Velvet Meers, MSN, RN, NPD-BC
Jefferson City,MO
Overview
39
39
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Patient Safety Program Manager-Registered Nurse
HARRY S TRUMAN MEMORIAL VETERANS HOSPITAL
02.2023 - Current
- Promotes a culture of learning, prevention, and collaboration in which an environment of patient safety and high-quality care flourish
- Provides guidance and support in assessing, coordinating, educating, consulting and communicating patient safety strategies to others in the organization
- Collaborates in the creation, review, and refinement of the scope of the Patient Safety program within the facility on a continuous basis
- Identifies, communicates, and facilitates change within the organization to improve patient safety based on identified risks
- Acts to support the organization by fostering a culture of continuous improvement that will sustain reporting and reduction of medical/health care errors and other factors that contribute to unintended adverse patient outcomes
- Functions as the lead manager and implementer of patient safety policies and activities developed by the National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) and is the facility's key person to help build and implement patient safety systems and promote the culture of safety within Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities and for VA patients in all healthcare settings
- Directly supports the development, maintenance, and operation of the VHA's patient safety process at the facility level
- This includes working with all levels of staff within the facility, including top-level management, Root Cause Analysis (RCA) team members, RCA team leaders, and RCA recorders
- Participates in the development of innovative approaches to the establishment, enhancement, modification and/or improvements in care with a focus on patient safety/risk
- Serves as the subject matter expert for the patient safety program
- Expert in the use of RCAs, SPOT database, JPSR system, Safety forums, and NEO training on patient safety
- Manages facility adverse and sentinel events reporting processes and utilizes the Safety Assessment Code matrix to assign SAC score to reported events
- Facilitates RCAs, evaluates RCA team performance and follows up on RCA/Aggregate Reviews, Actions/Outcome Measures
- Serves as the system POC for Patient Safety alerts/advisories/recalls to include responding to tracking system actions
- Serves as a member on select facility committees to report on patient safety program performance and provide input regarding patient safety program requirements
- Monitoring facility compliance with Joint Commission Patient Safety Standards and Goals
- Conducts periodic formal environment of care patient safety inspections
- Addresses results of safety culture survey and develops recommendations for appropriate action plans as needed
- Provides timely and accurate referral of human factor concerns to VA and non VA subject matter experts
- Demonstrates strong leadership and communication skills for facility wide quality improvement processes and initiatives
- Continuously evaluates and achieves program goals by collecting and submitting facility performance measures
Primary Care Coordinator Registered Nurse
HARRY S TRUMAN MEMORIAL VETERANS HOSPITAL
04.2022 - 02.2023
- Collaboratively responsible for case management and service coordination for 1500 primary care veterans including gender-specific care coordination for women veterans for health care screenings and immediate care needs
- Communicates directly with patients/families, via phone calls, telephone triage electronic notes, MyHealtheVet, and direct patient care for follow-up and education for disease and health focused questions
- Using the nursing process and evidence-based practice while demonstrating the nurse skills and knowledge in managing acutely ill, chronically ill, and clinically complex outpatients
- Demonstrates leadership in coordinating comprehensive and continuous patient-centered holistic care through active collaboration, communication, and coordination of VA and community resources and services
ICU Registered Nurse
HARRY S TRUMAN MEMORIAL VETERANS HOSPITAL
01.2021 - 02.2022
- Applies evidence-based practice and professional nursing care to critically ill men and women veterans
- Administers therapeutic interventions, such as medications, treatments, intravenous fluids, blood product transfusions, oral/nasogastric tubes, and other diagnostic interventions, etc., using independent judgment, critical thinking, and decision-making skills (as appropriate) as based on physician orders
- Initiates resuscitative and life-saving measures: diagnostics, treatments, and medications based on approved Unit Standing Orders, Unit Standard of Care from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) and any other professional organizations, American Heart Association (AHA)
Wound & Ostomy Care Registered Nurse
HARRY S TRUMAN MEMORIAL VETERANS HOSPITAL
07.2021 - 01.2022
- Performs the full scope of wound assessment and management including measurement, staging of pressure injuries, cleansing, application compression therapy, and selection and application of wound care treatments and therapies
- Provides timely and accurate documentation of skin and wound issues using Veterans Affairs (VA) approved enterprise standardized electronic health record (EHR) system
- Coordinates care across clinical practice settings with a focus on organizational improvement in skin and wound assessment and management (and may include ostomy and continence care)
Float Registered Nurse
SSM Health
08.2017 - 11.2021
- PRN Float Staff nurse for Inpatient Behavioral Health and Medical/Surgical and Intensive care unit
- Uses nursing process to develop and implement the plan of care, collect assessment data, establishes the nursing diagnosis, and identifies expected patient outcomes
- Demonstrates knowledge of the impact of actual or potential illness impacting physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being
- Completes admitting and shift assessment, participates in development, review, and evaluation of multidisciplinary treatment plans, assesses and monitors patient and environment of safety on unit
Clinical Nurse Educator/Nurse Residency Coordinator
Boone Health
08.2016 - 01.2021
- Creates and implements staff education and professional development activities and programs that optimize patient outcomes
- Teaches and develops curriculum for Unlicensed Assistance Personnel
- Functions as an educational expert providing supervision, coaching, and evaluation of residency facilitators in roles associated with the nurse residency program
- Coordinates and manages the nurse residency program working with recruitment, overseeing the advisory board, and development and implementation of an evidence-based curriculum meeting the ANCCs standards for Practice Transition Accreditation Program
- Partners with managers/directors to develop innovative strategies for retention and nurse professional development
- Analyzes and reports nurse retention and program data to executive leadership and key stakeholders
- Instructed Evidenced Based Practice Class to new graduate nurses and oversaw multiple new graduate residency EBP projects geared toward improvement of quality care and patient outcomes
- Member of hospital wide committees such as Nurse Research and EBP Committee, Professional Nurse Development Council, Central Line Associated Bacterial Infection Committee and Hospital Fall Committee
- Supported student educational and vocational planning to help each optimize learning strategies and reap long-term career benefits.
Outpatient Infusion & Treatment RN
Boone Health
08.2015 - 08.2016
- Assists with scheduling, educating, and monitoring patient care that requires coordinating with other team members as well as communication with physicians
- Promotes and restores patient's health by completing the nursing process; collaborates with physicians for outpatient procedures for infusions, interventional procedures, conscious sedation, and recovery
- Assesses, educates, and places Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICC) to achieve essential venous access
- Helped establish guidelines for patient education
- Monitored patient reactions to drugs and carefully documented findings.
Float Registered Nurse
Boone Health
08.2008 - 08.2015
- Float nurse for Oncology, Medicine, Neurology, Spine Center, Orthopedics, Surgical Specialties, Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery, Surgical Stepdown, and Intensive Care Units
- Promotes and restores patient's health by completing the nursing process; collaborates with physicians and multidisciplinary team members, providing physical and psychological support to patients and their families
- Supervises team members and completes charge nurse duties
- Functioned as Interim Stroke Coordinator performing duties such as data abstraction and ensuring stroke core measures are met
- Responsibilities include rounding with Neurologist and providing education to staff, patients, and family members
Registered Nurse
Grace Staffing Agency
06.2006 - 08.2008
- Promotes and restores patient's health by completing the nursing process; collaborates with physicians and multidisciplinary team members, providing physical and psychological support to patients and their families
- Worked as an agency RN within a variety of local hospitals in the following settings: pre/post op, acute care, outpatient, and critical care settings
Cardiac Stepdown Registered Nurse
SSM Health
01.2004 - 06.2006
- Promotes and restores patient's health by completing the nursing process; collaborates with physicians and multidisciplinary team members, providing physical and psychological support to patients and their families
- Regularly monitoring vital signs, ECG and other cardiac monitoring parameters
- Identifying potential complications like arrhythmias, hypotension, or signs of heart failure and initiating appropriate interventions
- Educating patients and families detailed information about their cardiac condition, recovery process, and self-care practices
Maintenance Operations Controller
Missouri Air National Guard
01.1990 - 04.2006
- Retired Senior Master Sergeant
- Establishes and oversees the completion of assignments by maintenance personnel working on F-15 fighter aircraft
- Redirects work assignments as required and supervises MOC personnel
- Leads and mentors junior enlisted personnel, overseeing significant portions of a unit's mission, and acting as a key advisor to officers
Aircraft Technician
United States Air Force Reserve Command
04.1986 - 01.1990
- Repair and Reclamation technician on a variety of Tactical Fighter Aircraft
- Performed aircraft scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, troubleshooting and aircraft recovery for the F-15, F-4, A-10, F-111, F-16, and T-38 Aircraft
Education
Masters Degree - Nursing Education
Central Methodist University
Fayetteville, MO12.2019
Bachelors Degree - Nursing
Central Methodist University
Fayetteville, MO05.2016
Associate Degree - Nursing
Lincoln University
Jefferson City, MO12.2003
Associate Degree - Physical Therapist Assistant
State Technical College of Missouri
Linn, MO12.1997
Certification
- Licensed Registered Nurse-Compact
- Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant
- Professional Development Practitioner, ANCC Board Certified
Accomplishments
- Integrative Health and Wellness Nurse Coach
- Clinical Faculty Academy Clinical Instructor
Awards
- Boone Hospital Nurse Excellence Award for Nursing Education
- Awarded the BJC Healthcare Castellano Scholarship
Timeline
Patient Safety Program Manager-Registered Nurse
HARRY S TRUMAN MEMORIAL VETERANS HOSPITAL
02.2023 - Current
Primary Care Coordinator Registered Nurse
HARRY S TRUMAN MEMORIAL VETERANS HOSPITAL
04.2022 - 02.2023
Wound & Ostomy Care Registered Nurse
HARRY S TRUMAN MEMORIAL VETERANS HOSPITAL
07.2021 - 01.2022
ICU Registered Nurse
HARRY S TRUMAN MEMORIAL VETERANS HOSPITAL
01.2021 - 02.2022
Float Registered Nurse
SSM Health
08.2017 - 11.2021
Clinical Nurse Educator/Nurse Residency Coordinator
Boone Health
08.2016 - 01.2021
Outpatient Infusion & Treatment RN
Boone Health
08.2015 - 08.2016
Float Registered Nurse
Boone Health
08.2008 - 08.2015
Registered Nurse
Grace Staffing Agency
06.2006 - 08.2008
Cardiac Stepdown Registered Nurse
SSM Health
01.2004 - 06.2006
Maintenance Operations Controller
Missouri Air National Guard
01.1990 - 04.2006
Aircraft Technician
United States Air Force Reserve Command
04.1986 - 01.1990
Bachelors Degree - Nursing
Central Methodist University
Associate Degree - Nursing
Lincoln University
Associate Degree - Physical Therapist Assistant
State Technical College of Missouri
- Licensed Registered Nurse-Compact
- Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant
- Professional Development Practitioner, ANCC Board Certified
Masters Degree - Nursing Education
Central Methodist University
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