Dana Oswald
Waterford Works,NJ
Summary
Patient-oriented BSN prepared ANCC Certified Mental/ Behavioral Nurse with 25+ years of diverse experience in direct patient care, staff supervision and department operations. Skilled at multitasking and prioritizing patient needs and daily assignments. Offering expertise with Mental Health, Crisis, and Addictions specialty. Over the years skills acquired in nursing include Management, Med-Surg, Oncology, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Mental Health Crisis, Addictions, and obtaining Preauthorizations for Mental Health and Addictions inpatient admissions from insurance companies. Presently seeking a fully remote position.
Overview
40
40
years of professional experience
Work History
Registered Nurse
Atlanticare Regional Medical Center
05.1996 - Current
- Collaborated with physicians to quickly assess patients and deliver appropriate treatment while managing rapidly changing conditions.
- Administered medications via oral, IV, and intramuscular injections and monitored responses.
- Administered medications and treatment to patients and monitored responses while working with healthcare teams to adjust care plans.
- Educated patients, families and caregivers on diagnosis and prognosis, treatment options, disease process, and management and lifestyle options.
- Provided direct patient care, stabilized patients, and determined next course of action.
- Managed care from admission to discharge.
- Precepted/Trained new nurses in proper techniques, care standards, operational procedures, and safety protocols.
Nursing Unit Manager
Atlanticare Regional Medical Center
01.1998 - 04.2006
- Coordinated nursing activities and staffing with health-related, therapeutic and support services to streamline service delivery.
- Evaluated and monitored care and services throughout shift to improve quality levels.
- Enforced nursing practice standards and recommended unit and institution policies and procedures to boost medical care quality.
- Determined and nursed special care cases and arranged professional consultation sessions for patients.
- Onboarded new employees through orientation meetings and training sessions before deployment to different departments.
- Developed and distributed nursing assignments for unit employees that outlined individual and group tasks.
- Reviewed staffing patterns, quantities and nursing units' census to meet resident needs and budgetary controls.
Mental Health Registered Nurse
Ancora Psychiatric Hospital
05.1994 - 05.1998
- Educated patients and family members about medical conditions and mental health, medications, treatments and preventive measures.
- Assessed patients' physical and mental status by analyzing complaints and symptoms.
- Evaluated, ordered and interpreted psychological evaluations and basic lab tests to assess and identify patients' conditions.
- Determined patient risk by utilizing subjective and objective data obtained through patient interaction.
- Performed frequent ongoing assessments of patients' status to address changes.
- Created and implemented group therapies and programs to help patients improve or regain coping abilities.
Unit Coordinator
Virtua Health System
05.1983 - 05.1994
- Achieved appropriate patient flow by admitting, transferring and discharging patients in computer system and notifying appropriate personnel of patient status verbally and through signage.
- Coordinated and maintained referral sources related to admissions, discharges and follow up services to sustain daily census requirements.
- Identified and facilitated resolution of unit operational problems independently, collaborating with manager to resolve complex problems.
- Received physicians and visitors on unit, identifying, acknowledging and responding to patient, physician and staff needs to meet operational and care needs of parties.
- Input complete and accurate patient record and identity of physician of record on computer and patient chart to facilitate appropriate routing of patient information to correct physician.
- Scheduled patient testing, delivered specimens to lab, received STAT lab results and posted in patient record for access by physicians.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
Walden University
Minneapolis, MN05.2021
Associate of Science - Nursing
Rowan College At Gloucester County
Sewell, NJ1994
Skills
- Medication Side Effect Knowledge
- Nursing Assignments
- Patient Data Confidentiality
- Authorizations and Precertifications for inpatient and outpatient admissions and procedures
- Unit Administration
- Facility Inspections
- Operational Standards
- Clinical Staff Management
- Administrative Staff Supervision
- Train Employees
- Problem Identification
- Patient Care Assessment
- Manage Records
- Establish Policies
- Community-Based Educational Programs
Timeline
Nursing Unit Manager
Atlanticare Regional Medical Center
01.1998 - 04.2006
Registered Nurse
Atlanticare Regional Medical Center
05.1996 - Current
Mental Health Registered Nurse
Ancora Psychiatric Hospital
05.1994 - 05.1998
Unit Coordinator
Virtua Health System
05.1983 - 05.1994
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
Walden University
Associate of Science - Nursing
Rowan College At Gloucester County