Kassandra L. Nelson
Stoughton,WI
Summary
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Qualified critical care nurse with strong background in post-anesthesia care. Proven ability to manage patient recovery with precision and care, ensuring smooth transitions from surgery to recovery. Demonstrated effective patient assessment and monitoring skills, along with excellent communication and teamwork.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
Work History
PACU Registered Nurse
Meriter Hospital-Unity Point Health
08.2020 - 02.2024
- Peri anesthetic management of patients across the entire lifespan continuum with focus on phase I recovery from various complex cases and procedures
- Strong critical thinking, attention to detail, and ability to make quick independent decisions based off continuous patient assessments particularly in breathing/airway support, hemodynamics, and level of consciousness
- Develops trusting relationships with anesthesia providers by providing safe evidence-based nursing care, detailed closed loop communication, and strong knowledge of policies and procedures
- Works autonomously implementing multidisciplinary interventions to prevent post op complications and effective treatment of pain and nausea streamlining patient care
- Creating excellent patient experience through active listening, therapeutic communication, low stimulating safe environments and frequent updates to support persons
- Received Meriter’s Service Excellence Award for going above and beyond to create the best patient outcomes every time
- Reduced recovery times through effective pain management and close collaboration with the surgical team.
- Enhanced patient safety by diligently monitoring vital signs and administering medications post surgery.
Registered Nurse Case Manager
Select Specialty Hospital
02.2019 - 03.2020
- Complex discharge planning of highly critical patients with multiple co morbidities and discharge barriers requiring extreme detail, effective communication and planning, and creatively finding resources for safe and timely discharge to lower level of care or home if possible
- Assess patient’s ability to make decisions, include proper family members providing education for DPAHC and code status decisions and initiate completion
- Ensure accuracy and validity of previously filed paperwork
- Actively follow 10-15 patient load with meticulous attention to changes in condition, medications, behavioral or safety events and any other barriers to meeting goals and discharge
- Analyze insurance benefits affecting current stay and barriers of discharge, determine inlier/outlier dates, conduct weekly continued stay criteria and utilization review
- Work closely with insurance case managers/utilization review nurses to ensure continued payment
- Accurately document progress notes, referral list and all other appropriate assessment and discharge planning in electronic healthcare programs EPIC, HMS, and TOC
- Efficiently manage the discharge process by ensuring each discipline conducts necessary patient teaching and patients are safely discharged home with appropriate follow up care, DME, medications, and education or to appropriate lower level of care
Critical Care Recovery Registered Nurse
Select Specialty Hospital
02.2018 - 03.2020
- Consistently assigned 4-5 critically ill patients with high level of acuity
- Responsible for initiating and continuing on-going systematic assessments of critically ill patients with multiple comorbidities creating competency in a wide variety of nursing skills including critical drip titration, preparation and administration of TPN, complex wound care including NPWT initiation and monitoring, hemodynamic instability correction and monitoring, blood transfusions, ventilator and tracheostomy weaning and care including suctioning, enteral nutrition, dialysis preparation, restraint protocol, delirium care
- Received 'The Select Medical Way' Award for following policy and procedure in post patient fall event, accurate documentation of updated plan of care in EPIC and thoroughness in responsive interventions from Director of Quality Management
- Actively collaborate with interdisciplinary team to meet patient and family needs and provide necessary teaching to ensure safe discharge and goal achievement
Education
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
Capella University
Minneapolis, MN06-2026
Associate degree - Nursing
Madison College
Madison, WI12.2017
Skills
- Fluid management
- IV infusions
- Pain management
- Airway management
- Blood transfusion
- Critical care nursing
- Telemetry monitoring
- Anesthesia recovery
- IV insertion
- Vital signs monitoring
Memberships And Affiliations
- American Nursing Association, 2018
- The American Associate of Critical Care Nurses, 2019
- American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses and Wisconsin chapter, 2021
Licensures And Certifications
- Registered Nurse, Wisconsin, #239305
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
Timeline
PACU Registered Nurse
Meriter Hospital-Unity Point Health
08.2020 - 02.2024
Registered Nurse Case Manager
Select Specialty Hospital
02.2019 - 03.2020
Critical Care Recovery Registered Nurse
Select Specialty Hospital
02.2018 - 03.2020
Associate degree - Nursing
Madison College
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
Capella University