Nicole Palacios
West Tisbury,MA
Summary
Trained nursing assistant and ACE MV Certificate recipient, with 7+ years of caregiving experience in related fields. Real life experience in dementia care, as well as a certificate awarded by the Alzheimer's Association, for completion of training in Habilitation Therapy. Strong educational background in psychology and related social sciences and well-versed in working with people from a full spectrum of backgrounds and personalities. A caring, reliable, hard-working professional, and a team player, capable of working both independently and cooperatively. I come with a willingness and ability to learn any new skill that is helpful to the team or can improve patient care. My goal is always to provide the highest quality of patient-centered care.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Private Childcare Provider
The Grey Corporation
Oak Bluffs, MA
04.2017 - 03.2020
- During an average week, worked Monday- Friday, 7:45am- 5:00pm as the sole caregiver of a child, beginning at 10 months of age
- Planned engaging, age appropriate outings and activities
- Remained flexible, taking on additional early morning or evening hours as needed, to accommodate the schedules of busy, working parents
- Assumed responsibility for ADLs of the child, including feeding, bathing, teeth brushing, skincare, hair care, dressing and diaper changing, followed by potty training
- Cared for child during his times of illness, including one period of illness requiring use of a nebulizer
- Communicated with both parents and gave daily reports
- Adjusted care plan appropriately, as needs changed, with each stage of development
- Served as line of communication between parents of separate households
- Provided transportation
- Relayed information between teachers and parents, once he began part-time preschool
Gardener
The Grey Corporation
Oak Bluffs, MA
08.2018 - 01.2020
- Worked on diverse variety of client owned properties and adapted to always changing work environment
- Identified hazards and removed overgrowth and debris from common pathways, to improve safety and accessibility
- Planted gardens and raised beds, with special attention given to placement and environmental conditions, to maximize growth and longevity and minimize need for routine maintenance
- Worked with clients from wide range of economic backgrounds and worked within parameters of their budget, without compromising quality of service or desired end result
- Worked cooperatively with other garden team members, as well as independently, as needed
- Kept record of plants and products used at each job site, and reported weekly, to assist with billing
Bank Teller
Martha's Vineyard Savings Bank
Vineyard Haven, MA
11.2009 - 11.2013
- Under legal contract, entered into lifelong confidentiality agreement, which I respect and abide by, to the letter
- Took required online courses and passed all follow-up exams, quarterly, to stay current on changes in state and federal banking laws, procedures and protocols
- Performed many, precise, bank opening and closing procedures, including role in multi-person, vault opening and closing operation
- Committed many lengthy passcodes to memory, as writing down certain banking access codes is prohibited
- Kindly greeted and got to know customers well; recognizing them not only by sight and by name, but by personal stories shared with me, by past affiliations with people, places or businesses and by patterns in banking history
- Offered helpful banking products or services, based on individual customer needs or financial goals
- With knowledge of customers' baseline norms, diligently reported red flags and advocated for individuals, whom I suspected were being scammed or taken advantage of
- Verified allotted starting cash before opening, performed up to 400 in and/or out banking transactions per day and proved ending cash down to the penny before closing each day
Private Childcare Provider
Laura Magden
West Tisbury, MA
07.2008 - 11.2009
- Worked 9:00am to 3:00pm, Monday-Friday as caregiver for three children, the oldest age 2 years and twins age 4 weeks
- Helped to create, implement and maintain a weekday schedule for the children, that felt manageable for their parents to continue on the weekends
- Communicated with parents daily, to ensure the care plan was in keeping with their needs and wishes, made changes and updates as needed
- Assisted with teeth brushing, bathing, dressing and potty training
- Did light cooking, helped prepare healthy snacks and meals for the oldest
- Bottle fed infant twins with mothers pumped breast milk (fed only milk prior to 6 months)
- Helped make homemade baby food, separate proper portions and store ahead of time for future meals, in addition to bottle feeding (after 6 months)
- Used only cloth diapers, as preferred by their parents, laundered them and restocked the diapers shelves
- Helped maintain a safe an cleanly home environment, assisting with house cleaning and organizing, dishes and children's laundry during downtime
- Planned group activities for the siblings, as well as age-appropriate activities for the two-year-old while the twins napped
- Provided to and from transportation when the oldest began preschool
Assistant Program Director
STAR Education
Los Angeles, CA
08.2004 - 10.2007
- Worked 40+ hrs per week, as Assistant Director of STAR Education after school program, site: Nora Sterry Elementary School
- Worked Cooperatively with program director to oversee all STAR Education course instructors and support staff
- Was responsible for the safety and supervision of 100-130, K-5 students, daily, during hours of operation
- Performed regular classroom evaluations to assess teaching methods and course effectiveness.
- Trained new teachers on STAR Education philosophy and classroom management strategies
- Communicated with parents and encouraged family involvement
- Verified and reported student attendance
- Approved class schedules, activities and outing proposals
- Created, distributed, collected and reported surveys, to obtain valued input from students, families and community members, about future programming
- Conducted a routine classroom check-ins to ensure we remained in compliance with all program and site rules, procedures and protocols
- Connected families with financial or supplemental food assistance resources, offered additional classroom support, and recommended additional enrichment opportunities, according to individual student and family needs
- Counseled students experiencing social or academic difficulties
Education
ACE MV
Oak Bluffs, MA11.2021
Alzheimer's Association
Chicago, IL11.2021
Social Sciences, Emphasis On Psychology
Santa Monica College
Santa Monica, CA10.2005
High School Diploma -
Martha's Vineyard Regional High School
Oak Bluffs, MA06.2003
Skills
- First Aid and CPR
- Assisting residents with ADLs
- Denture care
- Catheter care
- Assisting with range of motion exercises
- Knowledge of medical terminology
- Habilitation Therapy; Working with individuals affected by Alzheimer's and other forms of Dementia
- Consistency in clear, accurate and immediate record-keeping after care
- Diligence in proper hand washing, personal hygiene and infection control practices
- Clear understanding and impeccable record adhering to, laws concerning privacy and confidentiality
- Adamant about respect of resident rights and preservation of their dignity
- Strength in written and verbal communication
- Solid foundation in computer literacy; IT Support abilities
- Organization and attention to detail
- Confidence in ability to calmly mediate and de-escalate any potentially hostile situations that arise in healthcare settings
- Calm and calculated during emergency, chaotic or stressful situations
- Professionalism, while never compromising gentle, caring and compassionate bedside manner
- Relentless patience
- Fluency in second language: Spanish
Timeline
Gardener
The Grey Corporation
08.2018 - 01.2020
Private Childcare Provider
The Grey Corporation
04.2017 - 03.2020
Bank Teller
Martha's Vineyard Savings Bank
11.2009 - 11.2013
Private Childcare Provider
Laura Magden
07.2008 - 11.2009
Assistant Program Director
STAR Education
08.2004 - 10.2007
ACE MV
Alzheimer's Association
Social Sciences, Emphasis On Psychology
Santa Monica College
High School Diploma -
Martha's Vineyard Regional High School