Catherine Marie Smith
Harrisburg,PA
Summary
Experienced healthcare professional skilled in patient care, critical thinking, and communication. Strong focus on team collaboration and achieving optimal patient outcomes. Reliable and adaptable, ensuring efficient and compassionate care in dynamic environments. Equipped with expertise in medical procedures, patient assessments, and care coordination.
Overview
36
36
years of professional experience
2
2
Certifications
Work History
Direct Care RN, Virtual ICU
Penn State Health
09.2022 - Current
- Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to develop patient-centered care plans.
- Monitored vital signs and reported changes in patient conditions promptly.
- Educated patients and families on disease management and health promotion strategies.
- Mentored junior nursing staff, fostering skill development and confidence in clinical practice.
- Implemented evidence-based practices to optimize nursing workflows and efficiency.
- Conducted comprehensive assessments to identify patient needs and prioritize interventions.
- Utilized critical thinking skills to prioritize nursing interventions based on patients'' acuity levels and individual needs.
- Assisted in the training and mentorship of new nursing staff members, contributing to a positive work environment and high-quality patient care.
- Improved patient outcomes by implementing evidence-based nursing interventions and individualized care plans.
- Participated in ongoing professional development opportunities to stay current on best practices in nursing care and emerging trends in healthcare delivery.
- Promoted a culture of safety within the healthcare facility by participating in quality improvement initiatives, identifying potential hazards, and advocating for best practices in nursing care delivery.
- Provided support for patients'' families during difficult medical decisions or end-of-life care, serving as a liaison between the healthcare team and loved ones.
- Educated family members and caregivers on patient care instructions.
- Communicated with healthcare team members to plan, implement and enhance treatment strategies.
- Monitored patient reactions after administering medications and IV therapies.
- Followed all personal and health data procedures to effectively comply with HIPAA laws and prevent information breaches.
- Equipped patients with tools and knowledge needed for speedy and sustained recovery.
- Participated in evidence-based practice project implementation, nursing competency development and nursing simulation activities.
- Reported findings to quality departments after conducting routine restraint audits and worked with team to devise corrective actions for deficiencies.
Radiology Outpatient Care
Penn State Hershey Medical Center
06.2018 - Current
- Adults and children. Most patients are recovering overnight from a radiological procedure, such as TIPS or TACE (procedures done on the liver). Other common procedures include cerebral angiograms (pre-procedure in the morning), transjugular liver biopsies, embolizations, lumbar punctures, myelograms. Charge nurse duties. Full time, night shift. Pulled frequently to Heart and Vascular Outpatient Unit, where I care for post-cardiac procedure patients (pacemakers, TAVRs, atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia ablations, etc.). Occasionally pulled to the Same Day Post Op unit, or their patients come to us. Most of these patients are OPER status going home in the morning. Common ones are thyroidectomies, eye procedures, gall bladder and appendix removal. We occasionally take patients from the ER to decompress that unit, and during the Covid spike last January, we housed inpatients with a variety of problems.
Perianesthesia (recovery room)
Penn State Hershey Medical Center
05.2007 - 02.2018
- Full time. Adults and pediatrics. Innumerable types of surgeries and all levels of care (including NICU, PICU, SICU, intermediate and floor-level care, and outpatients). Night shift.
Medical Intensive Care Unit
Penn State Hershey Medical Center
04.1992 - 05.2007
- Full time. Adults with various critical medical problems. Lots of experience with complicated devices and situations. Trained as charge nurse starting in 1995, and was in that role frequently. I often covered both MICU and MIMCU as charge nurse, which was very challenging. All shifts, mostly a day/night rotator every four weeks, then straight nights for the last five years.
Premium Pool (ICU)
Lancaster Regional Medical Center
01.2003 - 01.2004
- Prn. Done on days off from HMC. Adults. Charge nurse occasionally, despite not being regular staff. Non-teaching environment, which is vastly different from HMC. Complicated patients. Night shift.
Agency
Favorite Nurses
01.2001 - 01.2004
- Agency, done on days off from Hershey. Areas worked through the agency include Select Specialty Rehab (at Holy Spirit Hospital), medical and surgical ICU at Holy Spirit and Lancaster Regional hospitals, med/surg floors at Holy Spirit. I joined the staff at Lancaster Regional in 2003 but continued to work with Favorite nurses, doing shifts at Holy Spirit and Select Specialty until 2004. Adults only, some shifts as charge nurse at Select and 8th floor at Holy (telemetry at the time). Mostly night shifts, a few day shifts.
Stamford Hospital (now Stamford Health System)
01.1990 - 12.1991
- Full time, telemetry floor. Adults. Charge nurse role frequently in second year. Day shift.
Education
Master of Health Administration -
Penn State University
12.2012
Certificate of Achievement in Weather Forecasting - undefined
Penn State University
01.2006
Bachelor of Science in Nursing - undefined
Penn State University
01.2002
Diploma in Nursing - undefined
Sydney City Hospital School of Nursing
08.1989
Skills
- Conscious sedation, post-anesthesia care, preoperative care, IV insertion, EKG rhythm interpretation, assessment of the critically ill patient, central lines, arterial lines Completed pain management course in 2013, also competed trauma education shortly after hire in 1992 and again as part of orientation to the post anesthesia care unit Taught in the pain management course Critical care course in 1993 followed by CCRN certification the same month I have maintained CCRN through the years
- Strong clinical judgment
- Clinical judgment
- Patient and family advocacy
- Patient care
- Compassion and empathy
- Patient monitoring
- Professional bedside manner
- Care plan development
- IV setup
- Physical assessments
- Patient evaluation
- Telemetry monitoring
- Family education
- Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) certification
- Critical care
- Taking vitals
- Medication distribution
- Lab result interpretation
- Patient discharge
- Tracheostomy care
- EMR systems
- Performing ekgs
- Complex Problem-solving
- Proper catheter insertion/removal
- Intake and discharge
- Emergency response
- Maintaining privacy
- Vaccine administration
- EMR / EHR
- High level of autonomy
- Procedure preparations
- ADL assistance
- Patient counseling
- Staff supervision
- Chest pain management
- Emergency procedures
- Data collection
- HIPAA education
- Emotional intelligence
- Cardiac care
- Mobility assistance
- Seizure management
- CLEW and Cerner software use
Accomplishments
- Implementation - Assisted in implementation of new tracking system that resulted in improved patient care.
- Clinical Skills - Monitored patients' respiration activity, blood pressure and blood glucose levels in response to medical administration.
- Patient Transfer - Safely lifted up to 80 pounds and pushed 300 pounds on wheels.
- Surgical Preparation - Assisted in patient surgery preparation by administering proper medication, monitoring patients' conditions and charting abnormalities.
- Patient Advocacy - Explained treatment procedures, medication risks, special diets and physician instructions to patients.
- Documentation - Ensured charting accuracy through precise documentation.
Certification
CCRN (Administered by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, certification held since 1993)
Timeline
Direct Care RN, Virtual ICU
Penn State Health
09.2022 - Current
Radiology Outpatient Care
Penn State Hershey Medical Center
06.2018 - Current
Perianesthesia (recovery room)
Penn State Hershey Medical Center
05.2007 - 02.2018
Premium Pool (ICU)
Lancaster Regional Medical Center
01.2003 - 01.2004
Agency
Favorite Nurses
01.2001 - 01.2004
Medical Intensive Care Unit
Penn State Hershey Medical Center
04.1992 - 05.2007
Stamford Hospital (now Stamford Health System)
01.1990 - 12.1991
Certificate of Achievement in Weather Forecasting - undefined
Penn State University
Bachelor of Science in Nursing - undefined
Penn State University
Diploma in Nursing - undefined
Sydney City Hospital School of Nursing
Master of Health Administration -
Penn State University
Interests and hobbies
Patient quality issues/infection control. Have taken the ICE 1 and 2 courses from Association of Professionals in Infection Control on my own time in 2008., Public speaking: I like to give presentations and speak. Call me weird, but speaking drives me to learn and know my subject very well. I therefore teach myself and the audience. I am loosely associated with Toastmaster’s in this area, although meetings are usually held on nights I must work so I cannot be a regular member., Writing: member of PennWriters, have written an unpublished novel, am currently writing a memoir/motivational book (2022, started in March), and have used my writing skills at work., Fitness/hiking/distance events. My favorite distance is the half marathon, and I have completed 33 of them along with 7 full marathons (including New York City, 2014, one of the hardest to get into). Due to severe bunions, Achilles tendinitis of the left ankle, and Covid restrictions, I have not done a race since the Buffalo Half Marathon in 2019 (came in dead last)., Weather forecasting, storm chasing. I used to read river gages for the national weather service before automation. Worked as a guide and forecaster a few times on storm chasing trips, making big decisions such as which state had the best chance of storms and why, then going there (and admitting failure when I chose the wrong target, moving on to the next target)., I am a singer, songwriter, and amateur comedian. I have written over 100 songs and was performing regularly as a side hustle since the 1980s. Due to voice issues, I had to take it down a notch for two years. I am finally getting “the show on the road” again after extensive vocal coaching (by Korel Tunador, former keyboardist for the Goo Goo Dolls). I am relearning my guitar skills too, as the callouses on my fingers healed when I wasn’t performing. I am trained to play keyboard too, although at present I only play guitar and sing acapella.