Kathleen Stachyra
New Lenox,IL
Summary
Patient-oriented, compassionate Nurse with 23 years of an extensive history in direct patient care, leadership, and healthcare administration. Board certified lactation consultant. Highly accomplished in precepting and educating healthcare teams to enhance patient care standards. Skilled in administering quality care to patients in Neonatal Intensive Care, Pediatrics, and Adults in long-term, home, hospice, medical-surgical, step-down and rehabilitative environments. Demonstrated leadership abilities that guide teams towards excellence in producing positive patient outcomes.
Highly adaptable Registered Nurse dedicated to providing exceptional care and compassion to patients. Promoting kindness and dedication that ensures patient dignity while assisting loved ones with emotional needs.
Compassionate Hospice Nurse with relevant experience in providing end-of-life care and emotional support to terminally ill patients and their families. Strengths include strong clinical judgment, exceptional communication skills, and the ability to provide comfort during difficult times. Have contributed significantly to improving patient quality of life through personalized care plans and symptom management in previous roles.
Experienced nursing professional bringing demonstrated clinical expertise, leadership skills and technical knowledge. Proficient in updating charts, monitoring medications and working with multidisciplinary teams to optimize patient care. Quality-driven and efficient with strong interpersonal abilities.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
5
5
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Hospice Nurse
Palos Northwestern Medical Healthcare
Lemont, IL
09.2022 - 01.2025
- Provide compassionate and personalized care to terminally ill patients in a hospice setting
- Administer medications, monitored vital signs, and assessed patient conditions on a regular basis
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary team members to develop and implement individualized care plans for each patient
- Manage pain and symptoms effectively through the use of medication adjustments and alternative therapies
- Educate patients and their families about end-of-life care options, including palliative measures and advanced directives
- Support patients' emotional well-being by providing counseling, active listening, and therapeutic communication
- Coordinate with other healthcare professionals to ensure continuity of care for patients transitioning between different settings (e.g., hospital to home)
- Assist in coordinating hospice admissions, discharges, transfers, and bereavement services as needed
- Maintain accurate documentation of patient assessments, interventions, progress notes, and medication administration records
- Ensure compliance with all regulatory standards related to hospice care delivery
- Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings to discuss patient cases, review treatment plans, and address any concerns or challenges
- Respond promptly to medical emergencies or changes in patient conditions by implementing appropriate interventions
- Provide support during the dying process by offering comfort measures such as positioning assistance or spiritual guidance if desired by the patient/family
- Implement infection control protocols to minimize the risk of infections among vulnerable hospice patients
- Collaborate with social workers and chaplains to provide holistic support for patients' psychosocial needs
- Facilitate family meetings or conferences when necessary to address complex medical decisions or end-of-life planning
- Advocate for patients' rights while respecting their autonomy and cultural beliefs
- Assess caregiver stress levels regularly; provided education on self-care techniques
- Demonstrate proficiency in managing symptoms associated with various end-stage diseases (e.g., pain, dyspnea, nausea)
- Coordinate with pharmacy services to ensure timely delivery of medications and supplies
- Provide emotional support and guidance to family members during the grieving process
- Collaborate with community resources to arrange additional support services for patients and families as needed
- Participate in ongoing professional development activities to stay updated on best practices in hospice care
- Earned recognition for exceptional patient satisfaction scores through compassionate care delivery
- Manage a caseload of terminally ill patients while ensuring high-quality care standards were met
- Implement evidence-based nursing interventions to effectively manage complex symptoms and improve patient comfort
- Contribute to the development of new policies and procedures aimed at enhancing the quality of hospice care
- Serve as a mentor for newly hired hospice nurses, providing guidance and support during their orientation period
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary team members on research projects related to improving end-of-life care
- Serve as a resource person for colleagues regarding pain management techniques or difficult symptom control cases
- Develop educational materials for patients/families on topics such as medication management or advance directives
- Liaise between patients & primary physicians and the hospice team to ensure seamless coordination of medical treatments
- Provided compassionate care to patients in end-of-life stages.
- Assisted with daily living activities and personal hygiene for patients.
Registered Nurse, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Advocate Health Care Christ Hospital
Oak Lawn, IL
09.2004 - 02.2022
- Responsible for care of premature critically ill infants from admission to discharge conducting patient assessments, participate in the development of the plan of care, implement plan and evaluate according to patient specific age and/or developmental needs and educating families throughout stay and at time of discharge.
- Provide care for ECMO, high frequency ventilator, conventional ventilator, therapeutic cooling and micro preemie patients.
- Provide patient care and treatment at high risk deliveries.
- Breastfeeding education including pumping and feeding schedules, milk production, feeding techniques, non-nutritive suckling, and skin to skin kangaroo care.
- Bridge scanning super user for breast milk.
- Preceptor.
- Frequently given charge nurse duties overseeing 25+ RN's.
- A member of the NICU Human Milk Committee, with exceptional knowledge working with donor milk, mother's milk and Prolacta.
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
Silver Cross Hospital
New Lenox, IL
04.2019 - 10.2019
- Provided family-centered patient care, assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating lactation needs for the breastfeeding dyad and with pumping mothers.
- Provided breastfeeding education to postpartum mothers.
- Address nursing concerns and assist with nursing issues.
Registered Nurse Maternal Child Float Pool
RUSH University Medical Center
09.2002 - 10.2003
- Provided care to post-partum, newborn nursery, neonatal ICU and pediatric patients.
- Duties include post-operative monitoring and general assessments of mothers, detailed assessments of babies, assisting with breastfeeding and newborn education and delivering complete care to pediatric patients.
Registered Nurse Cardiovascular Telemetry Unit
St. Francis Hospital
- Provided care and treatment to pre-operative and post-operative patients, patients with complex heart condition and patients experiencing illness.
- Duties included patient assessment, medication administration, titrating drip medications, management of post-operative pain, and educating patients and families.
Registered Nurse Pediatric Oncology
Children's Memorial Hospital
- Provided care and established patient plan of care with a multidisciplinary team within the hospital setting for children with cancer and hematological conditions.
- Duties included same as above.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
St. Xavier University
Chicago, IL 09.1995 - 12.2000
Skills
- Symptom control
- End-of-life care
- Patient advocacy
- Care coordination
- Family education
- Team collaboration
- Critical thinking
- Emergency response
- Emotional support
- Active listening
- Conflict resolution
- Time management
- Professional development
- Holistic nursing
- Evidence-based care
- Medication administration
- Cultural history
- Patient needs assessment
- Interpersonal and written communication
- Patient care plans
- Pain control
- Compassionate care
- Patient evaluation
- Palliative care
- Bereavement counseling
- IV and venipuncture
- Oxygen therapy
- Admissions support
- Hospice care
- Advanced care planning
- Psychosocial assessment
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Physician communication
- Clinical assessment
- Catheter monitoring
- Body mechanics
- Medication and IV administration
- Tracheostomy care
- Wound care
- Geriatric care
- Home healthcare
- IV therapy management
- Effective communication
- Excellent communication
- Procedure assistance
- Immunizations and vaccinations
- Dementia care
- Infant resuscitation
- Breastfeeding support
- Parent education
- Ventilator management
- IV insertion and maintenance
- Seizure management
- Post-anesthesia care
- Patient assessment
- Lactation education
- Latch assessment
- Maternal health
- Tongue tie evaluation
- Lactation support
- Lactation nutrition
- Postpartum care
- Breast pump assistance
- Newborn care
- Milk supply management
- Lactation instruction
- Infant care expertise
- Breastfeeding education
Timeline
Hospice Nurse
Palos Northwestern Medical Healthcare
09.2022 - 01.2025
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
Silver Cross Hospital
04.2019 - 10.2019
Registered Nurse, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Advocate Health Care Christ Hospital
09.2004 - 02.2022
Registered Nurse Maternal Child Float Pool
RUSH University Medical Center
09.2002 - 10.2003
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
St. Xavier University
09.1995 - 12.2000
Registered Nurse Cardiovascular Telemetry Unit
St. Francis Hospital
Registered Nurse Pediatric Oncology
Children's Memorial Hospital
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