Karen Gwiazdzinski

Providing bedside care for critically ill patients including but not limited to post-op care for patients who had undergone any one or more of multiple different procedures including CABG/TAVR/TCAR/IABP/Impella/(N)STEMI/thoracic and cardiac interventions. Managed multiple intravenous infusions and the hemodynamics associated with administering such medications. Manage care for critically ill patients undergoing CRRT, with pacemakers and pacing wires, multiple chest tubes and from moderate sedation to pharmaceutically paralyzed.

I have been employed by Athens Regional Medical Center, now Piedmont Athens Regional since 2012 on a medical-surgical floor specializing in orthopedics and then transferred to the CICU. I provide direct care at the bedside for patients in a safe, efficient fashion. I have become proficient at time management and multi-tasking in a stressful, fast paced environment. I look forward to precepting new nurses, orienting experienced nurses and being a part of a nursing student's educational journey.

In a transitional period for Medicare recipient insurance payments, I was tasked with creating the position of the Comprehensive Joint Replacement Coordinactor, the CJRC. My role was to assist patients covered by Medicare before, during and after their total joint replacement surgery while managing their other preexisting comorbidities, like hypertension and diabetes. I established an educational session for patients to attend to learn about expectations surrounding their elective surgery. I created a telephone hotline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for emergencies and concerns. I prepared patients for surgery, monitored them through their hospital stay and continued to follow their progress after their discharge from the hospital for a further 90 days. Their success after surgery was my responsibility.