Diane Cantamessa
Franklin,NC
Summary
Seasoned Registered Nurse with 30+ years of experience in clinical settings providing nursing care to diverse populations. Background includes ED Nurse Manager/Director, Charge Nurse, and Staff RN roles. Strong clinical skills have led to a reputation for maintaining high standards of nursing care for both myself and my team members. An ability to “think on my feet” has enabled me to effectively lead when facing demanding and ever-changing clinical scenarios. The ability to hold others accountable in the workplace while encouraging and developing their strengths and talents is a skill that has been honed over the years.
Overview
1
1
Certification
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Staff Nurse, Emergency Department
Highlands-Cashiers Hospital
Highlands, NC
06.2024 - Current
- Assessed patient needs, prioritized care, monitored clinical status, and communicated changes to the provider.
- Delivered bedside care for patients with a wide range of emergency medical conditions.
- Supported patient education and discharge preparation.
- Facilitated team-building activities within the ED to enhance collaboration. as informal leader within the ED setting.
Staff Nurse, Acute Care Unit
Highlands-Cashiers Hospital
Highlands, North Carolina
12.2022 - 06.2024
- Provided comprehensive nursing care to hospitalized patients with various medical and clinical needs, ensuring individual treatment plans were followed.
- Conducted assessments, evaluations and monitored patient responses to treatments.
- Supported patient education and discharge preparation.
Staff Nurse
Harris Urgent Care
Sylva, NC
01.2021 - 11.2022
- Performed patient assessments, clinical procedures, and treatment coordination while educating patients on care plans.
- Delivered nursing care and clinical support in urgent care setting, ensuring timely and effective patient treatment.
- Supervised techs and students, collaborating with healthcare teams on patient care and transitions to higher levels of care.
Staff Nurse/shift Charge Nurse, Emergency Dept
Harris Regional Hospital
Sylva, NC
03.2018 - 11.2022
- Managed patient flow and staff assignments and all other charge nurse responsibilities during the shift.
- Triaged emergency patients using rapid assessment and acuity prioritization protocols.
- Documented assessments and interventions in electronic medical records to ensure accurate patient history and continuity of care.
- Facilitated staff communication and prioritized workload to enhance patient flow in fast-paced setting.
- Oversaw patient flow and coordinated staff assignments while fulfilling all charge nurse responsibilities during shift.
Staff Nurse, Emergency Department
Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
Bradenton, Florida
04.2017 - 04.2018
- Provided bedside nursing care for patients from newborn to geriatrics, conducting assessments, evaluations, and developing nursing care plans.
- Coordinated with physicians, nurses, and patients on care transitions to enhance patient understanding of treatment plans.
- Worked as staff RN on weekends for TeamHealth to maintain current clinical skills in preparation for relocation to NC.
Clinical Care Coordinator
TeamHealth at Manatee Memorial Hospital
Bradenton, Florida
03.2013 - 04.2017
- Collaborated with ED and hospital leadership to identify and prioritize improvement opportunities in the ED, developing strategies focused on enhancing service excellence and patient experience.
- Met routinely with community clinic leadership to develop initiatives related to improving delivery of care resulting in a 40% reduction of “frequent fliers” year over year.
- Conducted chart audits on all patients returning to the ED within 72 hours of initial visits to identify trends in provider practices, abnormal VS, and misdiagnoses.
- Delivered communication training to all new hires, covering scripting and implementation of the blameless apology.
- Provided communication training to all new hires including scripting and the blameless apology.
- Delivered positive feedback to nursing staff based on patient comments during rounding and chart audits.
Nurse Manager, Emergency Department
Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
Bradenton, Florida
11.2010 - 03.2013
- Complete accountability for a small ED (approx 25,000 visits per year) in a 120 bed community hospital serving an increasingly diverse population.
- Oversaw department operations, ensured regulatory compliance, made personnel decisions, evaluated employee performance, and addressed patient grievances.
- Focused effort to increase market share of EMS traffic resulted in a 30% increase in visits in 2011.
- Led department through provider group transition, ensuring continuity of care and operational stability.
- Focused effort to increase market share of EMS traffic resulted in a 30% increase in visits in 2011.
- Led the coordination of Emergency Management for the entire hospital, handling all aspects of preparedness such as mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery in 2011.
- Took over director-level responsibilities, managing operational and capital budgets after the system director left in April 2012.
Charge RN, Emergency Dept/Relief House Supervisor
Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
Bradenton, Florida
08.2005 - 11.2010
- Facilitated patient flow and throughput in the ED, providing guidance to staff and resolving conflicts using service recovery skills.
- Relief House Supervisor beginning in 2006, giving a global perspective to decision making.
- Established shared governance through formation of ED Clinical Practice Committee, authored original policy, and served as inaugural CPC chairperson.
- Managed payroll and assisted with scheduling and assignments, focusing on creative scheduling to enhance staff satisfaction while controlling overtime.
- Processed payroll for staff, ensuring accurate and timely compensation., assisting with scheduling/assignments with particular emphasis on creative scheduling to maximize staff satisfaction while minimizing overtime.
Staff RN/Relief Clinical Coordinator
Sarasota Memorial Hospital
Sarasota, Florida
04.2002 - 07.2005
- As Relief Clinical Coordinator, supervised 12-14 RNs and 3-4 techs per shift, rounding in the ER proper as well as the fast track area and clinical decision unit.
- Participated in unit-based quality improvement programs focusing on chart audits to measure benchmarks; served as chairperson of the ED Clinical Practice Committee.
- Coordinated staff rotations between inpatient floors and ED to enhance collaboration and improve relationships with inpatient units.
- Trained new nurses and travel RNs on Sarasota Memorial procedures and documentation to ensure compliance and quality bedside practices.
- Trained new nurses and travel RNs on Sarasota Memorial procedures, documentation, and bedside practices.
- Responded to emergencies and supported rapid nursing interventions on inpatient floors.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
University of Florida
Gainesville, FLCertification
BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP, STABLE, TNCC and CPI
Timeline
Staff Nurse, Emergency Department
Highlands-Cashiers Hospital
06.2024 - Current
Staff Nurse, Acute Care Unit
Highlands-Cashiers Hospital
12.2022 - 06.2024
Staff Nurse
Harris Urgent Care
01.2021 - 11.2022
Staff Nurse/shift Charge Nurse, Emergency Dept
Harris Regional Hospital
03.2018 - 11.2022
Staff Nurse, Emergency Department
Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
04.2017 - 04.2018
Clinical Care Coordinator
TeamHealth at Manatee Memorial Hospital
03.2013 - 04.2017
Nurse Manager, Emergency Department
Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
11.2010 - 03.2013
Charge RN, Emergency Dept/Relief House Supervisor
Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
08.2005 - 11.2010
Staff RN/Relief Clinical Coordinator
Sarasota Memorial Hospital
04.2002 - 07.2005
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
University of Florida