Michele Pickerell
Redondo Beach,CA
Summary
Kind and caring professional with 14 years of nursing experience practicing in a variety of health care settings providing care and monitoring treatment to patients of various ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds diagnosed with chronic diseases, disabilities, illnesses, and distress. Eager to learn and be able to continue to contribute to the underserved population with their healthcare needs as an advanced practice nurse. Especially interested in patients suffering with mental health issues. Intend to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to excel in a psychiatric mental health care delivery. Resourceful, and committed to providing compassionate, evidence based integrative care that combines conventional and alternative therapies proven by research to be safe and effective in treating patients with mental health needs.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Assistant Nurse Manager
Infiniti Health, LLC
Van Nuys, CA
06.2021 - Current
- Managed 100 + nurses and nursing activities (offering quality assurance for Covid-19 testing sites at Los Angeles unified school district) by providing comprehensive nursing guidance and maintaining outstanding patient satisfaction and care standards.
- Interviewed, hired and coordinated training to new nurses.
- Trained new nurses in proper infection control requirements, regulations, testing and vaccination techniques, care standards, operational procedures and safety protocols.
- Designed skills evaluation forms to be used for employee and for nursing personnel. Verified staff certifications for validity.
- Coordinated and implemented in-service educational programs focusing on safety and adherence to protocols.
- Fostered improvement in staff development, personnel training and standards of patient care.
- Created work schedules for multiple shifts to confirm complete assignment coverage.
- Developed departmental goals and objectives to improve satisfactory rating with patients..
- Integrated evidence-based nursing into practice environment for nurses.
- Promoted professional development opportunities to encourage nurses to pursue continuous training.
- Verified facility remained up-to-date and compliant with laws and regulations.
- Communicated with department heads during weekly update meetings.
- Streamlined steps in rapid response situations by prioritizing and delegating tasks.
- Supervised, directed and motivated high-quality performance from nursing staff.
- Investigated and independently resolved complaints from staff, and client by leveraging clinical judgment and unit management expertise.
- Reviewed department performance and adjusted coverage to compensate for changing conditions.
- Established and continuously optimized unit schedules and individual work assignments.
- Worked at least 160 hours per month as floor nurse to maintain clinical proficiency
- Developed strategy to target nursing and patient satisfaction issues, improve response and patient care quality and suggest actionable improvements to promote hospital-wide quality and safety initiatives.
- Developed strategy to target nursing and patient satisfaction issues, improve response and patient care quality and suggest actionable improvements to promote hospital-wide quality and safety initiatives
- Evaluated skills of nursing personnel and verified staff certifications for validity.
- Delivered expert case management, milieu management, medication administration and emergency intervention.
- Performed real-time chart audits for patients ensuring accuracy and completeness of information while capitalizing on opportunities for process improvement.
- Developed departmental goals and objectives to improve satisfactory rating with patients.
- Verified facility remained up-to-date and compliant with laws and regulations.
- Performed real-time chart audits for patients ensuring accuracy and completeness of information while capitalizing on opportunities for process improvement.
- Developed departmental goals and objectives to improve satisfactory rating with patients.
- Verified facility remained up-to-date and compliant with laws and regulations.
- Created work schedules for multiple shifts to confirm complete floor coverage.
- Represented facility at investor meetings or with governing boards.
- Managed budgetary finances of facility to monitor accuracy of patient fees and billing.
- Communicated with members of medical staff and department heads during weekly update meetings.
Registered Nurse
Carbon Health
San Francisco, CA, CA
01.2021 - Current
- Practiced in vaccine administration in mass vaccination sites and in small mobile clinics.
- Educated patients, families and caregivers on vaccine recommendations, schedules, potential side effects.
- Monitored patient reactions to vaccinations and carefully documented findings.
- Updated patient charts with data such as vaccination dates and reactions to keep records current and support accurate treatments.
- Trained new nurses in proper techniques, care standards, operational procedures and safety protocols.
- Maintained records and logs of work performed and materials and equipment used.
- Verified completed projects met approved time, quality and cost estimates.
Registered Nurse
Charity Home Health And Hospice
Torrance, CA
04.2018 - Current
- Organized and managed care of patients discharged from hospital undergoing various therapies and procedures at home.
- Conferred with physicians to discuss diagnoses and devise well-coordinated treatment approaches.
- Communicated with healthcare team members to plan, implement and enhance treatment strategies.
- Identified care needs of individual patients and coordinated responses based on physician advice, insurance limitations and procedural costs.
- Helped patients receive appropriate, high-quality care with reasonable results.
- Partnered with physicians, social workers, activity therapists, nutritionists and case managers to develop and implement individualized care plans and documented patient interactions and interventions in electronic charting systems.
- Facilitated special education placement process in partnership with families to provide free appropriate education for eligible referrals.
- Provided direct patient care, stabilized patients and determined next course of action.
- Administered different therapies and medications in line with physician orders and treatment plan.
- Explained course of care and medication side effects to patients and caregivers in easy-to-understand terms.
- Managed patients recovering from medical or surgical procedures.
- Monitored patient reactions after administering medications and IV therapies.
- Maintained quality care and comfort for patients with chronic conditions (heart failure, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other conditions.
- Increased referral rates by providing excellent service and building meaningful relationships with patients and caregivers.
- Implemented medication and IV administration, catheter insertion and airway management.
- Consulted with clinicians to devise and manage ongoing care plans for at-risk patients.
- Advised patients and caregivers of proper wound management, discharge plan objectives, safe medication use and disease management.
- Evaluated treatment plans against individual goals and healthcare standards.
- Monitored patient test results and reactions to drugs and carefully documented findings.
- Secured controlled narcotics and distributed medication on schedule to meet patient needs and minimize misuse opportunities.
- Minimized hospital stays with recovery-centered approaches, reducing average in-patient stay length.
- Evaluated healthcare needs, goals for treatment and available resources of each patient and connected to optimal providers and care.
- Educated patients, families and caregivers on diagnosis and prognosis, treatment options, disease process and management and lifestyle options.
- Administered medications and treatment to patients and monitored responses while working with healthcare teams to adjust care plans.
- Administered medications via oral, IV and intramuscular injections and monitored responses.
- Advocated for patients by communicating care preferences to practitioners, verifying interventions met treatment goals and identifying insurance coverage limitations.
- Participated in nursing simulation activities, evidence-based practice project implementation and competency development to further nursing education.
- Collaborated with physicians to quickly assess patients and deliver appropriate treatment while managing rapidly changing conditions.
- Led successful team comprised of RNs, LPNs, CNAs, and ancillary staff.
- Taught patients how to improve lifestyle choices, dramatically reducing chance of symptom reoccurrence.
- Educated family members and caregivers on patient care instructions and plan of care.
- Evaluated patient histories, complaints and current symptoms.
- Adhered to strict safety measures by carefully determining proper dosages before administering medications.
- Used first-hand knowledge and clinical expertise to advocate for patients under care and enacted prescribed treatment strategies.
- Advocated for and strived to protect health, safety and rights of patient.
- Delivered proper care to victims of domestic violence.
- Offered exceptional care and support to individuals recovering from acute incidents and dealing with chronic conditions.
- Quickly responded to situations impacting safety and security to unit, actualizing crisis prevention interventions to control and de-escalate situations.
- Provided exceptional care to high-acute patients needing complex care such as ventilator management, extensive wound care and rehabilitation.
- Promoted patient and family comfort during challenging recoveries to enhance healing and eliminate non-compliance problems.
- Delivered high level of quality care to diverse populations while overseeing patient admission and triaging based on acuity and appropriate department admission.
Registered Nurse
Kaiser Permanente
Baldwin Park, CA
05.2006 - 11.2017
- Collaborated with physicians to quickly assess patients and deliver appropriate treatment while managing rapidly changing conditions.
- Educated patients, families and caregivers on diagnosis and prognosis, treatment options, disease process and management and lifestyle options.
- Trained new nurses in proper techniques, care standards, operational procedures and safety protocols.
- Provided direct patient care, stabilized patients and determined next course of action.
- Administered medications via oral, IV and intramuscular injections and monitored responses.
- Implemented medication and IV administration, catheter insertion and airway management.
- Managed care from admission to discharge.
- Administered medications and treatment to patients and monitored responses while working with healthcare teams to adjust care plans.
- Collected blood, tissue and other laboratory specimens and prepared for lab testing.
- Updated patient charts with data such as medications to keep records current and support accurate treatments.
- Monitored patient condition by interpreting and tracking EKG readings, identifying irregular telemetry readings and updating team members on changes in stability or acuity.
- Monitored patient reactions to drugs and carefully documented findings.
- Organized and managed care of patients undergoing various therapies and procedures.
- Conferred with physicians to discuss diagnoses and devise well-coordinated treatment approaches.
- Evaluated healthcare needs, goals for treatment and available resources of each patient and connected to optimal providers and care.
- Advocated for patients by communicating care preferences to practitioners, verifying interventions met treatment goals and identifying insurance coverage limitations.
- Secured controlled narcotics and distributed medication on schedule to meet patient needs and minimize misuse opportunities.
- Maintained quality care and comfort for patients with heart failure, pulmonary hypertension and other conditions.
- Reviewed post-operative orders and continuously monitored patients' post-operative vitals, set up PCA and fluids and oriented patients to unit.
- Provided exceptional care to high-acute patients needing complex care such as ventilator management, extensive wound care and rehabilitation.
- Managed quality care for patients with heart failure, end-stage renal disease and coronary artery disease.
- Participated in nursing simulation activities, evidence-based practice project implementation and competency development to further nursing education.
- Oversaw delivery of care for patients on medical-surgical unit, providing direct care, delegating nursing assignments, and supervising team comprised of nurses, LPNs, technicians and unit clerks.
- Provided didactic and clinical instructions to orient new nurses and potential student nurses to achieve training outcomes.
Infection Control Coordinator
Kaiser Permanente
Baldwin Park, CA
06.2009 - 05.2011
- Investigated outbreaks and revamped control measures to prevent future incidents.
- Set clear policies to improve success of infection control measures in departments.
- Surveilled ongoing infections to verify adequate data collection, control procedures and current staff interventions.
- Coordinated successfully and with full compliance to prevent infections according to facility and Joint Commission standards.
- Developed effective training programs to help staff understand and implement critical protections.
- Gathered and submitted data to regulatory agencies for mandatory report infections ( tuberculosis, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, influenza, and hospital acquired infections) to Department of Public Health.
- Identified and mitigated unnecessary infection risks through regular reviews and procedural assessments.
- Identified risks proactively, preparing teams for likely infections based on seasonal changes or current epidemiological trends.
- Worked with infectious disease physicians and hospital leadership team to implement emergency actions for especially virulent or widespread infections.
- Evaluated hospital-onset and healthcare-acquired infections by conducting root cause analysis.
- Kept teams operating in accordance with latest epidemiological research and sound care practices.
- Presented findings to committees and public interest groups to spearhead necessary changes to policies and procedures.
- Educated staff about importance of using measures to prevent spread of flu and gastroenteritis.
- Performed preventive measures and maintained firm safety levels to avoid spread of infection and disease.
- Developed and improved infection control procedures.
- Maintained records of procedures, infections and outcomes.
- Oversaw committees, investigations and surveillance focused on preventing Clostridium difficile, MRSA, ESBL outbreaks and hospital acquired infections (pneumonia, surgical wound infection and central-line-associated infections).
- Maintained data, reporting and quality assurance standards throughout investigations.
- Investigated diseases or parasites to determine cause and risk factors, progress and mode of transmission.
- Educated healthcare workers, patients and public about infectious and communicable disease transmission and prevention.
Education
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner - Psychiatric Mental Health
West Coast University
Anaheim, CA04.2023
Master of Science - Clinical Nurse Specialist
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, CA12.2008
Associate of Arts - Cell Biology And Neurosciences
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ07.1998
Associate of Arts - General Studies
Pasadena City College
Pasadena, CA04.1997
Skills
- Compassionate and Caring
- Clear Patient Communication when Coaching and Mentoring
- Decision Making and Creative Problem Solving
- Strong Clinical Judgment
- Critical Thinking
- Adaptable and Flexible
- Responsible and Dependable
- Interdisciplinary Team Collaboration
- Conflict Resolution
Accomplishments
- Volunteered 20 hours per month at Azusa Pacific Winter Homeless Clinic to provide medical services for homeless individuals (2006-2007)
- Silver Service Star Award for providing exceptional customer service to patients - Kaiser Permanente (04/2007)
- Patient Safety Advocate Nominee award by Risk Management Department for advocating for patients at risk for pressure ulcers - Kaiser Permanente ( 03/07/2008)
- Medical Center Operations Team Chairman's Award for participating in the implementation in the the surgical care improvement program (SCIP) with the performance improvement team - Kaiser Permanente (10/22/2009)
Affiliations
- American Association of Nurse Practitioners
- Sigma Theta Tau International: Iota Sigma Chapter, Azusa Pacific University
- Golden Key National Honor Society, Rutgers University
Certification
- Registered Nurse License - Expires 01/31/2024
- Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) - Expires 01/2024
- Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers - Expires 03/2023
- Opioid Education for Healthcare Providers - 03/19/2019 - No expiration date
Languages
Portuguese
Native or Bilingual
Spanish
Professional Working
Timeline
Assistant Nurse Manager
Infiniti Health, LLC
06.2021 - Current
Registered Nurse
Carbon Health
01.2021 - Current
Registered Nurse
Charity Home Health And Hospice
04.2018 - Current
Infection Control Coordinator
Kaiser Permanente
06.2009 - 05.2011
Registered Nurse
Kaiser Permanente
05.2006 - 11.2017
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner - Psychiatric Mental Health
West Coast University
Master of Science - Clinical Nurse Specialist
Azusa Pacific University
Associate of Arts - Cell Biology And Neurosciences
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Associate of Arts - General Studies
Pasadena City College