Karen Wilkinson
Plantation,FL
Summary
Patient-focused neonatal nursing leader and partner to physician leadership with 20+ years of driving integration and consistency of clinical operations and business processes, quality improvement initiatives, and strategic and innovative programs.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
Putnam Hospital Center
02.2023 - Current
- Manage newborn nursery, attend all deliveries, admit and discharge infants from nursery and NICU.
- Educate nursing staff regarding human trafficking, how to recognize and have effective intervention.
- Mentor nursing staff, fostering professional growth through clinical guidance and educational opportunities.
- Develop relationships with community organizations to improve access to resources for families with newborns requiring specialized care.
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to optimize patient outcomes and ensure continuity of care.
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
NCH Healthcare System- Naples
01.2023 - 06.2023
- Managed newborn nursery of approximately 20 patients per day, admissions and discharges, and include neonatal ICU patients and delivery service for overnight coverage
- Attended multi-disciplinary meetings and provide thorough patient care update for parents.
- Advised Medical Director of changes to unit policies, and the implementation and compliance thereof.
- Collaborated with case workers and social workers to provide supportive services to migrant farm workers who delivered babies.
- Advocated for screening upon admission for violence against women for all pregnant mothers admitted to the unit.
Neonatal Intensive Care RN
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
12.2022 - 02.2023
- Provided care to neonatal patients who require assisted ventilation and intensive care and monitoring
- Cared for infants post-surgery for various conditions requiring surgical repair
- Managed central lines and narcotic/vasoactive infusions
- Maintained excellent communication with parents and caregivers of critically ill infants.
- Improved patient outcomes by providing high-quality nursing care and implementing evidence-based practices.
- Devised individualized care plans tailored to each patient''s unique situation, optimizing clinical outcomes.
Neonatal Intensive Care RN
Broward Health Medical Center
09.2022 - 11.2022
- Provided urgent staffing for crisis response at this facility
- Cared for convalescing infants who continued to require care in the NICU.
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
ENVISION PHYSICIAN SERVICES
10.2019 - 08.2022
- Managed care for a cohort of neonatal patients in various NICUs of a multitude of busy area hospitals (company’s clients)
- Enriched delivery of care to patients with direct involvement in quality improvement process
- Provided education for less experienced nurses
- Provided coverage for Level III NICU at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, including attending high risk deliveries
- Administered 24-hour coverage at Level II hospital affiliations, attending to patients in the utmost efficient manner
- Overcame staff shortage by hiring/training inexperienced NPs and working with physicians to divide census and raise efficiencies
- Contributed to safety improvements of unplanned extubation by extracting key points from a national pediatric airway project
- Took on role of preceptor and resourced junior level staff for 2 years; became skilled at providing constructive feedback necessary to grow.
- Participated in hospital committees and led working groups to promote quality improvement initiatives.
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
CROZER-CHESTER MEDICAL CENTER
01.2018 - 03.2020
- Administered 24-hour care to Intensive Care Nursery patients, requiring more than routine care after birth
- Managed airway and ventilator devices for term/preterm infants
- Resuscitated patients in OR and DR
- Placed umbilical arterial and venous central catheters
- Attended all c-section and high-risk deliveries, leveraging extensive prior experience
- Handled a caseload of 8–15 patients at once, utilizing refined time management skills.
Neonatal Intensive Care RN
Jacobi Medical Center
08.2017 - 01.2018
- Delivered top quality, compassionate care to patients and their families as integral member of nursing staff.
- Provided responsive emotional support for parents struggling with the complex challenges of infants in the NICU.
- Demonstrated a high level of cultural competence, caring for and managing expectations of people from diverse backgrounds.
- Diffused difficult situations between family members and staff, avoiding violent outbursts from parents.
Pediatrics Instructor
PITC INSTITUTE
05.2017 - 07.2017
- Instructed students in Pediatrics for LPN program, providing lectures for day and evening courses
- Shared expertise of childhood growth and development as well as engaged in discussions of common diseases.
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA
08.2008 - 03.2017
- Served as a senior member of Frontline Clinician Team in NICU at world-renowned pediatric hospital, providing the highest level of care possible to critically ill infants
- Supervised pediatric resident physicians and trained fellows on advanced clinical procedures
- Mentored neonatal fellows on resuscitation and PICC insertion, with hands-on demonstrations of differing procedures/techniques
- Improved patient care as an influential member of neonatal pain team, creating new protocols for post-surgery pain management
- Heightened overall efficiency by changing the way medical teams rounded as NICU grew from a 75- to 100-bed unit
- Expertly outlined and coordinated care for infants requiring multiple subspecialty services following discharge.
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL
04.2014 - 01.2016
- Assessed, evaluated, and cared for neonate and pediatric patients.
- Provided compassionate end-of-life care for terminally ill infants, supporting families through the bereavement process.
- Mentored nursing staff, fostering professional growth through clinical guidance and educational opportunities.
- Contributed to policy development within the NICU department, establishing guidelines for best practices in neonatal care management.
- Coordinated care for critically ill neonates, collaborating with specialists and advocating for necessary medical interventions.
- Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to optimize patient outcomes and ensure continuity of care.
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
HOLY SPIRIT HOSPITAL
01.2014 - 01.2015
- Additional Experience: Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
THE READING HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CENTER
08.2011 - 03.2012
- Additional Experience: Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
Neonatal Clinical Manager
Somanetics Corporation
12.2007 - 05.2008
- Hired for non-clinical consulting role, educating neonatal clients in optimal healthcare procedures, treatments, and solutions
- Managed regional territory of neonatal accounts, from Maine to Virginia
- Educated medical/nursing staff in a clinical environment
- Easily gained credibility and built strong relationships with clients, anesthesiologists, and neonatologists
- Introduced new technology to neonatologists and pediatric intensivists that took neonatal monitoring to the next level
- Clearly conveyed benefits of new technology to key opinion leaders via educational PowerPoint presentations and discussions
- Rendered a full range of clinical support for customers and sales force by providing attentive service and efficient problem solving.
Clinical Instructor, School of Nursing
University of Delaware
08.2007 - 05.2008
- Taught senior-year undergraduate nursing students in a pediatric/neonatal clinical environment
- Oversaw performance of 11 students at several different pediatric community health nursing sites.
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
THE JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL
09.2006 - 11.2007
- Additional Experience: Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
Staff Nurse
CHRISTIANA CARE HEALTH SERVICES
07.2003 - 08.2006
- Maternal Child Per Diem Pool (2005–2006) | Labor & Delivery (2005) | Special Care Nursery – Level III NICU (2003–2005)
Education
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) - Maternal Health And Neonatal Nursing
THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
Philadelphia, PABachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) -
THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
Philadelphia, PASkills
- Senior Clinical Leadership
- Didactic Presentations
- Quality Improvement
- Data Analysis & Insights
- Advisor to Medical Director
- Quality Initiatives
- Relationship Building
- Change Management
- Regulatory Compliance
- Technical Proficiency
- Diversity Equity & Inclusion
Affiliations
American Association of Nurse Practitioners, NICU and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Subcommittee, 2022
Presentations
- Neonatal Physical Assessment, THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA, Philadelphia, PA, August 2011
- The Big Chill, Whole Body Cooling for the Bedside Nurse, THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF NEONATAL NURSING, Orlando, FL, March 2012
Team Mom for South Florida Football League
Responsible for coordinating and communicating weekly team activities to all parents via flyers and text. Served as a first aid provider when injuries occurred, as well as provided critical hydration during heat conditioning training. On many occasions, provided a listening ear, and a word of encouragement to many underserved and less privileged youth in the Ft. Lauderdale metro area who came from homes that were experiencing some form of violence or abuse.
Languages
Spanish
Full Professional
Timeline
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
Putnam Hospital Center
02.2023 - Current
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
NCH Healthcare System- Naples
01.2023 - 06.2023
Neonatal Intensive Care RN
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
12.2022 - 02.2023
Neonatal Intensive Care RN
Broward Health Medical Center
09.2022 - 11.2022
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
ENVISION PHYSICIAN SERVICES
10.2019 - 08.2022
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
CROZER-CHESTER MEDICAL CENTER
01.2018 - 03.2020
Neonatal Intensive Care RN
Jacobi Medical Center
08.2017 - 01.2018
Pediatrics Instructor
PITC INSTITUTE
05.2017 - 07.2017
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL
04.2014 - 01.2016
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
HOLY SPIRIT HOSPITAL
01.2014 - 01.2015
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
THE READING HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CENTER
08.2011 - 03.2012
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA
08.2008 - 03.2017
Neonatal Clinical Manager
Somanetics Corporation
12.2007 - 05.2008
Clinical Instructor, School of Nursing
University of Delaware
08.2007 - 05.2008
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
THE JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL
09.2006 - 11.2007
Staff Nurse
CHRISTIANA CARE HEALTH SERVICES
07.2003 - 08.2006
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) - Maternal Health And Neonatal Nursing
THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) -
THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
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