Maria Tara Pena
Staten Island
Summary
Professional with significant expertise in team leadership and operational management. Proven track record in driving team collaboration and delivering impactful results. Skilled in conflict resolution, process optimization, and strategic planning, with flexible approach to evolving business needs. Known for reliability, strong communication, and fostering productive work environment.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Outpatient/Inpatient Acute Care Occupational Therapy and Outpatient/Inpatient Speech and Language Pathology Supervisor
New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
06.2019 - Current
- Conduct monthly audits of clinical documentation to ensure accuracy and in compliance with Joint Commission audit
- Implement evidenced-based practices into daily operations, enhancing overall effectiveness of therapy intervention
- Enhance staff performance through continuous training and professional development opportunities
- Collaborate closely and establish close relationship with referring physicians to coordinate seamless transition and coordination of care from acute care to inpatient rehab and outpatient services
- Supervise, orient, train department employees to improve job performance and maintain high standards of patient care
- Recruit, hire and train all staff, providing direct supervision, ongoing staff development and continuing education to employees
- Maintain compliance with guidelines relating to Joint Commission, HIPAA, human resources and departmental guidelines
- Ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements, maintain updated knowledge of hospital standards and best practices
- Manage caseload effectively, ensuring appropriate allocation of resources and timely completion of paperwork
- Lead a multidisciplinary team of professionals in providing high quality and patient centered care and support for patients with diverse needs
- Champion a culture of safety within the facility by enforcing strict adherence to regulatory compliance standards across inpatient/outpatient OT and SLP department
- Actively participate in quality improvement projects aim at enhancing overall efficacy of therapeutic intervention and decreasing length of stay
- Enhance patient outcomes by implementing comprehensive Occupational and Speech therapy program
- Regularly assess program effectiveness to make adjustment that provide optimal benefits to patient, decrease length of stay, and seamless transition within the community through outpatient services
- Conduct regular performance reviews, identifying areas of opportunities, and developing action plan to ensure clinical development and optimizing patient care
- Manage inventory and supply operations to achieve timely and accurate supply and delivery in both inpatient and acute care setting
- Establish positive and effective communication among unit staff and organization leadership reducing miscommunication and improve staff engagement
- Analyze and report on key performance metric to senior leadership
- Ensure optimal functionality of departmental equipment and safe infrastructure at all times
- Direct initiatives to improve work environment, company’s culture and credo for respect and business strategy to improve productivity and employee utilization
- Analyze data trends to identify potential bottleneck in operation workflow and implement strategies to mitigate areas of opportunities
- Enhance patient satisfaction by establishing clear communication channels and addressing concerns promptly
- Successfully achieve higher employee retention rate by fostering a positive work environment and opportunities for professional growth
Acute Care Senior Therapist
New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
12.2018 - 06.2019
- In the absence of the department supervisor, effectively performed all duties inherent to the supervisor role: participated in hiring, training, and evaluation of all OT acute staff members according to hospital policies and procedures.
- Assisted area supervisor with departmental and hospital orientation of new staff
- Assisted with orientation schedule of new or rotating staff; includes assigning co-treatments or providing in-services
- Oriented new or rotating staff to area clinical competencies and specialized acute care areas, i.e., ICU, Stepdown Unit, Neurology Unit and Orthopedic Unit.
- Assisted supervisor with deeming staff competent by providing co-treatments, direct observation, and/or in-services
- Responsible for monitoring which staff requires competency and triages appropriately to provide appropriate caseload
- Maintained all staff competencies and provided annual review to staff members to explore areas of opportunities and enhance clinical strength of individual staff members
- Developed acute care program such as early ICU mobilization initiative and CHF initiative to reduce CHF readmission rate in the hospital setting.
Acute Care Clinical Specialist
New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
09.2018 - 12.2018
- Responsible for developing early mobilization in the ICU including developing clinical competencies and is responsible for training staff members in managing the ICU setting
- Assists in the development of and participates in in-service education programs in the department and within the hospital setting to introduce ICU early mobilization initiative
- Demonstrates advanced clinical skills and knowledge in the assessment and treatment of patients with neurological, orthopedic, oncology, intensive care, cardiothoracic diagnoses
- Meets with staff members on a monthly bases to establish clinical goals and develop plan to help staff achieve highest level of competence
- Co-treats with staff on a regular basis to identify opportunities for growth and clinical development
- Assists in maintaining high quality assurance standards in all documentation within the department by providing staff training, one on one supervision an departmental in-services
- Highly ensures that all staff members are trained in providing skilled quality intervention using different variety of treatment techniques and modalities by assisting with developing staff competency measures and staff training
Staff Occupational Therapist
New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center
04.2009 - 09.2018
- Evaluated and treated patients with a variety of diagnoses including CVA, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Dementia and various Orthopedic and Neurologic Diagnoses
- Was an integral part of the implementation of the Early Mobilization Program in the ICU
- Proficient with standardized cognitive assessments such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), EFPT, CAM-ICU, CMT, Hopkins Verbal Learning
- Competent in specialized assessment such as Vision assessment and Vestibular screening
- Competent in performing Swallow evaluations for diet recommendation and to ensure that patients can manage recommended diet without overt signs of aspiration as well as making recommendation for speech pathology intervention if deemed medically appropriate
- Competent and certified to treat LVAD patients
- Experienced in treating multiple complicated Orthopedic patients and is skilled in fabrication of UE and LE splints
- Assumed responsibility of the Senior Occupational Therapist for triaging patients in the Orthopedic service when senior therapist is not available
- Weekend planning
- Interdisciplinary rounding
- Gave various in-services to the Rehabilitation department such as: wheelchair positioning, vision assessment and treatment, MICU -early mobilization program and splinting and positioning
- Mentored Level 1 and Level II students
Staff Occupational Therapist
New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
02.2008 - 04.2009
- Efficiently treated patients with a variety of diagnoses including CVA, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Dementia and various Orthopedic and Neurologic Diagnoses
- Efficiently documented reimbursement through FIM Scoring
- Performed patient’s initial evaluation, re-evaluation for weekly interdisciplinary team meetings and effectively collaborated with patients, family and significant others in terms of patient’s goals and discharge planning throughout the occupational therapy process
- Efficiently selected relevant screening and assessment methods while considering factors such as patient’s priorities, context, theory and evidence- based practice
- Efficiently documented the results of the evaluation and patient’s response to the therapeutic intervention in a manner that demonstrated the efficacy of the occupational therapy intervention process
- Treated patients with a variety of hand and upper extremity traumatic injuries such as fractures, tendon injuries and nerve and blood vessel lacerations as well as carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis in out-patient care
- Performed a comprehensive upper extremity evaluation such as range of motion, sensory, strength and functional testing in addition to evaluations prior and after medical and surgical procedures to assist with treatment and planning
Education
Master of Science - Occupational Therapy
New York University
New York, NYBachelor of Arts - Psychology and Business Management
St. John’s University
Jamaica, NYSkills
- Mentorship development
- Results-driven
- Team leadership
- Service excellence
Certification
- Recovery Function: NDT Achieving Functional Outcomes for Adults with Hemiplegia using NDT Principles Certification- April 2017
- Performing a Clinical Swallow Evaluation and Treatment- Certification August 2016
- Mary Massery Course: If you can’t breath, you can’t function- Course Completion August 2015
- Wheelchair Seating and Positioning Certification- June 2014
- Managing the Critical III Patient’s in the ICU- Certification Course December 2013
Timeline
Outpatient/Inpatient Acute Care Occupational Therapy and Outpatient/Inpatient Speech and Language Pathology Supervisor
New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
06.2019 - Current
Acute Care Senior Therapist
New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
12.2018 - 06.2019
Acute Care Clinical Specialist
New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
09.2018 - 12.2018
Staff Occupational Therapist
New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center
04.2009 - 09.2018
Staff Occupational Therapist
New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
02.2008 - 04.2009
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology and Business Management
St. John’s University
Master of Science - Occupational Therapy
New York University
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