Dana Zagorski, RN MSN

Responsible for 25+ outpatient specialty clinics. Provided operational, educational, and fiscal leadership and accountability for over 40 direct reports. Lead process improvement initiatives that led to improved enhanced patient/client/customer care which led to positive and continuously improved the patient/client/customer experience.

• Trained and mentored new RNs on best practices, hospital policies and standards of care.
• Manage & coordinate RN/MA Schedules. Reviews staffing needs daily.
• Worked with higher level management to identify and implement initiatives to increase nursing staff retention, morale and satisfaction.
• Lead and/or participated in interdepartmental meetings to identify performance gaps, recommend initiatives, create plans and assist with implementation.
• Directs and manages the daily operations of the department to ensure policies, procedures, and guidelines are being followed. Utilizes evidence-based practice to develop and maintain policies, procedures and guidelines for practice.
• Develops and communicates departmental strategic plan and annual goals, ensuring employees are focused on priorities. Ensures the accomplishment of organizational goals and objectives to enhance clinical practice and professional growth.
• Provides clinical expertise, leading department team members in providing developmentally appropriate care and evaluating outcomes for infants and children with complex health care needs.
• Represents the department in meetings senior leadership or with leaders from other areas of the hospital. Serves as a representative on various committees. Fosters collaborative relationships that benefit the organization.
• Interprets and explains regulatory standards and hospital policies, procedures, and rules to employees and ensures compliance with applicable quality and safety initiatives and practices.
• Ensures staff and financial resources are utilized appropriately and shifts resources to meet both patient and department needs within budget restraints.
• Resolves escalated, complex, or controversial operational and patient/family issues, making decisions that are inclusive of multiple perspectives and solves underlying problems.
• Establishes performance metrics for department. Works with Clinical Manager to achieve department outcomes, performance and professional development standards; identifies opportunities for continual improvement to performance standards.
• Continuously strives to improve clinical, educational, research, and advocacy programs in department; sets and models high performance standards that empower staff to achieve agreed upon outcomes. Encourages clinically-based research projects to evaluate practice outcomes and mentors department team members in creating/evaluating projects.
• Selects, trains, develops, and evaluates department team members. Creates a worker-friendly environment that develops and realizes the full potential of department team members.
• Makes decisions on hiring, terminations, promotions, and disciplinary actions as required, taking into consideration feedback from Associate Clinical Managers.
• Develops departmental budget recommendations, and monitors expenditures to ensure compliance organizational financial goals.
• Provides strategic leadership, management, and oversight in development of national nursing leadership programs focusing on advancing nursing succession planning, professional practice, strengthening nursing leadership performance, and broadening participation in clinical inquiry.
• Promotes the development, operationalization, and sustainment of a strong national Nursing Professional Development program, including succession planning, role transitions, and ongoing education.
• Is a strong, experienced nursing leader, acts as a change agent and a system-wide transformational leader responsible for facilitating-implementing an infrastructure that provides nurses support to shape the work environment by assuring their practice is evidence-based and nursing knowledge is generated through research.
• Implements structures to advance and support dissemination of nursing research and evidence-based practice projects.
• Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders assessing trends in the nursing workforce and workload measurement systems to identify and implement additional metrics, information systems and outcome measures.
• Functions independently and effectively in a fast paced and changing environment to prioritize workload with multiple priorities and objectives.
• Maintains proficiency within organizational and professional interrelationships, conflict resolution, and change concepts.
• Skillfully facilitates multiple teams, creating, implementing, and measuring large complex projects within an integrated health system.
• Utilizes strong analytic coaching, communication, leadership, and management skills.
• Possesses effective oral and written communication and human relation skills, is a strong communicator able to work with diverse constituencies, develops rapport with people at all levels of the organization.

• Performed independent, comprehensive telephone and clinical triaging
• Facilitated care coordination through multidisciplinary approach.
• Assist healthcare providers with examinations and procedures.
• Prepared and administered oral, subcutaneous, intramuscular, and intravenous medications.
• Monitored and managed various treatment and care interventions.
• Updated physicians on patient test results and assisted in developing care plans.
• Collected lab specimens, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests and lab results.
• Monitored and recorded patient condition, vital signs, recovery progress and medication side effects.
• Supervised nurse administration of oral, intramuscular and IV medications to patients as prescribed, monitoring responses for adverse reactions.
• Treated patients suffering from chronic and acute medical concerns, including asthma, seizure disorders and pneumonia.
• Counseled patients and caregivers, providing emotional, psychological and spiritual support.
• Improved patient outcomes and quality of care by determining and suggesting changes to processes.
• Oversaw patient immunizations against communicative diseases, supporting nurses through vaccine-specific training and supervising administration.
• Promoted healthy lifestyle choices to reduce re-emergence of painful or dangerous symptoms.

Performed quality improvement (QI) practices to assist in process improvement related to population health.

• Assisted to standardize disease management across the patient care continuum by monitoring disease management of the patient.
• Identified strategies designed to improve adherence to population health metrics.
• Evaluate population health metrics and interprets data to make evidence based recommendations
• Enforces evidence based practice and prevention through training, continuing education and research to promote quality nursing care.
• Interpreted and communicated goals, objectives, policies, and procedures to staff, patients and the healthcare team.
• Educated patients on preventative measures, disease process, medications, and treatment plans.
• Developed patient care plans, conducted case management discussions with a variety of stakeholders, evaluated appropriateness, quality, and cost effectiveness of care.

Provided a multitude of surgical services to active duty soldiers, retirees, and their families including infants and children in the same day surgery center. Provided comprehensive nursing care to ambulatory, urgent, and emergent patients. Provided patient care based on ASPAN standards.

• Assisted surgeons and anesthesia providers with procedures and examinations such as nerve blocks to surgical patients, as well as set up and monitored specialized equipment.
• Implemented evidence based care to prevent surgical site infections.
• Provided education to patients about their care provided, discharge instructions, and medications.
• Performed independent, comprehensive telephone triaging, and facilitated care coordinated through a mulitdisciplinary approach.
• As a perioperative nurse, i thoroughly conducted pre-op screenings and provided pre-surgical teaching. Demonstrated effective time management skills in a high volume, fast paced surgery center. Prepped patients for surgery, initiated and maintained IV sites, and assessed criteria for patients to be discharged home or to the inpatient floor.
• As a PACU nurse, held the position as Charge nurse and acted as s supervisor for the Same Day Surgery Center when leadership was out of the office.
• Acted as a preceptor, mentor and point of contact for infection control.
• Provided education to nursing staff on complex procedures and diagnoses.
• Navigated difficult situations and conflict between team members in an unbiased and professional manner.

Provided nursing care on an observation unit that was fast paced and served patients with a wide range of medical and surgical diagnoses. Monitored telemetry and

• Educated patients and families on medical and surgical procedures, medication regimens and pain management.
• Delivered physician-ordered treatments and monitored responses to quickly spot complications and side effects.
• Assessed patients using comprehensive evaluation techniques and sound clinical judgment.
• Developed and implemented individualized care plans to meet each patients' unique needs.
• Improved care outcomes with proactive education, communication and guidance for patients and family members.
• Performed nursing tasks to deliver high level of care and comply with procedures and regulations.
• Participated in bedside reporting and handoff at change of shift and for patient transfers.
• Administered medications and treatments as directed and as appropriate for patient's medical care in collaboration with multi-disciplinary team.
• Assessed and prepared patients for procedures, performing initial and ongoing patient assessments.
• Collaborated with multidisciplinary healthcare professionals to administer therapies and maintain continuum of care.
• Delivered tailored nursing care to adult patients suffering from multiple diagnoses.
• Promoted safe and calm environment for complex patients by keeping services, supplies and necessary equipment on hand.
• Implemented pre, intra- and post-care, evaluating response to clinical interventions with progression toward discharge.

Provided safe and competent nursing care to adult patients with acute and chronic illnesses by implementing the nursing process in assessment, planning, education, intervention, and evaluation. Gained knowledge and the ability to apply nursing care concepts, principles, and practices.

• Worked closely with case management when problems were identified with healthcare access and gained experience in referral management.
• Obtained training in basic telemetry and gained experience in determining appropriate level of care needed and prioritization for the patients on the unit.
• Gained knowledge on how to develop treatment plans and coordinate patient needs.
• Critical thinking skills and nursing judgement skills expanded.