Kathryn Balsimo

• Monitor Blood Sugars
• Give Insulin
• Monitor for hypo and/or hyper glycemic symptoms
• Teach about managing type 1 diabetes

I work Per Diem now at North Hawaii. I work as House Coordinator and House Float. When not working as House Coordinator I work in the ER, ICU, PACU, Med-Surg Tele, and Post Partum. When not working here I do contract jobs. I like changing things up.

• Critical Access ER
• Skilled Patients
• Medical Surgical Patients
• Long Term Care Patients

I worked pre-op, phase 1, and phase 2 in this busy surgical department.

I worked as House Coordinator (House Supervisor) My job when House Coordinator, is to get everyone safely through the shift. I serve everyone and make sure everyone's needs are met. I love my job at North Hawaii.

I had done two successful travel assignments at North Hawaii and was now hired as a seasonal per diam nurse for the ICU. Then a House Coordinator position opened up, they offered and I took the job.

This is a 78-bed hospital, with a 9 bed ICU. This was my 2nd contract here. When census was low I floated to the ER and to the medical surgical floor. Blessed to be brought back here. This was my last travel contract.

St. Francis Medical Center has 89-beds. This was a busy short-stay. I learned a new skill here, how to work in Endo.

This is a 78 bed hospital with a 9 bed ICU. This job was 5 miles from my daughter and my two granddaughters house. So blessed to serve this community.

I was brought in as House Coordinator (House Supervisor) on a contract. This was challenging and rewarding.

This is a 326 bed hospital. This was my second assignment at this busy surgery center.

North Hawaii is a 35-bed hospital with a Trauma level 3 ER. I was glad to be back in Hawaii and working in their busy ER.

M Health Fairview Southdale is a 326 bed hospital. Busy surgery center. They brought me in for their busy season, I was a good fit and they extended me.

Good Samaritan is a 373- bed facility. I worked in their 80 bed Cardiac Unit. This was a fast paced floor with patients returning from the Cath Lab and OR.

This was my second contract at Kona Community Hospital and again I was just so thankful to be home and back at my Community's hospital.

The Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont, MN is a 57-bed Critical Care access hospital. They brought me in to be House Supervisor. It is not easy to come into this role as a Travel Nurse. I have to admit, I did great and I loved it.

Was my first travel assignment here after being on staff for 10 years. It was so nice to be back at Kona Community Hospital and to sleep in my own bed every night. So thankful for this contact and to work with all the great staff again.

Maui Memorial is a 213-bed acute care facility. They brought in a large amount of travelers because they were going live with computer charting. I enjoyed my contract here and was just glad to be back in Hawaii.

The University of Minnesota Fairview is a 825-bed general medical and surgical facility. This was the biggest and busiest hospital I had worked at so far. When I first took this job I felt I was in over my head. Thankfully, they extended my orientation and I successfully completed this job. They too asked me to extend my contract and I did.

This Mayo Clinic Health System in Lake City, MN is a 108 bed general medical and surgical hospital. This was my first Travel Contract. I was the ER charge and Supervised the rest of the hospital. Because of my preceptorship at Regina and my role at Kona Community hospital, I felt prepared to handle this assignment. I did well and they asked me to extend more than once.

Kona Community Hospital has 94 acute care beds. This was my second job as a Registered Nurse. I started on the Medical Surgical floor but quickly started floating to; the 1st floor, post partum, and the psychiatric unit. Then I became part of the non-critical areas float pool. Eventually, I took a training ICU position and worked there for 2 years. My last staff position at Kona Hospital was on the Critical Care Float Pool. I was on the top of my game there. I worked in every area except, Labor and OR. I was responding to rapids and codes daily. I was a staff nurse for 10 years and I quit because my Mom was having health issues on the mainland. So I became a Travel Nurse, so I could spent half my year in Minnesota taking care of my parents.

Regina Medical Center is a 57-bed acute care hospital. This was my first job as a Registered Nurse. I had an amazing preceptorship on the Medical-Surgical unit here. It had a busy surgery center and I loved taking care of surgical patients. This hospital helped me lay my foundation for being a skilled nurse. I left this job because we moved to Hawaii.

Had my own cleaning business. Being a house cleaner reinforced my strong work ethic. I also became better at communicating, as I had to interact with clients and to the staff I employed. I left my House Cleaning business when I graduated with an Associated Degree in Nursing.

Lyngblomsten Care Center is a 225-bed long-term care facility. This was my first job in healthcare and I had just graduated from High School. During the training to get certified as a nursing assistance, I didn't think I could do it, it seemed to hard. Not only did I do it, but I worked there for 12 years. Lyngblomsten also trained me to be a Med Aide. During this time, I learned so many valuable skills to build my nursing career on. I also, fell in love with the residents. I left this job to clean houses full time, were I could make better money. I was a struggling single mother.