Melissa Gallman

• Organized and managed care of high risk pregnant patients.
• Organized and managed care for laboring patients.
• Organized and managed care for delivering patients.
• Organized and managed care for postpartum patients.
• Organized, prepared and managed patients having a Cesarean Section or other OB procedures.
• Performed triage on patients with OB emergencies
• Advocated for patients by communicating care preferences to practitioners, verifying interventions met treatment goals.
• Audited charts and reviewed clinical documents to verify accuracy.
• Managed care from admission to discharge.
• Implemented medication and IV administration, catheter insertion.
• Updated patient charts with data such as medications to keep records current and support accurate treatments.
• Educated patients, families on all aspects of pregnancy, labor, childbirth, breastfeeding and postpartum care
• Collaborated with physicians to quickly assess patients and deliver appropriate treatment while managing rapidly changing conditions.
• Followed all personal and health data procedures to effectively comply with HIPAA laws and prevent information breaches.
• Used first-hand knowledge and clinical expertise to advocate for patients under care and enacted prescribed treatment strategies.
• Delivered high level of quality care to diverse populations while overseeing patient admission and triaging based on acuity and appropriate department admission.

I started my nursing career at Dekalb Medical. I worked in the ER, as a tech, while I finished up nursing school. They offered me a position in the ER, but I knew that was not where I wanted to be. My first position was actually on the cardiac step down unit. I wanted to learn the "med-surgical" part of nursing, as recommended by my professors, before choosing a specialty. I really enjoyed it! After a year and a half, I felt ready to move to a specialty. I asked to transfer and train in L&D. I have been there ever since.

I trained on days, but found I loved night shift. I could eventually do all parts of labor and delivery: triage, antepartum, labor and the OR.

My passion was helping women and families deliver as naturally as possible in a hospital setting.