Raising the Standard for Vascular Access Education

This collaboration represents an exciting step forward in our mission to provide healthcare professionals with innovative, evidence-based vascular access education that improves clinician performance, enhances patient outcomes, and builds lasting clinical confidence.

As ultrasound-guided vascular access becomes the standard of care for patients with difficult intravenous access, healthcare organizations require structured training programs that produce competent clinicians—not simply course completion.

By partnering with Operation STICK, Heart to Heart Healthcare Training is bringing this advanced education directly to healthcare professionals throughout Michigan.

Why Ultrasound-Guided IV Insertion Matters

Every healthcare professional has encountered the difficult IV patient.

Patients with obesity, chronic illness, dehydration, chemotherapy history, IV drug use, edema, or fragile veins often require multiple IV attempts before successful access is achieved.

Unfortunately, repeated IV attempts can lead to:

• Increased patient pain and anxiety
• Delayed treatment
• Vein damage
• Higher risk of complications
• Reduced patient satisfaction
• Increased healthcare costs

Ultrasound-guided vascular access fundamentally changes that experience.

Using real-time ultrasound technology, clinicians can visualize veins beneath the skin, identify healthier vessels, evaluate vein depth and diameter, and confidently place peripheral IV catheters that may not be visible or palpable.

The result is safer, more efficient care for both patients and providers.

The Evidence Behind Operation STICK

Operation STICK has become recognized nationally for its structured, evidence-based approach to vascular access education.

Multiple studies evaluating the Operation STICK methodology have demonstrated improvements in first-stick success, ultrasound utilization, clinician competency, catheter selection, and patient outcomes across multiple healthcare settings. Research evaluating implementation of the Operation STICK training program demonstrated remarkable improvements in clinical performance, including:

• First-stick success rates improved from 79.2% to over 96%.
• Increased utilization of ultrasound for patients with difficult vascular access.
• Improved catheter-to-vein selection, promoting healthier veins and reducing unnecessary complications.
• Increased clinician confidence and improved decision-making when approaching difficult IV access.

These improvements translate into meaningful benefits for both patients and healthcare organizations by reducing unnecessary needle sticks, improving workflow efficiency, and helping preserve valuable vascular access sites.

A cornerstone of the Operation STICK curriculum is deliberate practice using simulation, standardized ultrasound techniques, and structured competency assessment before performing procedures on patients.

Why This Partnership Matters

Heart to Heart Healthcare Training has always believed that education should extend beyond simply teaching a skill—it should prepare healthcare professionals to deliver exceptional patient care.

Partnering with Operation STICK allows us to combine:

• Heart to Heart’s commitment to hands-on, engaging instruction
• Operation STICK’s nationally respected vascular access curriculum
• Evidence-based teaching methods
• Real-world clinical application
• Advanced ultrasound technology

Together, we’re creating an educational experience that equips clinicians with the knowledge and confidence needed to improve outcomes from their very next patient encounter.

Who Should Attend[AB1] ?

This course is ideal for healthcare professionals who perform or may perform peripheral IV insertions, including:

• Registered Nurses (RN)
• Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN)
• Emergency Medicine Technicians
• Paramedics
• Emergency Department clinicians
• Critical Care nurses
• Infusion nurses
• Vascular Access Specialists
• Hospital-based clinicians
• Outpatient infusion teams
• Other qualified healthcare professionals seeking advanced vascular access education

Whether you’re looking to improve first-attempt success or expand your clinical skill set, ultrasound-guided IV insertion is quickly becoming one of healthcare’s most valuable competencies.

What Participants Will Learn

Our comprehensive training includes both classroom instruction and extensive hands-on practice.

Participants will learn:

• Ultrasound physics and machine operation
• Vein anatomy and physiology
• Vessel assessment techniques
• Site assessment
• Catheter selection
• Catheter-to-vein ratio
• Dynamic ultrasound guidance
• Needle visualization
• Troubleshooting difficult IV insertions
• Techniques for preserving healthy veins
• Best practices to improve patient comfort
• Safety principles and complication prevention

Every participant will leave with practical experience they can immediately apply in their workplace.

Better for Patients. Better for Providers.

Ultrasound-guided IV insertion offers measurable benefits across the healthcare continuum.

For Patients

• Fewer needle sticks
• Less pain and anxiety
• Faster treatment
• Better preservation of healthy veins
• Improved patient experience

For Healthcare Professionals

• Increased confidence
• Higher first-attempt success
• Better clinical decision-making
• Expanded career skills
• Greater efficiency during difficult vascular access cases

For Healthcare Organizations

• Improved patient satisfaction
• Reduced treatment delays
• Better resource utilization
• Increased staff competency
• Enhanced quality of care

Looking Ahead

Why Operation STICK Is Different

• Evidence-based curriculum developed from published research

• Competency-based progression rather than time-based instruction

• Extensive simulation before patient procedures

• Focus on vessel preservation, not simply IV placement

• Standardized insertion algorithms

• Ongoing digital learning resources

This partnership represents more than the addition of another educational offering—it represents a commitment to transforming how clinicians learn ultrasound-guided vascular access.

It reflects Heart to Heart Healthcare Training’s continued commitment to bringing nationally recognized educational opportunities to Michigan healthcare professionals.

As medicine continues to evolve, lifelong learning remains one of the greatest investments healthcare professionals can make—for themselves and for the patients they serve.

Together with Operation STICK, we are proud to help build a future where difficult IV access becomes more manageable, patient experiences improve, and clinicians feel empowered with the skills to succeed.

Join Us

If you’re ready to take your vascular access skills to the next level, we invite you to experience the difference that evidence-based, hands-on ultrasound-guided IV training can make.

Visit www.h2hhealth.com to learn more about upcoming classes, registration dates, and course availability.

Better Training. Stronger Skills. Better Patient Outcomes.