As part of our new Leadership Profile series, INS is highlighting members of the INS and INCC Boards of Directors to offer readers insight into their professional journeys and contributions to the association. We begin with Andrew Walker, BSN, RN, CRNI®, PCCN, VA-BC, Secretary-Treasurer of the INS Board of Directors. Mr. Walker serves as Clinical Practice Leader of Vascular Access and Infusion Therapy at UnityPoint Health Meriter, a medium-sized community hospital within a larger health system, where he provides leadership and expertise in advancing infusion therapy and vascular access practices for the adult population.
Mr. Walker currently serves as Clinical Practice Leader of Vascular Access and Infusion Therapy at UnityPoint Health Meriter, a community hospital within a larger health system. In this role, he provides leadership and expertise in advancing infusion therapy and vascular access practices for adult patients, ensuring that evidence-based care drives daily practice.
His connection to INS began through the INS Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice (Standards), which he relied on as an essential guide for clinical decision-making early in his career. Over time, his engagement deepened. Mr. Walker secured hospital foundation grants to support CRNI® certification for his vascular access team, attended his first INS Annual Meeting in 2018, and, in 2024, was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the Board of Directors.
Reflecting on his decision to serve, Mr. Walker shared that he wanted to broaden his reach. “I wanted to be part of something bigger than my own vascular access team and infusion therapy practices. I was interested in expanding my knowledge base and contributing to a nursing organization at a higher level,” he said. Inspired by conference speakers and colleagues, he viewed Board service as a way to advance both the specialty and the Society.
“INS has been a source of information and truth for my nursing practice.”
-Andrew walker
From the Standards and the Journal of Infusion Nursing to certification and national conferences, Mr. Walker credits INS with playing a central role in his professional growth.
Looking ahead, he envisions a Board that is both diverse and highly engaged, with visible leadership at conferences and local events. He encourages infusion nurses seeking professional development to “attend conferences, read the Journal of Infusion Nursing, and pursue certification.”
Beyond his professional responsibilities, Mr. Walker enjoys skateboarding—a pastime that often surprises colleagues. At the 2024 INS Annual Meeting in Kansas City, he even brought a fellow peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) nurse along, and the two carved out time after sessions to skate together — “thankfully without injury!”
Through his expertise, commitment, and enthusiasm, Andrew Walker demonstrates the leadership and vision that continue to drive the mission of the Infusion Nurses Society forward.
