Learning Center

Barb Nickel, APRN-CNS, CCRN, CRNI®, is a Clinical Nurse Specialist at a health care center in Nebraska. She is responsible for staff development, competency assessment, and process improvement to optimize outcomes in multiple areas of clinical practice, including critical care, infusion therapy, sepsis, and new graduate transition to practice. Ms Nickel was a co-author of the 2021 Infusion Nurses Society Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice, was Chair of the 2024 9th edition of the INS Standards of Practice Committee and is chair of the 2027 INS Standards Committee. She has authored several publications and speaks nationally on optimization of infusion therapy outcomes. She also serves as Adjunct Research Fellow for Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.

Michelle DeVries has been involved in infection prevention and hospital epidemiology for 30 years, spanning community, university, and federal health care facilities as well as postacute care settings. She is passionate about raising awareness around vascular access device complications and devotes her time to education on this topic with an emphasis on data collection and analysis. She was a reviewer for the 2016 and 2021 INS Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice and is now serving on the committee as an author for the 2024 Standards. She is a senior adjunct research fellow with the Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research (AVATAR), a past director-at-large with Vascular Access Certification Corporation (VACC), and the president of the Association for Vascular Access (AVA) for 2024.

Lisa Gorski, MS, RN, HHCNS-BC, CRNI®, FAAN, has worked for more than 35 years as a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and educator for Wheaton Franciscan Home Health and Hospice, which is now Ascension at Home. As a CNS, she developed a home infusion therapy program in collaboration with the pharmacy and continues to provide infusion-related education for home care nurses as well as direct patient care. Ms Gorski received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Nursing. She is the author of several books and more than 7 book chapters and journal articles. She is an INS past president (2007-2008), past Chair of the Infusion Nurses Certification Corporation (INCC) Board of Directors and has served as the chair of the INS Standards of Practice Committee for the 2011, 2016, and 2021 editions and Co-Chair for the 2024 Standards. Ms Gorski was also the Chair for the 2017 and 2024 INS Vesicant Task Force. She was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing in 2006, named the CRNI® of the year by INCC, and named 2011 CNS of the Year by the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists. Ms Gorski speaks nationally and internationally on standards development, infusion therapy/vascular access, and home health care. Over the years, she has addressed the Standards in multiple presentations in the US, China, Europe, and Middle Eastern African and Latin American countries.

Samantha Keogh is a joint professor of acute and critical care nursing with the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Australia. Samantha is also a senior researcher with QUT’s Centre for Healthcare Transformation and the Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research (AVATAR). Her clinical background is in intensive care (adult and pediatric), so she understands the importance of vascular access to deliver essential medication, fluids, and blood products, as well as to facilitate vital monitoring and sampling. Samantha is a fellow of the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) plus a member of several other specialty-based colleges, societies, and networks, including the Australasian Nursing and Midwifery Clinical Trials Network (ANMCTN), a network developed to support, mentor, and accelerate growth in nursing and midwifery clinical trials capability and capacity across Australia.

Tricia Kleidon, RN, BSc (Nursing), MNSc (Nurse Prac), PhD Cand., is a Nurse Practitioner in Paediatric Vascular Assessment and Management at Queensland Children’s Hospital and Research Fellow at University of Queensland. She is part of a dynamic clinical and research team that prides itself on achieving positive outcomes for patients and minimizing vascular access-related complications. Ms Kleidon is currently enrolled in a PhD program of research entitled “Techniques and technologies to improve PIVC [peripheral intravenous catheter] first time insertion success and reduce complications and failure.”