Kassandra Salazar
Carrollton
Summary
Bilingual clinical nursing manager specializing in quality improvement, cross-functional collaboration, and patient-centered outcomes within healthcare staffing operations. Combines clinical expertise with data-driven strategy to support clinical excellence and organizational performance.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
2
2
Certifications
Work History
Registered Nurse | Clinical Nursing Manager
LiquidAgents/StaffDNA
Plano
06.2024 - Current
- Mentor and counsel to field agents within the organization, promoting professional development.
- Provide leadership through mentoring, counseling, and performance management of clinical staff, promoting professional development and ensuring accountability through coaching and disciplinary processes.
- Maintain collaborative relationships with healthcare facilities nationwide while monitoring adherence to standardized scope of practice, policies, and procedures, ensuring compliance and operational excellence.
- Serve as a subject matter expert on nursing specialties, supporting corporate staff and recruiters through training sessions, workshops, and development of comprehensive clinical education materials.
- Conduct periodic comprehensive audits to ensure compliance with Joint Commission (JCAHO) accreditation standards, identifying gaps and implementing corrective actions to strengthen survey readiness and patient safety.
- Maintain regulatory risk management by reviewing escalated compliance cases, including license restrictions, clinical disciplinary actions, and felony histories, to determine worker eligibility and safeguard organizational standards.
- Author job descriptions, clinical competencies, skills checklists, and organizational policies to standardize qualifications, strengthen governance, and support accreditation readiness.
Registered Nurse | Intensive Care Unit-CVICU, MICU, Neuro-Trauma
HealthTrust
Dallas
10.2023 - Current
- Primary critical care clinical management in a 38-bed medical intensive care unit with a population consisting of respiratory failure, multi-system failure such as sepsis and endocrine dysfunction, post cardiac and respiratory arrest management.
- Familiar with Impella devices, external pacemakers and continuous cardiac monitoring.
- Implement sedation vacation protocols with the help of central monitoring equipment leading to a 27% reduction in intubation rates.
- Implement foley catheter management and removal protocols, mitigating risk of catheter associated urinary tract infections.
- Utilizes comprehensive assessment skills to determine current and potential patient needs such as language barrier or health literacy and advocates for patients while executing physician guided outcome focused care plan to reduce readmission by 15%.
- Proficient in collaborating with cross functional partners such as physicians and medical staff, ensuring alignment of clinical goals, fostering strong, effective communication, educating appropriate populations, and implementing and documenting action plans in both English and Spanish.
Registered Nurse | Intensive care units CVICU, MICU, NTICU
Various facilities
12.2020 - 09.2023
- Traveling clinician contracted by multiple healthcare facilities for 13-week assignments, excelling in high-pressure environments with limited acclimation time with an emphasis on strategic and problem-solving abilities.
- Achieved a 12% reduction in sentinel events, ensuring strict adherence to regulatory standards.
- Successfully managed critical care patients in 38-60 bed intensive care units across multiple locations, including Austin, Texas; Roswell, New Mexico; Warwick, Rhode Island; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Edinburg, Texas; and Indianapolis, Indiana.
- Proven leadership abilities in motivating cross-functional partners, prioritizing tasks, acting as a resource/preceptor to fellow clinicians, educating patients in both English and Spanish, and effectively allocating resources to achieve desired patient outcomes.
Registered Nurse | Progressive care/ Intensive care unit
South Texas Health System
McAllen
07.2019 - 12.2020
- Primary critical care clinical management in a 38-bed unit with a population consisting of respiratory failure, diabetic ketoacidosis, complications of diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, and seizures.
- Participated in a reduction in CLABSI incidences by 17% in the unit with the use of chlorhexidine-impregnated dressings on central lines, therefore reducing hospital costs, reducing length of stay, and increasing patient satisfaction.
- Implemented a formal plan for the reduction of falls in the unit, with the use of call lights, bed alarms, and assessment and documentation.
- Committed to strictly adhering to clinical department policies and procedures, ensuring alignment with organizational standards, and patient care guidelines.
- Educate appropriate populations with compassionate communication in English and Spanish on relevant devices, disease processes, and pertinent drug information, as well as health maintenance recommendations.
Licensed Vocational Nurse | Pediatric private duty nurse
Aveanna Healthcare
Olmito
06.2016 - 03.2018
- Private primary care for a diverse regional pediatric population, such as managing home ventilation for patients with tracheostomies, nutrition deficiencies, heart conditions such as tetralogy of Fallot, and seizure disorders.
- Ensure patient safety when oxygen is in use with a home ventilator by utilizing home medical equipment and preventing the risk of hypoxia.
- Monitor seizure activity and implement patient safety precautions to prevent injury and mitigate risk of hospital admissions.
- Effective communication in English and Spanish internally and within the team with appropriate staff and clients involved.
Licensed Vocational Nurse | Community health nurse
Brownsville Community Health
Brownsville
05.2015 - 06.2016
- Manage and lead other members of the healthcare team to coordinate and provide safe patient care.
- Participate in bedside procedures to maintain a sterile field and mitigate the risk of hospital-acquired infections.
- Educated Spanish-speaking patients about diabetes mellitus type 2 management, including monitoring glucose levels, when to appropriately administer insulin and where, and ensuring understanding of the information provided.
- Provide wound care and wound care education to patients experiencing amputations, the effects of chemotherapy, and post-surgical incisions to reduce the occurrence of infection.
Education
MBA/MHA -
Texas Women’s University
Dallas, TX12-2027
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
University of Texas Arlington
Arlington, TX07-2020
Associate of Science - Nursing
South Texas College
McAllen, TX05-2019
Licensed Vocational Nurse -
Texas State Technical College
Harlingen, TX12-2014
Skills
- SOP development and implementation
- Team leadership
- Performance coaching
- Education and training
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Regulatory compliance
- Quality assurance
- Vendor and partner coordination
Languages
English
Native/ Bilingual
Spanish
Native/ Bilingual
German
Elementary
Certification
Registered Nurse, Texas Board of Nursing, 2019
Timeline
Registered Nurse | Clinical Nursing Manager
LiquidAgents/StaffDNA
06.2024 - Current
Registered Nurse | Intensive Care Unit-CVICU, MICU, Neuro-Trauma
HealthTrust
10.2023 - Current
Registered Nurse | Intensive care units CVICU, MICU, NTICU
Various facilities
12.2020 - 09.2023
Registered Nurse | Progressive care/ Intensive care unit
South Texas Health System
07.2019 - 12.2020
Licensed Vocational Nurse | Pediatric private duty nurse
Aveanna Healthcare
06.2016 - 03.2018
Licensed Vocational Nurse | Community health nurse
Brownsville Community Health
05.2015 - 06.2016
MBA/MHA -
Texas Women’s University
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
University of Texas Arlington
Associate of Science - Nursing
South Texas College
Licensed Vocational Nurse -
Texas State Technical College