It's My Job: Jen Schulz - Vascular Wellness
Jan 11, 2023 08:42AM ● By Randee Brown
When Jen Schulz began her nursing career in 2004, she didn’t anticipate anything like the work of her current position.
“My first nursing job was at a big hospital in Milwaukee inside a cardiovascular intensive care unit. It was a pretty stressful position, especially since I was new to nursing,” Schulz said. “I unknowingly dove headfirst into the most intense working environment to start my career. The high-pressure environment did provide me with great experience and confidence. After working there, I feel like I could do anything.”
Schulz worked in that cardiovascular ICU for nine years, then transitioned to a general ICU for another three years. During her time at the general ICU, she took a side job of inserting peripherally inserted central catheters, or PICC lines, with an outside company contracted through the hospital. Schulz said that she trained for eight weeks to get started, and took those calls on days that she wasn’t working in the ICU.
When she relocated to Western North Carolina four years ago, she chose a position at a small outpatient orthopedic center instead of a large healthcare system. When Covid hit, she started looking for an option that she felt more aligned with and found Vascular Wellness in Cary.
Vascular Wellness is a company of vascular access specialists that offers mobile, on-site, and on-call comprehensive vascular access services. Schulz’s position requires that she drive to hospitals, nursing homes, and homes of patients in home care.
“We can go anywhere,” Schulz said. “I keep all of my equipment in my car. The company supplies me with the kits that I need for each patient, and an ultrasound machine so that I can find veins for PICC line access. When my supplies are running low, I visit one of the company’s specific storage facilities to restock what I need. I’m a one-woman show with a strong, connected team supporting me.”
The work involves several steps. Schulz said that Vascular Wellness first receives a call with a service request based on the treating physician’s order, then one of the nurses on call will be assigned that case. “I’ll drive to the location and visit with the patient, explaining the procedure,” Schulz said. “Once I have their consent, I will perform the necessary procedure to create vascular access which may include a Midline or PICC line (in the upper arm), a Small Bore Internal Jugular line (in the neck) or a Small Bore Femoral line (in the mid-thigh), as clinically appropriate consistent with the physician’s order.”
Schulz said that some nurses at the locations she visits were surprised that mobile PICC line placements by experts is an available service. “This service is great for many patients,” Schulz said. “Sometimes it can be hard on them to have to move locations in order to get this procedure done. It can be tough just to get appointment times at hospitals, and some patients can’t really leave their house. This mobile service makes it really convenient for a lot of people.”
While her current job has much less pressure than her beginnings in the cardiovascular ICU, Schulz said that there can be intense situations. One time there was a patient that needed to be life-flighted from one facility to another, but they needed a PICC line inserted ASAP. The emergency room doctor was having a hard time getting the PICC line in, and was about to give up. When Schulz made the attempt, with many people staring at her and the helicopter waiting, she was able to get it in. “I was dripping in sweat, but it felt really good to have been able to do that,” Schulz said. “If I didn’t have the confidence from my first job, I might not have been able to perform as well.”
Schulz said that she feels supported by the company that she works for. “The company is very nurse-driven, and the leadership team is very approachable,” Schulz said. “They also push us to advance our skills,” she said. “They offer trainings so that we can learn how to perform more difficult and advanced procedures. Some of these skills are very rare for a nurse to possess.”
Schulz said she feels very comfortable in her position. “The job fits me really well,” she said. “I really feel like I’ve found my niche. I can see myself in this position for a long time.”
