Jean Heiser

- Assist Anesthesiologists with perioperative ultrasound guided regional anesthesia for post operative pain control.

Educating patients and family members regarding regional anesthesia, answering questions as needed. Ensuring patients are on a monitor with vital signs cycling every 3-5 minutes before, during and after the nerve block/regional anesthesia. Administering sedation as needed prior to the nerve block. Monitoring the patient and vital signs while assisting with injection of numbing medicine as directed by the Anesthesiologist. Nerve blocks are done with RN assistance pre-operativey, in the operating room and in the post operative setting.

- Gather patient data, current health status, and health history days to weeks pre-operatively in order to ensure patient is optimized for their particular surgery. Addressing any issues, abnormal studies and abnormal lab work with an Anesthesiologist. Communicating with the patient and patients health care providers pre-operatively making sure it is safe for the patient to proceed with their surgical procedure.

This gathering of patient data and health information is done for scheduled surgeries and procedures in addition to any emergent add ons for the operating room. Alerting an Anesthesiologist as needed.

- Retrieve and respond daily to a post operative "listen line" in which patients with issues or concerns regarding their anesthesia care and/or the nerve block they received leave a voice message.

- Oriented and trained new hire RN's to this Anesthesia RN role for American Anesthesiology.

- This RN position has provided the opportunity to work with, care for and educate patients with a wide range of health, and psychosocial histories.

- During this time I was employed as a staff RN on a busy cardiac telemetry unit, staff RN in an Out Patient procedural services unit and RN phone triage for Coastal Family Medicine affiliated with New Hanover Medical Center.

- RN role as lead/charge RN on cardiac telemetry and Out Patient services. Communicating closely with co-workers and assisting the team. Communicating and facilitating with the Nursing Supervisor incoming patient bed assignments and triaging patients based on acuity.

• Collaborated with physicians to quickly assess patients and deliver appropriate treatment while managing rapidly changing conditions.
• Educated patients, families and caregivers on diagnosis and prognosis, treatment options, disease process and management and lifestyle options.
• Trained new nurses in proper techniques, care standards, operational procedures and safety protocols.
• Provided direct patient care, stabilized patients and determined next course of action.
• Administered medications via oral, IV and intramuscular injections and monitored responses.
• Provided didactic and clinical instructions to orient new nurses and potential student nurses to achieve training outcomes.
• Managed care from admission to discharge.