Wesley J. Stephens
New York,NY
Summary
Dynamic Nurse Leader with a proven track record in critical care environments, specializing in neonatal and pediatric cardiac, respiratory, renal and transplant care. Committed to delivering exceptional patient outcomes through evidence-based practice, innovative care delivery, and strong team leadership. Proven ability to collaborate effectively with diverse teams across large scale healthcare systems. Cultivated positive, productive work environments focused on serving patients, teaching and empowering the next generation of healthcare professionals, and implementing innovative solutions to complex care challenges.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Patient Care Director, PCD – Neonatal/Infant Cardiac ICU
New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital Of New York
New York, NY
03.2023 - 09.2024
- Complete oversight of 94+ FTE’s – scheduling, budget, payroll
- Improved vacancy rate
- Decreased turnover
- Campus lead for Pharmacy/Barcode Medication Administration Committees 2023 and 2024 – improving and maintaining compliance from 70% to Hospital goal > 95%
- Worked with cross-campus interdisciplinary team to reduce CAUTI’s by 75% from 2019 – 2021, exceeding MSCH 2021 and 2022 National Patient Safety Goal
- Nursing Informatics Lead – drove EHR Optimization projects
- Implemented strategies to reduce incremental overtime and missed meals.
Clinical Nurse Manager, CNM – Pediatric ICU
New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital Of New York
New York, NY
12.2019 - 03.2023
- Created an environment where employee work/life balance is a top priority, fostering increased engagement and staff satisfaction in the PICU
- Managed up to 84 FTE’s, including scheduling, budgeting, and payroll, and streamlined personnel file, record keeping and certification/competencies compliance process (100% compliance for all of 2021 and 2022)
- Selected Managerial Achievements: Active role in sourcing and interviewing new staff, ensuring opportunities for 9C PICU staff to be involved in the process
- Collaborated with PCD to reduce incremental overtime by greater than 50% and created an environment of teamwork to decrease missed meals and late outs
- Collaborated with PCD and IP&C to quickly work through COVID exposure investigations, timelines, and tracing and managed staffing to ensure coverage during staff absences
- Created and implemented new orientation process for 9C PICU RN’s, including standardized timelines, frequent check-ins and feedback tools, structured assignments, and precept the preceptor program
- Fostered an open environment for new Residents, working with the chief residents to mend relations between RN’s and MD’s
- Utilized and encouraged an open communication environment centered on mutual education that led to best possible patient outcomes
- Also worked with various sub-specialties to begin the process of mending past distrusts and fostering an environment of shared learning across multiple patient populations and diagnoses
- Created a cohesive and comprehensive Tier 1 Huddle Playbook to ensure local leadership/charge RN’s were able to keep the team up to date, created bedside binders with pertinent information readily available, created and maintained a 9C shared drive, and implemented a charge nurse shift handoff to keep leadership up-to-date and provide for real time solutions to unit issues
- BLS/PALS Instructor providing high fidelity classroom opportunities for MSCH employees using a focused and extremely hands on approach, providing scenarios and equipment likely to be seen and used at MSCH
- Utilized local education material to create an extensive PICU Pocket Guide, now utilized by all orientees and being adapted by other units for their own patient populations
- Spearheaded 4pm “Fluddle” Zoom and created an easy-to-use visual display/spreadsheet to streamline bed/staffing management
- Clinical Ladder Committee – working with local RNs to complete the process and reviewing applications of over 40 CN2 and CN3 candidates
- Worked alongside ECMO program director to create and maintain ECMO Sim program, including extensive in-depth didactic portion, rolling out extremely successful interdisciplinary launch of a high-fidelity sim program
- ICU lead and subject matter expert for EPIC EHR rollout and optimization projects
- Selected Quality Achievements: Hospital project lead for CAUTI Prevention - Worked with cross-campus interdisciplinary team to reduce CAUTI’s by 80% from 2019 – 2022, exceeding MSCH 2021 and 2022 National Patient Safety Goal
- Worked with 9C team to enforce and promote 100 percent Joint Commission readiness at all times, leading to a well informed and prepared team completing a successful survey
- Created an environment of ownership for 9C PICU’s patient quality indicators, scorecard and processes to prevent HACs
- Encouraged bedside RN input and peer to peer auditing to help team understand their role in 9C’s journey to “Strive for Zero”
- Created and implemented a Nurse-led Rounding Summary, ensuring timely/correct order entry and discussion of all safety data (including central lines, foley’s, antibiotic stewardship, skin protection, etc)
- Successful initiation of the MSCH CAUTI Champion program, collecting data, disseminating information, consolidating education material and in the process of standardizing products and availability campus-wide
- Selected Magnet Achievements: Active member of the MAGNET steering and education committees
- Wrote and edited 11 exemplars- able to analyze data and outcomes to determine the best Magnet stories to be highlighted in the Magnet document for 9C PICU
- Led successful initiative to increase Employee Satisfaction scores for 2022
- Active in multiple shared governance forums including SAC, NSAC, Magnet Leadership, Nursing Pharmacy and cross-campus Pharmacy Subcommittee, multiple Epic Optimization subgroups, BCMA, NIC/NOW
- Worked with Unit Council to revamp the shared governance process and presence on 9C PICU
- Led team to write and currently editing/revising 9C PICU BEACON application
- Co-led MSCH Resiliency Project, utilizing an interdisciplinary approach to providing resources to RNs to alleviate burnout and stress
- Created and monitored pre and post data, mentored bedside RNs to carry out clinical ladder project, and worked with leadership partners to spread awareness.
Clinical Nurse Educator, CNV
New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital Of New York
New York, NY
01.2019 - 11.2019
- Responsible for staff development, orientation, planning, in-services, continuing education preparation & presentation, and annual competency day
- Provided clinical supervision and support for new skills, matching new employees to preceptors, completing and evaluating learning needs assessments, and ensuring elevation of practice for critical care nurses and staff
- Applied advanced knowledge with respect to clinical matters, serving as a role model and resource, including performing direct patient care as necessary.
Travel RN / Clinical Nurse
04.2018 - 01.2019
- Bedside PICU Travel Nurse in PICU, Cardiac PICU, & NICU, showing flexibility and ability to transition from unit to unit.
Registered Nurse
Children's National Medical Center
Washington, DC
03.2016 - 04.2018
- Bedside RN - post-op cardiac patients, ECMO and CVVHD, LVAD, and Berlin Hearts
- Preceptor for new graduate nurses, experienced nurses, and travel nurses
- Taught classes in neuro, single ventricle physiology, nutrition, respiratory, equipment, and care of the ECMO patient
- Co-chair unit practice council, treasurer/transitional leader professional development council, and founding member of Culture of Nursing Excellence committee, focused on patient satisfaction, nursing satisfaction, and patient quality indicators
- Selected Achievements: Developed training materials for CLABSI reduction/prevention and educational material for HCAHPS.
Registered Nurse
Baylor University Medical Center
Dallas, TX
12.2008 - 03.2016
- Certified Solid Organ Transplant and Trauma ICU RN – Charge and Preceptor roles; Level I trauma, post-op, medical/CVICU, liver, kidney, pancreas and islet cell transplant patients
- Super user/trainer for CVVHD
- Schedule coordinator for 125 FTE's for days, nights, and weekend positions
- Selected Achievements: Authored Silver Beacon awards for three units.
Education
Masters of Nursing Administration -
University of Texas
Arlington, TX01.2018
Bachelor of Science Nursing -
University of Texas
Arlington, TX01.2013
Bachelor of Science: Biology, Chemistry -
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX01.2005
Skills
- Registered Nurse – New York; License # 745101 – Exp 05/31/2026
- Nurse Executive – Board Certified; American Nurses Credentialing Center
- Critical Care Registered Nurse – Pediatrics; American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
- Instructor: American Heart Association – Basic Life Support (Exp 08/2026) & Pediatric Advance Life Support (Exp: 02/2025)
- Neonatal Resuscitation Program – American Association of Pediatrics (Exp: 03/31/2025)
Affiliations
- Northeast Pediatric Cardiology Nurses Association – Board Member: Secretary
- Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society - Member
- American Association of Critical Care Nurses - Member
- American Organization of Nurse Leadership - Member
- American Nurses Association - Member
- DAISY Award Recipient, Fall 2018
- Nurses in Washington Internship - National Organizations Alliance
- Active participant in Capitol Hill Days for both the American Nurses Association and American Organization of Nurse Executives. Political advocacy for the nursing profession and patient rights
- Boy Scouts of America, Eagle Scout Honor 1999, Founders Award 2000 – member since 1986
Certification
- Registered Nurse – New York; License # 745101 – Exp 05/31/2026
- Nurse Executive – Board Certified; American Nurses Credentialing Center
- Critical Care Registered Nurse – Pediatrics; American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
- Instructor: American Heart Association – Basic Life Support (Exp 08/2026) & Pediatric Advance Life Support (Exp: 02/2025)
- Neonatal Resuscitation Program – American Association of Pediatrics (Exp: 03/31/2025)
Timeline
Patient Care Director, PCD – Neonatal/Infant Cardiac ICU
New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital Of New York
03.2023 - 09.2024
Clinical Nurse Manager, CNM – Pediatric ICU
New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital Of New York
12.2019 - 03.2023
Clinical Nurse Educator, CNV
New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital Of New York
01.2019 - 11.2019
Travel RN / Clinical Nurse
04.2018 - 01.2019
Registered Nurse
Children's National Medical Center
03.2016 - 04.2018
Registered Nurse
Baylor University Medical Center
12.2008 - 03.2016
- Registered Nurse – New York; License # 745101 – Exp 05/31/2026
- Nurse Executive – Board Certified; American Nurses Credentialing Center
- Critical Care Registered Nurse – Pediatrics; American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
- Instructor: American Heart Association – Basic Life Support (Exp 08/2026) & Pediatric Advance Life Support (Exp: 02/2025)
- Neonatal Resuscitation Program – American Association of Pediatrics (Exp: 03/31/2025)
Masters of Nursing Administration -
University of Texas
Bachelor of Science Nursing -
University of Texas
Bachelor of Science: Biology, Chemistry -
Texas Tech University
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