Barbara Zimmerman

Helped campus start up their acute dialysis program to include hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Staff education on both modalities. Manage patient and staff schedules, supplies, quality metrics, interdisciplinary team planning, nursing leadership team member.

• Helped healthcare system take back their dialysis unit from contracted provider at multiple hospitals.
• Utilized my strong and efficient skill set to maximize travel nurse expense for system.
• Precepted new hire employees with and without dialysis experience.
• Maximized time management at multiple locations to ensure treatments were completed within desired time frame
• Charge nurse-coordinated staff at five locations, interactions with multiple nephrologists at five hospitals to optimize efficient treatments.

• Administered nursing care to cardiac patients undergoing diagnostic, therapeutic or emergency services.
• Treated plaque buildup within arteries with angioplasty balloon procedures.
• Administered diagnostic angiograms, injecting intravenous dye for x-ray examination and using catheters to introduce tools needed for medical treatments.
• Installed bare metal, drug-eluting and bioabsorbable stents throughout vascular system.

• Started my time at UPMC at the start of Covid pandemic-was able to navigate the ongoing changes due to emerging policies and treatment responses to new virus
• Optimized my skill set as a dialysis nurse covering three regional hospitals to cover the dialysis populations needs in the face of increased census due to the Covid pandemic.
• Completed my BSN degree in five months while working full time.
• Learned new skill set in the endoscopy environment while still supporting the dialysis team in the Central PA market.
• Current in BLS, ACLS, and Certification as a dialysis nurse.