Nancy Knowles
Tuscola,IL
Summary
Experienced nursing professional skilled in telephone triage and patient advocacy. Adept in assessing health needs and implementing care strategies for diverse populations. Leverages strong communication and organizational skills to foster collaboration among healthcare teams and ensure comprehensive patient support.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Triage Nurse
Carle Home Health
08.2021 - Current
- Assess, evaluate, prioritize, and manage patients' symptoms, treatments and health concerns based on level of urgency and follow established home services guidelines/care plans for symptom management.
- Telephonically triage incoming home care calls using the nursing process.
- Delivered direct and indirect patient care through the nursing process to address the physical, psychosocial, environmental, and spiritual needs of specific patient populations and families.
- Establishes nursing standards, assesses health needs, plans, and evaluates care with patients who have complex health problems.
- Collaborate with home care staff either by phone or email regarding patient care issues.
- Serve as a resource for all home care staff.
- Reviewed drug regimens for therapy cases to ensure accuracy and safety.
- EPIC super user and trainer for field staff to use EPIC encounters for communication within EMR across care providers.
- Documented care to maintain completeness and accuracy.
Clinic/Ambulatory nurse
Carle on Curtis/Windsor Dermatology
03.2017 - 08.2021
- Provide patient and family education on Dermatology conditions, medications, self-injections, biopsies/procedures and minor surgeries relating to Dermatology.
- Assist physicians with procedures/biopsies and minor surgeries in the office.
- Prep and recover patients after biopsy, procedures, and minor surgeries.
- Collaborated with providers and third-party vendors, including specialty pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies, to enhance patient care through coordinated services and informed treatment plans.
- Preauthorized procedures, referrals, medications, and other treatments with multiple insurance types.
- Precept and be a resource to staff on insurance types, tips, and tricks and how to do preauthorization.
- Developed and reviewed department-specific policies, procedures, and training materials to ensure compliance and streamline workflows.
- Led onboarding sessions for nursing and medical assistant staff.
- Acted as EPIC EMR expert, supporting staff with system navigation and best practices.
- Provided educational resources and training for department staff.
Case Manager
Health Alliance Medical Plan
03.2015 - 03.2017
- Partnered with members to advance their health journey through education, motivational interviewing, and coaching, improving health outcomes and addressing gaps in care.
- Coordinated care among providers and members to optimize health management and streamline access to services.
- Led redesign project to enhance case management program and update marketing materials, improving overall program visibility and effectiveness.
- Assist members to find community resources to meet basic needs (shelter, food, utilities).
Clinic/ambulatory nurse
Carle Spine Institute
02.2009 - 03.2015
- Managed MRI oral sedation patients, responding to medical emergencies to ensure patient safety during procedures.
- Assisted physician with patient procedures in office and injection suite, ensuring safety and efficiency.
- Prep and recover patients for procedures, including health history and IV insertion.
- Educated patients and families on tests, medications, and procedures to enhance understanding and compliance.
- Collaborate with other providers in and out of the Carle organization to coordinate and provide quality care.
- Writing/review of department specific policies, procedures, and protocols.
Office Nurse
Carle Home Services
03.2005 - 02.2009
- Training/Review of 485/oasis August 07- February 2009.
- Field RN to provide comprehensive nursing care.
- Trained new staff on in-home visits and 485 assessments, serving as a key resource for team support.
- Conducted review of 485/oasis to ensure proper completion and correction according to CMS and JACHO guidelines.
- Performed phone triage to provide timely responses to patient inquiries.
Referral specialist/Intake coordinator
Carle Home Services
02.2007 - 08.2007
- Coordinated patient referrals to ensure timely access to services.
- Received and processed incoming referral information from referring offices/providers for admitting staff.
- Collaborated with scheduling to align admissions with guidelines and address patient needs.
- Managed communication between patients and healthcare providers effectively.
- Assisted patients with navigating insurance requirements and documentation.
Scheduler/office RN
Carle Home Services
03.2005 - 02.2007
- Develop monthly schedules for all disciplines (nursing, PT, OT, ST, and HCA) to ensure optimal staff allocation.
- Coordinate daily client/patient assignments based on staff skill level, patient acuity, and geographical proximity to enhance service delivery.
- Managed appointment requests and optimized scheduling processes efficiently.
- Coordinated schedules for home service staff to ensure timely visits.
- Communicated with clients to confirm services and resolve scheduling conflicts.
Inpatient Nurse (Telemetry and IMCU)
Carle Foundation Hospital
05.2003 - 03.2005
- Provided comprehensive nursing care through assessment, monitoring, teaching, wound care, medication administration, venous puncture, line draws, treatments, assistance with activities of daily living, care planning, documentation, care coordination, and patient advocacy.
- Administered medications and treatments to patients in a timely manner.
- Monitored patient vital signs and reported changes to the medical team.
- Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to develop patient care plans.
Health Care technician/CNA
Carle Foundation Hospital (Surgical Unit)
01.1996 - 05.2003
- Assisted physicians and nurses in delivering patient care, ensuring timely support for medical procedures and treatments.
- Provided personal care and mobility assistance to patients, monitored vital signs and blood sugars to support ongoing health assessments.
- Monitored patient vital signs and reported any changes to medical team.
- Assisted nursing staff with patient care tasks and daily activities.
- Maintained cleanliness and organization of surgical unit equipment and supplies.
CNA/PTA
Arcola Health Care Center
- 01.1996
- Educated residents and staff on proper use of assistive devices and braces while conducting physical therapy treatment programs to promote recovery.
- Delivered personal care, mobility support, and monitored vital signs to enhance resident well-being.
- Monitored vital signs and reported changes to nursing staff promptly.
- Assisted residents with daily living activities and personal care needs.
- Maintained cleanliness and organization in resident rooms and common areas.
Education
Associate’s in applied science - Registered Nurse
Parkland College
Champaign, IL05-2003
Skills
- Triage
- Telephone triage
- Patient assessment
- Symptom management
- Care coordination
- Case management
- Wound care
- Clinical judgment
- Urgent care assessment
- Medical procedure preparation
- EPIC charting
- Patient management
- Emergency response planning
- Clinical documentation
- Acute care management
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Patient safety protocols
- Critical thinking
- Emotional intelligence
- Dermatological nursing
- Clinical documentation
Certification
- Registered Nurse, 041-337415, 09/15/03, 05/31/28
- Board Certification in Ambulatory Nursing, 11/12/19, Current
- BLS, 05/31/28
References
- Dr. Zeeshan Ahmad, 217-840-4051
- Dr. Thomas Graham, 206-226-7995
- Kim Walder, 217-621-7515
- Kim Britton, 217-841-0263
- Kirsten Osterloo, 815-990-6168
- Candace DeWit, 815-450-5797
- Cheyenne Miller, 217-714-0397
Professional
- Previous member of Carle Nursing Journal Elamp.
- EPIC electronic medical record super user.
- Experience as Chair of Unit Partnership council for 2 departments.
- Received Key player award 2017 from Health Alliance Manager because of the work done during redesign.
- Received Key Player award 2018 from Dermatology manager for successfully starting up a new department from the construction phase to opening. Then onboarding new staff and physician.
Knowledge Experience
- Dedicated, skilled, caring, professional Registered Nurse with a broad range of healthcare experience and knowledge, with a strong work ethic and attention to detail.
- Excellent patient advocate and educator of both patients and staff.
- Solid background in surgical/cardiac/home health/spine nursing/dermatology/ambulatory/in patient/long-term care/case management.
- Leadership qualities: Organized, time management skills, leading by example, forward thinking, ability to inspire and empower others, open and honest communication, collaboration, attentive to needs of others.
- Knowledge/experience in writing/review of policy and procedures, workflows, orientation plans, department training/resource manuals.
- Knowledge/experience of project redesign and have sat as a lead in a sub workgroup for a redesign.
- Flexible and able to multitask.
- Team player who can also work independently.
- Excellent communication and customer service skills/both internal and external communication.
Timeline
Triage Nurse
Carle Home Health
08.2021 - Current
Clinic/Ambulatory nurse
Carle on Curtis/Windsor Dermatology
03.2017 - 08.2021
Case Manager
Health Alliance Medical Plan
03.2015 - 03.2017
Clinic/ambulatory nurse
Carle Spine Institute
02.2009 - 03.2015
Referral specialist/Intake coordinator
Carle Home Services
02.2007 - 08.2007
Office Nurse
Carle Home Services
03.2005 - 02.2009
Scheduler/office RN
Carle Home Services
03.2005 - 02.2007
Inpatient Nurse (Telemetry and IMCU)
Carle Foundation Hospital
05.2003 - 03.2005
Health Care technician/CNA
Carle Foundation Hospital (Surgical Unit)
01.1996 - 05.2003
CNA/PTA
Arcola Health Care Center
- 01.1996
Associate’s in applied science - Registered Nurse
Parkland College