Brandi Miller

I provide high-quality, evidence-based nursing care to inpatients on a neuropsychiatric unit. Patient diagnoses typically include thought disorders, which requires emphasis on patient and staff safety while caring for across a spectrum of diverse backgrounds. I also frequently care for patients receiving ECT treatment, experiencing suicidal ideation or withdrawal from substances, and those living with intellectual disabilities. This position is weekend option, which requires a high degree of independent functioning in a busy environment, including regularly serving as charge nurse.

Floating between five adult behavioral health units (10-20 beds per unit based on acuity, I provided quality evidence-based care focused on stabilizing and maintaining patient safety. Rotating between medication nurse and admission nurse roles required flexibility, teamwork, assessment skills, willingness to learn, and emphasis on therapeutic communication. Frequent nursing interventions included medical detox management, IV medications, wound care, diabetes management, ECGs, and crisis intervention. 

As part of a multidisciplinary team, I triaged referrals, completed intake assessments, performed utilization review, liaised with community providers, and  facilitated psychoeducation groups for mood disorder, eating disorder, and substance use disorder patients in a 30-slot partial hospital program at an academic medical center. This role required excellent communication and assessment skills as well as the ability to function effectively with minimal supervision. During this time (2011-2019) I also taught non-violent crisis intervention courses to UIHC staff as a certified instructor through the Crisis Prevention Institute.

I provided quality nursing care and ensured safe practice on a 22-bed mood and eating disorders unit (including overflow patients with other diagnoses). This role involved significant nursing interventions for eating disorder treatment such as NG tube feeding, caring for complex patient cases (ie. pregnant or diabetic eating disorder patients), and milieu therapy. Notably, I precepted nursing students and intermittently functioned as charge nurse.

As Temporary Intake Coordinator, I triaged referrals to provincial-level eating disorder programs (inpatient, outpatient, and residential),coordinated care with regional-level programs and providers, and provided phone triage to patients across province. This role required effective communication skills with patients and colleagues as well as navigating the differences in the Canadian and US health care sytems. I also assisted three physicians with physical assessment in their outpatient eating disorder clinics.

In this role I transitioned from a previous psychiatric technician position to inpatient behavioral health nurse. I learned the fundamentals of psychiatric-mental health nursing (patient safety, therapeutic communication,  documentation, admission and ongoing assessment, multidisciplinary teamwork, supervision of unlicensed personnel, and patient/family education).