Connie Burk
Registered Nurse
Butte,MT
Summary
Registered Nurse with 24+ years of progressive experience in nursing leadership, management, and direct patient care. Extensive background in Home Dialysis, Correctional Healthcare, Emergency Nursing, and Critical Care. Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, improve patient outcomes, and maintain high standards of clinical excellence. Recognized for strong communication, problem solving, and organizational skills, with expertise and staff development, regulatory compliance, and health care operations.
Overview
1
1
Certification
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Registered Nurse
Fresenius Dialysis
Butte, MT
09.2024 - Current
- Provide comprehensive patient education and training for home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis therapies.
- Assess patient's physical and emotional readiness for home dialysis treatment and monitored ongoing progress.
- Developed individualized care plans to promote patient safety, treatment adherence, and positive health outcomes.
- Monitored lab results and collaborated with nephrologists and interdisciplinary healthcare teams to adjust treatment plans as needed.
- Performed monthly routine patient evaluations, medication reviews, and dialysis access assessments.
- Educated patients and caregivers on infection prevention, equipment operation, troubleshooting, and emergency procedures.
- Provided ongoing support and counseling to patients and families managing chronic kidney disease and dialysis treatments at home including taking frequent on call shifts for one week at a time.
- Coordinated care with physicians, dieticians, and social workers, and other health care professionals to optimize patient outcomes.
Registered Nurse
Community Counseling and Correctional Services
Butte, MT
01.2022 - 05.2024
- Provided comprehensive nursing care to incarcerated individuals in a correctional healthcare setting.
- Performed health assessments, medication administration, and chronic disease management for a diverse patient population.
- Collaborated with providers, mental health professionals, and custody staff to ensure safe, effective patient care.
- Maintained accurate clinical documentation and ensured compliance with correctional healthcare standards
Registered Nurse
Deer Lodge Medical Center
Deer Lodge, MT
01.2015 - 02.2016
- Delivered outstanding care to patients with various diagnoses and managed care from treatment initiation through to completion.
- Taught patients how to improve lifestyle choices, dramatically reducing chance of symptom reoccurrence.
- Administered medications and treatment to patients and monitored responses while working with healthcare teams to adjust care plans.
- Informed patients and families of effective treatment options and at-home care strategies, enhancing long-term outcomes.
- Monitored patient condition, including interpreting and tracking EKG readings, identifying irregular telemetry readings and updating team members on changes in stability or acuity.
- Performed triage on all incoming patients and determined severity of injuries and illnesses.
- Participated in nursing simulation activities, evidence-based practice project implementation and competency development to further nursing education.
Registered Nurse
Montana State Hospital
Warm Springs, MT
08.2015 - 11.2015
- Coordinated with medical and paramedical professionals to provide appropriate input and effectively formulate and implement treatment plans for patients.
- Responded to numerous volatile situations and violent outbreaks to restore safety and security of patients and staff.
- Provided direct quality care to patients by monitoring, recording and evaluating psychiatric conditions.
- Oversaw care of suicidal patients and acted swiftly to reduce risk of harm to themselves or others.
- Explained useful coping methods to relieve depression and anxiety, including meditation and yoga.
- Facilitated therapeutic communication, conflict resolution and crisis intervention by redirecting negative behaviors and helping patients regain or improve coping abilities to prevent further disability.
- Offered exceptional care and support to individuals recovering from acute incidents and dealing with chronic conditions.
- Performed ongoing assessments to evaluate mental health needs, working with multidisciplinary team to develop, initiate, manage and modify individualized plans of care.
Registered Nurse and Director of Critical Care & Emergency Dept.
SCLHS Health
Butte, MT
06.2001 - 01.2015
- Coordinated and integrated resources throughout the institution. Problem solved daily utilizing appropriate resources and communicates concerns to the Department Managers, Directors, Chief Nursing Officer, Duty Administrator, and Medical Staff as appropriate.
- Manages and monitors surge in volume or acuity in inpatient and outpatient departments including the Emergency Room.
- Coordinated with environmental services and clinical leadership to facilitate efficient bed turnaround times.
- Consulted with clinical leadership regarding patient condition changes in relation to internal transfer needs and staffing resource changes.
- Maintained awareness of budgetary targets and manages resource utilization to meet targets related to overtime and productivity.
- Coordinated staffing functions in absence of staffing analyst and collaborates with clinical leadership to ensure appropriate staffing.
- Maintained working knowledge of labor contracts and state and federal labor / staffing laws.
- Coordinated inter-facility patient transfers with Transfer Center staff and assures timely and appropriate patient transportation. Understood and ensured compliance with state, federal, and Joint Commission guidelines related to patient transport, transfers, and admissions. Monitors transfer request calls for Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act compliance.
- Monitored patient condition, including interpreting and tracking EKG readings, identifying irregular telemetry readings and updating team members on changes in stability or acuity.
- Administered medications and treatment to patients and monitored responses while working with healthcare teams to adjust care plans.
- Mentored staff on their respective shift including giving feedback and participating in performance coaching.
- Assessed the patient's condition and needs using critical thinking and clinical judgment: sets outcomes; implements appropriate nursing actions and collaborates with other disciplines to meet the patient's/family's physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and intellectual needs; and evaluates patient's progress.
- Calculated dosages and administers medications accurately in accordance with policies and procedures for medication administration.
- Documented all patient care with proficiency in compliance with hospital policies and regulatory agencies.
- Demonstrated awareness of and supports SJH departmental and operating unit goals through participation in continuous quality improvement and departmental activities. Actively supports quality improvement through leading improvement projects, monitoring quality metrics, completion of audits, and reporting to Patient Quality and Safety Committee.
- Supported the vision, mission, and values of the organization in all respects.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Registered Nurse
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT01-2001
Skills
- Clinical Decision-Making & Critical Thinking
- Patient-Centered Care
- Patient Advocacy & Compassionate Care
- Clinical assessment & Critical Thinking
- Effective Communication & Collaboration
- Adaptability in Fast-Paced Environments
- Conflict Resolution & De-escalation
- Time Management & Prioritization
- Emergency Response & Crisis Management
- Confidentiality & Regulatory Compliance
- Independent Judgment & Problem Solving
- Workforce Scheduling & Operational Planning
- Leadership & Team Development
- Electronic Health Records (EHR) & Computer
Certification
- CPR
Timeline
Registered Nurse
Fresenius Dialysis
09.2024 - Current
Registered Nurse
Community Counseling and Correctional Services
01.2022 - 05.2024
Registered Nurse
Montana State Hospital
08.2015 - 11.2015
Registered Nurse
Deer Lodge Medical Center
01.2015 - 02.2016
Registered Nurse and Director of Critical Care & Emergency Dept.
SCLHS Health
06.2001 - 01.2015
Bachelor of Science - Registered Nurse
Montana State University