Amanda LeGar

PRN/Supplemental Clinical RN (48 hours/month) floating between a Medical Surgical pediatric unit and Emergency Department

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary team to evaluate patient data and develop patient care plans.
• Participated in quality improvement initiatives to improve patient care outcomes.
• Educated patients and families to enhance their understanding of patients condition and to determine best treatment options.
• Stayed current with health system initiatives and incorporated evidence-based practice and research into care routine.

Full time (36 hours/week) Travel/Contract RN floating between a Medical Surgical pediatric unit and Emergency Department at Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center

• Trained and mentored new hires on proper techniques, care standards, documentation, and safety protocols to uplift department capabilities while optimizing safety
• Trained nurses, physicians, and technicians on intravenous insertion and lab draw techniques
• Worked as the unit's triage nurse: obtained case history, performed physical assessments, assigned ESI triage score, performed medical and psychiatric screenings, placed order sets to determine the appropriate avenue of care for all patients arriving to the emergency department
• Monitored and interpreted patient physical assessments, EKG, lab values to adjust care plans and prioritize interventions, optimized patient outcomes through efficiently identifying critical patients with subsequent implementation of resuscitative measures to achieve stabilization. Transferred critical patients to higher level of care as needed.
• Administered medications orally, IV, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, inhalation, rectally, nasogastric, gastrostomy tube and monitored responses to modify patient care plans
• Updated patient charts with data to keep records current and accurate while effectively complying with HIPAA laws
• Managed patient care from admission to discharge, collaborated with the healthcare team to adjust treatment plans to meet patients' and families' cognitive, physical, psychological, and social needs
• Patient advocation by consulting with variable healthcare team members/specialities to provide patients' with treatment options, create attainable goals, educate patients' and families' on diagnosis, treatment plans, and at home strategies, assist with scheduling follow-up care, and providing at home medical supplies to enhance long-term patient outcomes and prevent re-hospitalization
• Provided therapeutic communication to de-escalate aggressive patients, implemented safety interventions to reduce risk of patient harm to self and/or others
• Assisted with conscious sedation's at the bedside, monitored patient condition, patient recovery
• Assumed care of post-operative patients from recovery through discharge, assessed incision site, monitored and tracked indicators of stability or complications, pain management
• Received telephonic patient referrals from outpatient facilities
• Demonstrated flexibility by floating to the adult Emergency Department to assist in medication administration and IV insertion

Full time (36 hours/week) RN working in the Emergency Department

• Trained new hires in proper techniques, IV insertion and blood draws, care standards, operational procedures, and safety protocols
• Managed the unit as the charge nurse, monitored patient results to determine safe staff to patient ratios
• Provided peers with education by creating pediatric mock codes during yearly competencies, completed peer evaluations, worked as a Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) instructor
• Audited patient charts and reviewed clinical documents in order to ensure accuracy
• Participated in patient case reviews with the interdisciplinary team to improve nurse and physician documentation and patient outcomes
• Facilitated conflict resolution and crisis intervention by redirecting negative behaviors and providing patients with education to improve coping abilities
• Assisted in discharge planning, providing community resources, scheduling follow-up appointments, and involving social work when helpful
• Assumed care of pediatric, adult, and geriatric patients with variable diagnosis, interpreted patient data, performed physical assessments, and identified changes in condition to prioritize patient safety and stabilization
• Performed several roles, such as medication RN, documentation RN, and nurse leader in resuscitations
• Assisted a multitude of specialties/providers with a variety of procedures, such as conscious sedations
• Proven ability to learn new concepts swiftly, adapt to new situations, and use critical thinking to make decisions expeditiously

Full time (40 hours/week) student nurse/CNA

• Worked closely with homecare nurses to create customized case management plans to meet the patients' (and their families') needs, including researching community resources, scheduling patient appointments, assisting in the implementation of medical devices to improve mobility, and serving as an advocate by bringing forth any patient and family concerns to the homecare management team.
• Created individualized activities to improve morale while providing assistance on daily tasks, such as improving patients' diets through meal planning and preparation, as well as supporting patient comfort by adjusting medical equipment
• Delivered detailed patient care by recording vital signs, documenting observations, administering treatments, while keeping the healthcare team abreast on patients clinical status

Full time (40 hours/ week) Student Nurse Intern in the Psychiatric Mental Health setting

• Developed expert therapeutic communication utilized to de-escalate aggressive patients
• Coordinated with the interdisciplinary team by providing appropriate input to effectively formulate and implement safe treatment plans for patients
• Delivered compassionate patient care, treating each patient and their family with respect and dignity
• Participated in group therapy to assist patients in developing coping mechanisms to relieve depression and anxiety