Laura Crawford
Worcester,MA
Summary
Organized, detail oriented, dependable, and experienced critical care nurse educator adept at managing multiple priorities with a positive attitude. Willingness to work together to meet team goals. Well versed in performance improvement plan, curricula, and lesson plan development. Experience with Joint Commission survey preparation fostering successful outcomes. Focused on producing positive new staff assimilation outcome results and retention while simultaneously providing high-quality care to patients.
Overview
36
36
years of professional experience
4
4
Certifications
Work History
Nursing Education Safety Specialist 2LSICU & 3 ICU
UMass Memorial Medical Center
02.2020 - Current
- Primary responsibility neurotrauma ICU
- Collaborate daily with nurse manager to set priorities address issues
- Created curriculum fro reassignment of staff into critical care during the Covid 19 Pandemic
- Created & maintained orientation class structure for new to ICU RNs including use of AACN's ECCO modules facilitating a >90% retention of staff at one year
- Served as a subject matter expert on various committees & projects
- Enhanced nursing education by developing and implementing innovative curriculum materials including gamification
- Multimodal communication changes in policy, equipment, research protocols, and procedures with staff
- Creates & updates performance improvement plans as needed
- Support our nursing team by actively listening to concerns, being present for staff, and addressing issues and concerns in a timely manner
- Improved patient care outcomes through the creation of targeted training programs for nursing staff.
- Support nurses in achieving nursing quality metric goals
- Create pertinent nursing policies and procedures
Lead Educator
UMass Memorial Medical Center Memorial Campus
02.2018 - 02.2020
- Served as educational resource for critical care needs on campus
- Collaborated with manager to hire & onboard 15 nurses for the newly formed critical care float pool
- Coordinate orientation of new staff nurses in all critical care environments in collaboration with respective managers
- Weekly communication educational information to all critical care nursing staff at the campus through a multi-dimensional approach
- Represented critical care nursing needs as needed
- Determine unit-specific yearly educational requirements for nursing staff and patient care assistant staff.
Nurse Educator/Clinical Coordinator
UMass Memorial Medical Center, Neuro ICU
01.2017 - 01.2018
- Developed nursing education in collaboration with stroke team colleagues in preparation for Comprehensive Stroke Certification requirements
- Collaborate with nurse manager to coordinate orientation of new staff nurses and patient care assistants
- Communicate changes in policy, equipment, research protocols, and procedures with staff with multimodal approach
- Assist nurse manager in daily tasks of unit management including, but not limited to, monitoring daily charting reports, compliance with state regulations concerning patient care, staff disciplinary concerns, and compliance with predetermined monitored hospital policies and quality initiatives.
Staff Nurse
UMass Memorial Medical Center, Neurotrauma BurnICU
01.2010 - 01.2017
- Responsible for coordinating and delivering professional nursing care to critically ill patients and families
- Functioned as shift charge nurse which includes responsibility for nursing staff assignments, patient bed assignments, managing staffing and assignments for the following shift, and maintaining a professional environment on the unit
- Served as preceptor and mentor for new staff nurses including facilitating learning opportunities, moving the orientee along continuum of learning from simple to complex patient assignments
- Served as chair of our unit-based nursing council
- Collaborated with members of patient care team to coordinate care needs for patients and families
Adjunct Clinical Instructor
Quinnsigamond Community College
01.2006 - 01.2007
- Responsible for visiting and acclimating to clinical sites and developing appropriate patient assignments for students
- Coordinated and lead preconference and post conference learning sessions with clinical student group
- Served as assistant in college nursing lab instructor assisting with debriefing and lab instruction
- Participated in college meetings for nursing instructor staff
- Guided students in appropriate patient care plan derivation and implementation.
Staff Nurse I and II
Children’s Hospital
01.1988 - 01.1997
- Aged Surgical Acute Care Unit & Multidisciplinary Intensive Care Unit
- Responsible for coordinating nursing care for critically ill children and their families
- Mentored and precepted new staff nurses to the role of intensive care nurse
- Participated in hospital shared governance program to develop policies and procedures for critical care
- Participated in data collection and analysis in various research studies conducted in the unit
- Served as shift charge nurse responsible for patient care assignments, bed assignments, and responding to hospital emergencies as a code team member
- Coordinated and led unit-based Education Council including creating a library of reference literature for the unit, teaching unit-based classes on current topics requested by staff
- Assisted in developing community-based pediatric educational sessions with hospital transport team nurses.
Education
Master of Science - Nursing Education
Framingham State University
Framingham, MA05.2021
Bachelor of Science - Nursing Science
Southern Connecticut State University
05.1988
Skills
- Communication
- Leadership Abilities
- Mentoring Proficiency
- Learning Strategies
- Performance Improvement
- Curriculum Development
- Teaching Material Preparation
- Company Policy Compliance
- Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
- Educational Leadership
- Competency-Based Education
Accomplishments
- Present Registered Nurse, Massachusetts Board of Registry in Nursing
- 1988-present certification in Basic Life Support
- 1992- present Critical Care Registered Nurse certification
- 1988-2010 certification Pediatric Advanced Life Support
- 2000-2010 instructor Pediatric Advanced Life Support
- 2010-present certification Advanced Cardiac Life Support
- 2018-present instructor Basic Life Support
- RELATED EXPERIENCE 21999-2012 Saint Stephen Elementary School Worcester, MA Lead School Nurse volunteer. Created and maintained the Nursing Policy Manual with emergency action plan in conjunction with state regulations.
Affiliations
- American Association of Critical Care Nurses
- American Association of Neurology Nurses
- Association for Nurses in Professional Development
- Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society Mu Beta chapter
- North Eastern Organization of Nurse educators Association of Nurses in Professional Development (ANPD) Massachusetts and Rhode Island League of Nursing
Certification
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) instructor
- Basic Life Support (BLS) instructor
- Massachusetts registered nurse 1988-present
- Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) certification since 1992 (both pediatric & adult)
- Certified Neurologic Registered Nurse 2022-present
Presentations/Publications
- Unpublished integrative review Orientation Strategies to Foster Critical Thinking Skills for New to Environment Critical Care Nurses: An Integrative Review
- Presentation September 2023 NEONE conference Incorporating AACN's Essentials of Critical Care Orientation Modules into Critical Care Orientation
- Contributing editor to 2024 Neuroscience Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice 4th edition available early summer 2024
Timeline
Nursing Education Safety Specialist 2LSICU & 3 ICU
UMass Memorial Medical Center
02.2020 - Current
Lead Educator
UMass Memorial Medical Center Memorial Campus
02.2018 - 02.2020
Nurse Educator/Clinical Coordinator
UMass Memorial Medical Center, Neuro ICU
01.2017 - 01.2018
Staff Nurse
UMass Memorial Medical Center, Neurotrauma BurnICU
01.2010 - 01.2017
Adjunct Clinical Instructor
Quinnsigamond Community College
01.2006 - 01.2007
Staff Nurse I and II
Children’s Hospital
01.1988 - 01.1997
Master of Science - Nursing Education
Framingham State University
Bachelor of Science - Nursing Science
Southern Connecticut State University