergone GI surgery, and pregnant women struggling with conditions like hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness.

The TPN patients Christine visits tend to be very ill when they first return home. The process of learning to manage their nutrition through an IV pump can be overwhelming, but Christine’s calm and thorough approach reassures them. She encourages the patient or a loved one to use their smartphone to make a video of the process that they can refer to when they begin administering TPN on their own. Christine and the home health care team are always a phone call away if they have any questions.

“I love to see them getting stronger every week,” said Christine. “When we finally pull out the PICC line, that’s the moment when you know you’ve really made a difference.”