Susan Baker
Denver,CO
Summary
My objective is to obtain a position in senior level leadership where I can utilize my years of experience to enhance knowledge and skills of those I manage and use evidence-based nursing to teach nurses or future nurses to give compassionate and quality care to their patients.
Diligent Director of Nurses with comprehensive background in nursing leadership and patient care management. Demonstrated success in enhancing patient outcomes and streamlining nursing operations. Proven ability to implement effective policies and foster collaboration among healthcare teams.
Overview
1
1
Certificate
30
30
years of professional experience
Work History
DIRECTOR OF NURSES
VIVAGE BEECAN/WHEATRIDGE CARE CENTER
12.2025 - Current
- Directly responsible for all staff and residents of the building
- Kept the organization in compliance with all regulatory agencies including state and federal
- Oversee all daily operations of long term care center.
CASE MANAGER
LIFE CARE OF LONGMONT
LONGMONT, CO
05.2025 - 12.2025
- Lead Case Manager for a busy Rehab Unit
- Responsible for discharge planning of 17-20 patients. Setting up resources such as home oxygen, home health and meals on wheels.
- Medication reconciliation
- Insurance claims and authorizations to NAVI, Medicare, Optum, Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield
RN BSN AND ADN FACULTY on CAMPUS
GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING
RICHARDSON, TX
08.2024 - 04.2025
- Staff faculty
- Clinicals
- Administered tests via Campus and graded papers and assignments
- ICU
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
BAYLOR SCOTT AND WHITE
SUNNYVALE, TX
02.2020 - 07.2024
- Arranges speakers and teaches during new hire orientation. During Covid, performed modified orientation every Monday for agency/travel staff.
- Instructed professional development classes such as mediport access, EKG class and balloon pump classes. Kept up with all employee’s competencies.
- Responsible for accepting nursing schools and orienting them to the facility and arranging a challenging and educational clinical experience.
- RQI for BLS, ALS and PALS facilitator. Responsible for assigning course in Learn Share such as NIH Stroke Scale, Moderate Sedation and other competency courses throughout the year.
- ICU critical care RN. Work extra shifts in ICU and Cardiac Cath Lab as needed caring for high acuity care patients.
- ACLS, BLS certified, NIH Stroke Scale Certified
TRAVEL NURSE CATH LAB
BAYLOR SCOTT AND WHITE/ALL SAINTS
FORT WORTH, TX
08.2019 - 02.2020
- Busy 2 standard cath labs, 2 EP labs and 1 hybrid CVOR/cath lab: worked as circulator on a travel assignment as the team was hiring 5 nurses all new to cath lab to train.
- Served as preceptor to new cath lab nurses, trained on equipment for procedures such as Impella placement, TAVR, aortic-value balloon procedure, the “Watchman” procedure, left and right heart catheterizations and angioplasty with drug eluting stents, pacemakers and EP ablations.
- Trained on EPIC Cupid which was rolled out during my contract. Assisted new cath lab nurses in charting in EPIC Cupid during their training.
CHEST PAIN STROKE COORDINATOR/ICU CHARGE STAFF AND CATH LAB CHARGE STAFF NURSE
DALLAS REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
MESQUITE, TX
03.2016 - 08.2019
- Kept up certifications and collected data as the Stroke and Chest Pain Coordinator. Underwent recertification for Chest Pain center under American College of Cardiology and presented data to members of the Chest Pain Center board in monthly meetings. Kept data current for Primary Stroke Certification through the Joint Commission and presented data and findings including follow up care from partner hospitals around Dallas.
- Worked as Charge Cath lab nurse to prepare cath patients for left and right heart catheterizations, pacemaker insertions, and interventional radiology procedures. Performed moderate sedation for patients undergoing biopsies and minor invasive procedures using computerized tomography (CT) scan. Assisted MD and PA with nuclear stress tests.
- ICU preceptor for new graduate ICU internship. Taught classes on strokes and interpreting EKG rhythms. Charge nurse for general medial surgical ICU with Impella, Balloon Pumps, Hypothermia protocol, Ventilated patients with respiratory failure. Central and PICC line management and comprehensive critical care IV drip medications for sedation, paralytics and pressors. Management, reading and interpretation of Arterial lines and Swan Gans thermodilution catheters.
- House Supervisor as needed days and nights to manage all units/admissions from ER and direct admits. Served as resource for charge nurses.
- Member of Mesquite Heart Board and assisted in Go Red for Women Gala in Mesquite 2018
- Chair of Shared Governance Committee for nurse retention and served on Shared Governance committee for Education.
- ICU Star Employee of the Month of May 2019
ICU CHARGE STAFF/ER STAFF AND RELIEF HOUSE SUPERVISOR
UT EAST TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER
ATHEN, TX
08.2010 - 08.2016
- Rural 127 bed hospital ICU Charge nurse. Precepted new graduate nurses as well as experienced new staff. General medical surgical ICU 10 bed ICU treating patients with respiratory failure, DKA, and post-surgical needs such as carotid endarterectomy or major abdominal surgery. Management of ventilator care, bipap, arterial lines and critical care medication drips.
- Worked ER in triage and as staff nurse. Served as mentor to new ER graduate nurses training in emergency care. TNCC certified.
- House Supervisor as needed for night shift. Resource to ICU, ER and med/surg floors. Responsible for staffing and bed assignments.
- Daisy Award Winner 2012
- WOW recognitions by family members of ICU patients, coworkers and nursing management
ICU STAFF
LAKE POINTE MEDICAL CENTER
ROWLETT, TX
03.2008 - 08.2010
- Charge and Staff ICU nurse night shift. Responsible for small 8 bed ICU as charge nurse making bed assignments, training new staff acting as a resource for clinical nurses in both ICU and medical surgical floors.
ICU STAFF
MEDICAL CENTER OF MESQUITE
MESQUITE, TX
06.2005 - 02.2008
- Staff ICU nurse night shift. Cardiac and Surgical ICU patients including post coronary artery bypass surgical patients with pacemaker wires and chest tubes, ventilator management, complex cardiac and vasopressor drips, as well as other critical diagnosis requiring high level nursing care. Charge experience and preceptor to new staff.
CATH LAB STAFF
RICHARDSON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
RICHARDSON, TX
12.2001 - 02.2005
- Cath lab staff RN. Learned all procedures related to cardiac catheterization lab including right and left heart caths and sterile technique. Learned to scrub left heart catheterizations and interventions, circulate and monitor/document all cases. Other cases including pacemaker insertion, cardioversions, transesophageal echoes (TEE), and some peripheral angioplasties and atherectomies done by the cardiologists. Precepted new staff. After 8 months became lead (charge) nurse.
- Presented and designed an original slide show about Atrial-fibrillation and cardiomegaly to staff and physicians detailing new developments in treatments.
DAY SURGERY RN STAFF
RHD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
DALLAS, TX
06.1998 - 12.2001
- Surgical RN responsible for preoperative teaching with patients, preparing patients for surgery and placing IV for patients undergoing all day surgery, EGD and Colonoscopy and heart catheterization procedures. Worked with OR nurses to ensure consents were correct and all pre-operative checklist items were completed. Prepared in-house patients to be brought to surgery and ensured IV access was appropriate.
- Recognized for outstanding IV initiation skills and served as resource for ER, ICU and med/surg floors for nurses needing IV access with patients who had difficult anatomy.
ICU NEW GRADUATE RN INTERNSHIP
SCOTT AND WHITE MEDICAL CENTER
TEMPLE, TX
06.1996 - 05.1998
- Critical care internship designed for new graduate nurses or nurses with lessor experience wanting to transition to ICU. 18-month comprehensive program including 6 weeks of classroom work and testing and 15 months training under preceptors in medical, surgical, neuro, cardiovascular and pediatric ICUs.
- Received commendation for my participation in a code blue, 8 weeks after I began training.
Education
MSN - Nursing Education
Chamberlain Nursing University
Downers Grove, IL01-2022
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
Chamberlain College of Nursing
Downers Grove01-2019
Associate of Science - Nursing
Trinity Valley Community College
Kaufman01-1996
Skills
- Nursing management
- Clinical expertise
- Clinical documentation
- Quality improvement
- Staff evaluation
- Professional development
- Case management
- Nurse education and training
Affiliations
Member of American Heart Association Speakers Bureau: conducted health fairs around Dallas/Ft Worth handing out AHA literature and educating public about dangers of heart disease.
Certification
Basic Life Support
Advanced Life Support
National Institute of Stroke Certified
Nursing Home Infection Preventionist Certified
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Timeline
DIRECTOR OF NURSES
VIVAGE BEECAN/WHEATRIDGE CARE CENTER
12.2025 - Current
CASE MANAGER
LIFE CARE OF LONGMONT
05.2025 - 12.2025
RN BSN AND ADN FACULTY on CAMPUS
GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING
08.2024 - 04.2025
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
BAYLOR SCOTT AND WHITE
02.2020 - 07.2024
TRAVEL NURSE CATH LAB
BAYLOR SCOTT AND WHITE/ALL SAINTS
08.2019 - 02.2020
CHEST PAIN STROKE COORDINATOR/ICU CHARGE STAFF AND CATH LAB CHARGE STAFF NURSE
DALLAS REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
03.2016 - 08.2019
ICU CHARGE STAFF/ER STAFF AND RELIEF HOUSE SUPERVISOR
UT EAST TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER
08.2010 - 08.2016
ICU STAFF
LAKE POINTE MEDICAL CENTER
03.2008 - 08.2010
ICU STAFF
MEDICAL CENTER OF MESQUITE
06.2005 - 02.2008
CATH LAB STAFF
RICHARDSON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
12.2001 - 02.2005
DAY SURGERY RN STAFF
RHD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
06.1998 - 12.2001
ICU NEW GRADUATE RN INTERNSHIP
SCOTT AND WHITE MEDICAL CENTER
06.1996 - 05.1998
MSN - Nursing Education
Chamberlain Nursing University
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
Chamberlain College of Nursing
Associate of Science - Nursing
Trinity Valley Community College
Awards
Daisy Award Winner 2012, 2017