Registered Nurse
Kimberly Caruso
Mercy Hospital OSSC
Gorham,ME
1
Certification
27
years of professional experience
Highly motivated healthcare professional skilled in managing nursing operations and optimizing patient care. Adept at implementing healthcare protocols and improving patient outcomes through effective leadership. Focused on team collaboration and achieving results, with a reputation for reliability and adaptability.
Work History
Practice Nurse Manager
1 Year- Continually assess the department for compliance with all federal, state, local and other regulatory requirements, as well as practice specific accreditation requirements.
- Identified and implemented performance improvement opportunities through continuous assessment of practice operations.
- Exercises a leadership style that fosters collaboration, cooperation, and team building.
- Coordinated office assignments and duties to achieve positive workload outcomes, setting priorities with achievable goals.
- Develops and maintains all practice-based policies and procedures in accordance with federal and state regulations, accrediting bodies, and hospital policies.
- Maintains collaborative relationships with other clinical and non-clinical staff and leaders.
- Evaluated and executed practice growth opportunities in collaboration with providers and administration.
- Assesses leadership development needs of leads and plans with them to enhance and develop their management/leadership skills.
- Works with Providers, Staff, and Director to set annual WRVU/revenue and expense budgets, adheres to departmental annual expense budget, reports variances monthly, and sets action plans to address variances.
- Plays active role in monitoring reimbursement changes that impact the practice and recommends any necessary actions to maximize program financial results.
- Managed overall profit and loss and budget attainment for the practice.
Clinical Nurse Manager, Operating Room
4 Years- Provides leadership for improving patient care, planning, staff performance, systems improvements, and teaching.
- Fiscal and operational responsibility and accountability for setting and maintaining budget within Surgical Services.
- Led initiatives to enhance patient care, plan staff performance, improve systems, and facilitate teaching.
- In conjunction with administration, develop programs, policies, procedures, protocols, and standards that guide the unit to provide the safest patient care while maintaining efficiency and fiscal responsibility.
- Builds staff schedule and actively monitors daily productivity by staffing to surgical volume.
- Leads monthly staff meetings to ensure staff stays current on all guidelines and policies. Fosters effective communication regarding activities within the department.
- Participated in establishing and executing organizational goals and strategies, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to ensure high-quality care delivery.
- Participates in the setting and implementation of the organization's goals, priorities, and strategies and works with other disciplines and groups to provide the highest quality of care across the system.
- Provide direction to staff to ensure we maintain compliance with regulations affecting patient care and overall operations.
Clinical Lead Nurse, Operating Room
8 Years 6 Months- Perform all duties of Professional Nurse IV.
- Ensure that the flow of cases is maintained in a safe and timely manner and solve any problems that may cause an interruption in said flow.
- Coordinated daily staffing and forecasted future needs to ensure optimal coverage.
- Maintained safe and timely flow of cases, promptly resolving issues to prevent interruptions.
- Assisted staff with events and problems that occurred during the day, including patient care issues and interdepartmental conflicts.
- Coordination with all disciplines. This includes, but is not limited to, patients and their families, physicians, all other departments within and outside the hospital, and physician's offices.
- Keep staff informed of any necessary information. Examples include changes to policies and procedures, events, etc.
- Provide feedback in performance evaluations of staff members.
- Actively participate in the interviews and job shadows of potentially new staff to the operating room.
Registered Nurse, PN IV, CNOR, Operating Room
9 Years 9 Months- Plan, implement, and evaluate nursing care for surgical patients.
- Advocated for patients' rights and needs during care.
- Assist anesthesia, surgeons, and CSTs as appropriate.
- Scrub in to assist with surgical procedures as necessary.
- Act as a patient advocate.
- Establish therapeutic relationships with patients and their families.
- Trained new employees on procedures and best practices.
- Anticipated equipment, supply, and service needs of the surgeons as one of two Orthopedic Cluster Coordinators and ensured proper items were available when necessary. Educated staff on new procedures and equipment and provided in-services as needed.
- Served as an alternate to the Clinical Lead Nurse in the Operating Room during her absence, covering all her vacations and days off each week.
Certified Surgical Technologist
4 Years 8 Months- Assisted circulating nurse and staff in assembling and preparing surgical cases, ensuring readiness for procedures.
- Prepare the instruments and supplies for use in surgery.
- Passed instruments and supported surgeons during procedures to facilitate efficient operations.
- Maintained cleanliness by ensuring proper breakdown of sterile field and appropriate disposal of instruments.
Education
Bachelors Degree - Nursing
Associates Degree - Nursing
Certificate - Surgical Technology
Skills
Clinical oversight
Quality improvement
Policy development
Budget management
Financial forecasting
Compliance oversight
Department management
Staff supervision
Team leadership
Hiring and terminations
Staff development
Employee training
Performance enhancement
Critical thinking
Decision-making
Multitasking and organization
Conflict management
Patient advocacy
Certification
- RN, BSN
- CNOR
- BLS
- ACLS/PALS
- AORN Member
Timeline
Practice Nurse Manager
Northern Light Mercy Pain Management Clinic
09.2025 - CurrentRead More
Clinical Nurse Manager, Operating Room
Mercy Hospital OSSC
09.2022 - CurrentRead More
Clinical Lead Nurse, Operating Room
Mercy Hospital
03.2014 - 09.2022Read More
Registered Nurse, PN IV, CNOR, Operating Room
Mercy Hospital
06.2004 - 03.2014Read More
Certified Surgical Technologist
Mercy Hospital
10.1999 - 06.2004Read More
Southern Maine Technical College
Certificate from Surgical Technology
Read More
University of New England
Associates Degree from Nursing
Read More
Western Governor’s University
Bachelors Degree from Nursing
Read More