At VAS, we take great pride in our ability to provide our partners with outstanding infusion therapy services — and we owe that to the talented people who make up our staff.
Our key employees are:
Michelle "Mickey" Hawes, Chief Executive Officer, RN, MSN, CRNI
Andrea K. Owens, Chief Operations Officer, RN, BSN
Troy Phelps, Chief Financial Officer
Kim Knittle, RN, BSN, MBA, CRNI
Lindsay R. Cool, MSN, NP-C, CNS
Jeanne Payne-Harvey, Administrative Assistant, RN, BSN, HCS-D
Michelle "Mickey" Hawes, Chief Executive Officer, RN, MSN,CRNI
Mickey has worked in the health care field for more than 20 years and built VAS from the ground up. She has a Master of Science in Nursing from Indiana Wesleyan University and remains as Adjunct Faculty for IWU. Mickey obtained her CRNI (Certified Registered Nurse Infusion) in 2001.
Nationally respected for her knowledge of infusion therapy and her PICC expertise, Mickey has spoken at INS and AVA and has been published in professional journals. While remaining active on the review boards for the Journal of Infusion Nursing and the Journal of the Association for Vascular Access, Mickey is a frequent presenter as a member of the Speaker's Bureau for Genentech, Inc. In addition to participating on the Ethicon Advisory Board (Johnson & Johnson), she has spoken at the national level for Cook Medical.
Throughout her career, one thing has remained constant — her love of caring for patients. "It's a great honor to be the person who performs an invasive medical procedure on a scared patient, and when you're done they smile, hold your hand and say 'Thank you'."
Andrea K. Owens, Chief Operations Officer, RN, BSN
After receiving her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Indiana State University, Andrea began the first half of her nursing career in critical care, where she attained the distinction of CCRN. With more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare field, she has an extensive background as an educator, nursing supervisor, and several years in the field of infusion therapy. First and foremost, she remains a patient advocate. "I have a passion for bedside nursing, education and infusion therapy. Working for VAS has allowed me the privilege of caring for patients and their families and educating clients and peers. I cherish those opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others."
Troy Phelps, Chief Financial Officer
Troy has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Anderson University and has over 15 years experience working in various finance-related capacities. In addition, he has dedicated the last several years of his career working exclusively with small businesses.
Prior to joining VAS, Troy worked with the Small Business Development Center as a Business Advisor and Quickbooks educator. His strong background in accounting, combined with his Quickbooks and business expertise, make him a valuable resource to our company.
Jeanne Payne-Harvey, Administrative Assistant, RN, BSN, HCS-D
Jeanne got her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Indiana University more than 30 years ago and never looked back. Today she is also a certified Home Care Coding Specialist and a member of the Association of Home Care Coders.
Jeanne is proud of the care she helps to deliver. "At VAS, the quality of patient care is the primary focus. We promote quality through every aspect of our business development."
Graduating with honors from Indiana University in 1996, Carla's area of expertise is emergency medicine and trauma where she attained the distinction of CEN. Her previous experience also includes supervisory roles and pediatrics. She had a PICC herself for six months, so she can really share the experience on a personal level with her patients. Carla says she loves working for VAS because, "I have never before seen a company so completely dedicated to being a patient advocate". She also enjoys the time flexibility to be able to sit down face to face with the patient and family to listen, educate, and answer questions.
A graduate of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Rachel is a pediatric specialist. She is the 2010 President-elect of the Indiana Chapter of the Infusion Nurses Society (IC-INS). She has a unique patient care philosophy. "I view everyone I care for as family members, so that I provide them with the best care possible."
Kim Knittle, RN, BSN, MBA, CRNI
Kim has been a nurse for over 13 years and earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Saint Francis College in Fort Wayne, IN, in 1997. She then received her Masters of Business Administration in 2005 and achieved the distinction of CRNI in 2006. As a skilled clinician in the placement of vascular access devices, Kim shares her knowledge with her peers as an educational speaker and instructor. She has worked in several areas of nursing throughout her career, but she says the most rewarding has been vascular access/infusion nursing. "What I love is that it is never boring, it is always a challenge of your skills, and the outcome is patient satisfaction."
Sherri has worked in the healthcare field since graduating from the Indiana University School of Nursing almost 15 years ago. Three years ago she began focusing on infusion therapy, becoming a PICC nurse. Because of her expertise and excellence as a PICC clinician, Sherri mentors and trains new VAS clinicians.
The most rewarding part of her job is: "I love the fact that I help patients and they're always appreciative of what I do."
Lindsay R. Cool, MSN, NP-C, CNS
Throughout her nursing career, Lindsay has continually sought out educational opportunities to further her skill-set and better care for her patients. Most recently, she received a Master of Science in Nursing – Nurse Practitioner from the Indiana University School of Nursing.
She is especially proud of her role in creating VAS. “It’s by far my biggest accomplishment professionally and would not have succeeded without each individual sacrifice and contribution made by my partners.”
Deb earned her Associate Degree in Nursing from the University of Toledo in 1987. Following the distinction of obtaining her CRNI in 1996, she earned her national certification in Med-Surg nursing in 1997. IV access, maintenance and care have long been her primary focus in the nursing field. After attending a seminar about PICCs and vascular access in 1994, she says, "I was hooked!" Nearly everything professionally since that time has been geared toward improving her skills and knowledge in the field of vascular access. Although Deb has worked in many areas of nursing, she will tell you that, "This is the only area that I like as much at the end of the day as I do at the beginning."
Since graduating from Henderson Community College in 1993, Matt has worked in several different areas of nursing that require skill in vascuar access. His experience in critical care, emergency, hospice, home health care, and infusion therapy have contributed to his knowledge and skills. IV access has been Matt's passion since he was a nursing student and he has given great time and energy to building upon that knowledge base over the last six years which resulted in obtaining the distinction of CRNI in September of 2009. Matt's philosophy of nursing is simple: "I believe that nursing is an art as well as a science; but more importantly a calling. We are driven to care for others by putting their needs before our own many times and, in return, we receive the ultimate payment of true heart-filled satisfaction from simply helping another human being. Being a part of team at VAS is one step closer to realizing my potential as a nurse. I have never known an organization that aligns its bedside nursing care with my own personal philosophy and truly delivers the highest degree of expert, compassionate care to each and every patient."
Contact us to see how our talented staff can help you meet your infusion therapy needs.
|
Indianapolis
Office Toll Free: 866-520 PICC Local: 317-888-0303 Fax: 317-888-0300 |
Dayton Office |
|
| ©Copyright 2008 Vascular Access Specialists | 
Jeremiah 29:11 |
Printer-friendly version