Samantha Phillips

Currently serving as a night shift bedside nurse in a high acuity eighteen bed level 1 trauma and surgical intensive care unit. Provides immediate post-operative care for patients recovering from anesthesia and managing all levels of critical care patients including:

• hemodynamic monitoring
• electrolyte management
• EKG interpretation
• ABG analysis
• Managing multiple titratable drips simultaneously including vasoactive, sedative, neuromuscular blockers, antiarrhythmic, antihypertensive and analgesic medication.
• Inserting PIV's
• Management of belmont rapid blood transfuser
• ICP monitoring
• ventilator management
• managing patients with complex surgical wounds and drains
• performing rapid assessments and prioritizing interventions

Provide therapeutic and specialized nursing care in an eighteen bed neurosurgical ICU for patients with complex neurological and neurosurgical conditions such as cerebrovascular accidents, brain tumors, spinal cord injuries, neuromuscular disorder, central nervous system infections, post-neurosurgical procedures and seizure disorders. Proficient in:

• Continuously monitoring patients level of consciousness utilizing serial Glasgow Coma Scale and pupillary response assessments to detect subtle alterations in neurological status.
• Administering hyperosmolar therapy such as mannitol and hypertonic saline to mitigate cerebral edema and optimize perfusion pressure
• Assisting with bedside invasive procedures such as insertion of ventriculostomies and lumbar punctures.
• Managing patients with various types of ventriculostomies such as ventriculoperitoneal shunts and external ventricular drains, as well as the IRRAflow ventriculostomy system that irrigates, instills and drains the ventricles with sterile infusions such as normal saline, tpa, antibiotic and antifungal medication.
• Managing patients with lumbar drains.
• Continuously monitoring intracranial pressure and implementing strategies to optimize cerebral hemodynamics.
• Managing pre and post angioplasty patients, performing serial neurovascular exams, assessing for hematomas and managing patients requiring assisted mechanical compression devices and vascular closure devices.
• Titration of vasoactive medication to allow for permissive hypertension for patients with compromised cerebral blood flow.
• Managing patients requiring anti-coagulation and thrombolytic therapies.
• Expressing empathy and compassion to the patients and their families within the ICU setting. as well as creating a positive and respectful work environment.

Intensive Care Registered Nurse specialized in management of complex cardiovascular and medical surgical patients such as patients undergoing high risk percutaneous coronary interventions, post op coronary artery bypass grafting, transcatheter aortic valve replacements, and patient's requiring advanced cardiac support such as the impella and balloon pump. Routinely cared for patient's in various types of shock requiring advanced hemodynamic monitoring and interventions as well as participating in emergent resuscitation procedures. Skilled in:

• hemodynamic monitoring
• ABG draws, interpretation and analysis
• titrating various intravenous medications per facility protocol.
• Target temperature management
• Managing patients immediately after cardiac and respiratory arrest
• assisting in bedside procedures such as insertion of central venous catheters, arterial lines, rapid sequence intubations and bronchoscopies.
• Preparing medications utilized for rapid sequence intubations such as etomidate, rocuronimum, propofol.
• managing patients requiring complex ventilatory modes to treat severe respiratory conditions such as ARDS and pulmonary edema.
• Managing patients requiring inhaled nitric oxide therapy to improve oxygenation in patients with severe respiratory compromise.
• managing patients requiring transcutaneous pacing, transvenous pacing, and internal epicardial lead pacing to treat bradyarrhythmias.
• Caring for patients undergoing continuous BIS monitoring and titrating sedative medication effectively.