Meredith Gardner
Philadelphia,PA
Summary
My academic and clinical training has provided a solid foundation for critical thinking skills and the ability to use transformational leadership to guide nursing practice that leads to positive patient outcomes and organizational goals being achieved.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Clinical Practice Leader
Jefferson University Hospital - Methodist
Philadelphia, PA
04.2023 - Current
- Responsible for nursing education, clinical practice, and quality and safety in the 12 bed Intensive Care Unit and 10 bed Progressive Care Unit.
- Recognized the greatest need for staffing related to a >50% vacancy rate in the PCU. Organized an RCA and collaborated with the HR business partners to spearhead the mission to resolve the issue by participating in open house events with our associated nursing school and participating in the AACN NTI Conference to seek out experienced critical care nurses.
- Recruited and onboarded over 14 staff members (New Nursing Graduates, experienced Registered Nurses, Patient Care Technicians) to the organization and the ICU/PCU by creating a well-rounded orientation process. This includes close follow-up and continued mentorship to ensure best outcomes for the patients, the individual, and the team.
- Maintained detailed records of training activities and staff progress against targets. Conducted needs assessments to identify and staff knowledge gaps. Organized annual competency skills day to ensure current staff are abreast policies, procedures, and best practice in critical care for safety and improved performance measures.
- Created engagement with the ICU/PCU team members and the hospital in community outreach by organizing and hosting a Hands-Only CPR Training booth at the 2023 Methodist Health Expo.
- Performed education role out on new equipment and modalities by covering clinical relevance and safety education, technical use training, and skill sign off (i.e. peritoneal dialysis, MOTOmed early mobility exercise equipment, and upgraded IV pump implementation).
- Ensured quality and safety standards are met by performing chart audits, performing RCA evaluations on any possible NSI reports, and giving real time feedback when opportunities to improve arise.
- Act as liaison for ICU/PCU on multiple committees including CAUTI, CLABSI, Falls, Code Blue, and Skin. Lead the Unit Council for ICU/PCU with a continued goal to manage up team members by involving individuals as champions of the unit in a specific NSI category that they are most interested in.
- Mentored nurses in making optimal continuing educational and career goal oriented choices to maximize learning, reduce burnout, and overall positively affect the climate of healthcare provided and received.
Patient Care Coordinator
Jefferson University Hospital - Methodist
Philadelphia, PA
12.2022 - 04.2023
- Acted as nursing leadership on the evening shift for the 12 bed Intensive Care Unit and the 10 bed Progressive Care Unit.
- Built and maintained strong working relationships between multiple nursing departments and various disciplines for enhanced patient care experience and team efficiency.
- Reviewed staffing patterns and census of nursing units to meet staffing needs while achieving budgetary goals.
- Maintained inventory accuracy by counting controlled substances and reconciling discrepancies across multiple departments.
- Educated on and enforced hospital policies and procedures to strengthen operational standards and ensure optimal patient outcome, while also mentoring staff to enhance skills using transformational leadership.
Bone Marrow Transplant Registered Nurse
Jefferson University Hospital
Philadelphia, PA
08.2021 - 07.2022
- Assignment type: Travel Nurse via Trustaff Inc.
- Participate with team in the bedside monitoring, management, and care of patients immediately pre-and post- bone marrow transplant.
- Utilize interprofessional collaboration among multiple disciplines including physicians, mid-levels, pharmacy, leadership, nurses, ancillary staff, nutrition/dietitian, and environmental services to ensure optimal patient and unit outcomes are achieved.
Trauma/Burn Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse
Medical City Hospital
Plano , TX
08.2020 - 05.2021
- Assignment type: Travel Nurse via Trustaff Inc.
- Provided direct patient care primarily in trauma/burn ICU but maintained flexibility to meet hospital needs by floating to various specialty critical care units including trauma, burn, cardiac, neurology, medical and Covid-19.
- Implemented exceptional patient care across varying environments. Maintained a positive attitude to contribute to staff moral and patient satisfaction.
Medical Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse
Baylor University Medical Center At Dallas
Dallas, TX
06.2018 - 10.2020
- Performed the role of charge nurse with a focus on work flow management of a forty bed unit, participated in coordination of care for critically ill patients within the hospital, and educated staff on improvement opportunities for quality metrics.
- Engaged in the process of recruiting, interviewing, and precepting of both new graduate and experienced nurses. Assisted in planning and implementing the transition from a standard medical ICU into a COVID-19 isolation unit. Actively treated critically ill COVID-19 patients.
- Delivered exemplary care to patients with diverse medical conditions including acute/chronic heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary embolisms, respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute/chronic liver failure, acute/chronic renal disease, septic shock, cardiac arrest, acute GI bleed and multi-organ failure.
- Worked with management and coworkers to address unit staff concerns such as staffing ratios, resource management, allocation of responsibilities, and optimization of workload management. Periodically lead multiple committees (i.e. Unit Practice Council, Education Committee, Sunshine Committee) to promote the improvement of patient, unit, and hospital outcomes.
Patient Representative
Care Now
Arlington , TX
08.2014 - 05.2018
- Responsibilities included patient follow-up phone calls, fax, email, checking patients in and out, insurance verification, completing physician requests, and proper patient chart documentation and organization.
Education
Master of Science - Adult Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA05.2024
Master of Science - Nursing Administration
University of Texas At Tyler
Tyler, TX08.2022
MBA - Business Administration
University of Texas At Tyler
Tyler, TX08.2022
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
University of Texas At Tyler
Tyler, TX05.2018
Associate of Science - Science
Jacksonville College
Jacksonville, TX05.2014
Skills
- Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing Registered Nurse
- Texas State Board of Nursing Registered Nurse
- Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) certification
- AHA Basic Life Support (BLS) certification
- AHA Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification
- EHR: Meditech, Allscripts and EPIC proficient
- Completion of Vizient Nurse Graduate Residency program
- Proficient in Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT - Nxstage)
- American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) member
Timeline
Clinical Practice Leader
Jefferson University Hospital - Methodist
04.2023 - Current
Patient Care Coordinator
Jefferson University Hospital - Methodist
12.2022 - 04.2023
Bone Marrow Transplant Registered Nurse
Jefferson University Hospital
08.2021 - 07.2022
Trauma/Burn Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse
Medical City Hospital
08.2020 - 05.2021
Medical Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse
Baylor University Medical Center At Dallas
06.2018 - 10.2020
Patient Representative
Care Now
08.2014 - 05.2018
Master of Science - Adult Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Thomas Jefferson University
Master of Science - Nursing Administration
University of Texas At Tyler
MBA - Business Administration
University of Texas At Tyler
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
University of Texas At Tyler
Associate of Science - Science
Jacksonville College