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Wednesday, August 14, 2024 San Juan Regional Medical Center Nurse Honored with Impact Award

San Juan Regional Medical Center is proud to announce that Maranda Herrera-Marquez, BSN, CEN, TCRN, CCRN, CRNI, VA-BCTM has been recognized by the Association for Vascular Access (AVA) with its 2024 Impact Award.

The Impact Award recognizes AVA members who have made significant contributions to the specialty practice of vascular access at a local level. The recipients of the award have demonstrated exceptional leadership within their organization, community and region.

During her 23-year nursing career, Herrera-Marquez, who currently serves as San Juan Regional Medical Center’s vascular access coordinator, has specialized in excelling at intravascular access. Her vision and determination to evolve vascular access standards at SJRMC led to the creation of the vascular access coordinator position in early 2023. Since then, the vascular access program has grown, providing patients with safe and efficient vascular access care.

“Vascular access is a critical aspect of managing hospitalized patients. Prioritizing vascular health and care can enhance patient comfort, minimize complications, and improve treatment outcomes,” said Kammie Monarch, Chief Nursing Officer at San Juan Regional Medical Center. “Our nursing staff have come to depend on Maranda and the vascular access team to assist them with difficult IV placement, saving the nurses’ time and increasing patient satisfaction.”

In one case, Herrera-Marquez was called to help a young child who receives regular IV infusions and sometimes requires multiple needlesticks. Utilizing ultrasound-guided IV insertion, Herrera-Marquez was able to insert the IV with only one needlestick. The family now asks for her each time, and they have developed a great relationship.  

Herrera-Marquez’s commitment to championing the preservation of patients’ vasculature is unwavering. She actively promotes awareness and education of vascular access standards and has consistently inspired and empowered nurses to excel through innovative teaching methods, personalized support, and a sincere passion for vascular access. As a result, vascular care at SJRMC has improved significantly and the number of ultrasound-guided trained individuals has grown to 31. 

“Maranda is a proactive leader who has a unique ability to anticipate the needs of others and create educational solutions to build competency in vascular skills. She is kind, patient and motivated to promote the success of individuals inserting IVs and to advocate for patient safety and satisfaction. Her enthusiasm for quality care and education is infectious, and she is highly deserving of this award,” said Patricia Maule, San Juan Regional Medical Center’s Clinical Scholar and Herrera-Marquez’s manager. 

Herrera-Marquez is one of only three AVA members to receive this prestigious award. She has certainly made an impact in all the work she has done championing for quality vascular access at San Juan Regional Medical Center.

 

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