Dianne Rocanello

Supervising Nurse, shift supervisor at Albert J Solnit Children's Center, a DCF in-patient psychiatric hospital for children and youth

Duties include:

• Oversight of the four hospital units and three Psychiatric Residential Treatment Units.
• Facilitate milieu management during high acuity and crisis intervention. Provide support and guidance to direct care staff as needed.
• Direct reporting responsibilities for all reportable incidents to management during shift and after hours.
• Provide oversight to the staff scheduling coordinators, adjust staffing levels based on assessment of patient care needs and level of acuity.
• Triage after hour emergency admissions.
• Oversee assignments and delivery of care to patients by direct care staff comprised RN's, LPN's and Children Service Workers
• Work in collaboration with the unit psychiatrist and or on sight covering psychiatrist to assess and deliver patient care treatments during high acuity or individual patient crisis.
• Responsible for a complete shift report and hand off to oncoming shift.

In 2015 additional responsibilities included Infection Prevention Nurse coordinator duties include

• Implement procedures and protocols based on Joint Commission and CMS standards for in-patient psychiatric hospital.
• Update the Infection Prevention manual at least yearly and as needed throughout the year. In collaboration with the Adolescent Health MD, completed and entire new Infection Prevention Manual in 2022
• Participate in monthly Environment Of Care (EOC) rounds with the Facility Engineer, EOC coordinator and head of housekeeping
• Co-chair the Infection Prevention Committee and hold monthly Infection Prevention meetings
• Developed and implemented Protocols for the COVID 19 pandemic. Updating in a quick and continual changing environment. Using day to day updates through CDC and sate of Connecticut recommendations
• Developed a yearly infection prevention training for the Staff Development Department to train all current staff and a training for all new employees
• Provided patient education for childhood vaccines, personal hygiene, hand hygiene and face mask use as needed. Provided education to parents and guardians related to childhood vaccinations and medication management and potential side effects.

Albert J Solnit Center Clinical Nurse Coordinator duties:

• Delegating assignments and preparing a schedule for nursing staff to follow throughout the shift
• Develops, implements and reviews individual nursing health care plans
• Accompanies individual on visits to treatment programs or placement settings
• Assures continuity of care through Milieu management and structure
• Participate in a multidisciplinary professional healthcare team meeting to determine individual needs to develop a care plan
• Prepares comprehensive nursing assessment upon admission to hospital with ongoing follow up treatment review assessments. Manage patient care from admission to discharge
• Took and monitored vital signs, administered regular scheduled medication and treatments per MD order, monitored response while working with the healthcare team to adjust care plans
• Supervised professionals and para-professionals. Built and maintained positive staff relationships to promote teamwork to better serve patients
• Respond to psychiatric emergencies
• Collaborated with physicians to quickly assess patients and deliver appropriate treatment while managing rapidly changing conditions and psychiatric emergencies
• Fostered improvements in staff development, personnel training and standards of patient care delivery
• In the absence of the Nurse Manager will perform Nurse Manager duties

Area office Clinical Nurse Coordinator duties:

• Coordination and oversight of the licensed foster parents and or licensed foster homes who care for children with complex medical needs
• Serve as a consultant to the area office social worker staff regarding placement of children who have complex medical needs
• Upon request, consult with the local hospital labor and delivery unit MD to assess placement of new born baby to a medically complex foster home
• Support area office social workers in arranging Medically Complex Certification Training for foster parents
• Ensures the licensed foster care giver has appropriate knowledge base, and training requirements are met for the specific diagnosis for the children they are providing care for.
• Provided training to area office social work staff as needed.
• Accompany social work staff to foster home visits when a concern or situation arises to meet the criteria of a medical/nursing concern.
• Prepare Permission To Treat forms for surgical procedures for DCF committed children. Provide post-op care training to foster parent.

• Delegating assignments and preparing a schedule for nursing staff to follow throughout the shift
• Develops, implements and reviews individual nursing health care plans
• Ensures continuity of care through Milieu management and structure
• Participate in a multidisciplinary professional healthcare team meeting to determine individual needs to develop a care plan
• Prepares comprehensive nursing assessment upon admission to hospital with ongoing follow up treatment review assessments
• Lead patient educational groups such as medication management, personal hygiene, daily/weekly goals and team building
• Educated family members and care givers on patient care instructions, medication review and potential side effects and discharge planning
• Took and monitored vital signs, administered regular scheduled medication and treatments per MD order, monitored response while working with the healthcare team to adjust care plans
• Assess patients need for PRN medications as well as therapeutic interventions
• Supervised para-professionals. Built and maintained positive staff relationships to promote teamwork to better serve patients
• Respond to psychiatric emergencies and
• Collaborated with physicians to quickly assess patients and deliver appropriate treatment while managing rapidly changing conditions and psychiatric emergencies

• Enhanced patient care by implementing evidence-based nursing practices and protocols
• Reduced medication errors through meticulous charting and double-checking dosages
• Collaborated with interdisciplinary team members for comprehensive patient assessments and treatment plans
• Delegated patient care duties to paraprofessional staff as well as oversee patient care of paraprofessional staff
• Medication administration via PO and gastric tube
• Tracheotomy care
• Intravenous (IV)therapy as well as IV placement
• Phlebotomy as needed