Registered Nurse, Operating Room, Surgical Expert Witness

EDUCATION

Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA) University Of California, Los Angeles, 2006.
Certified Legal Nurse Consultant (CLNC) Medical-Legal Consulting Institute, Inc., 2005.
MSN University of Phoenix, 2005.
BSN University of Phoenix, graduated with Honors, 2003.
Perioperative Nursing Program, Tri City Medical Center, 1986.
ADN Palomar Community College, 1982.

PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE

CA Board of Registered Nursing, Registered Nurse. 1982-present.

CERTIFICATIONS

American Heart Association, BLS, current
American Heart Association, ACLS, current
Certified Nurse Operating Room (CNOR), current
Certified Legal Nurse Consultant (CLNC), current

ORGANIZATIONS

Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN)
Sigma Theta Tau International, Honor Society of Nursing
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC)
San Diego Chapter, AALNC
National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants

EXPERIENCE AS A REGISTERED NURSE

Self-Employed Registered Nurse First Assistant
Presently

PeriOperative Registered Nurse
Large Local Healthcare System
Encinitas, CA
2005-2006

Functions independently as a Registered Nurse in a fast paced operating room in one of the largest hospital systems in San Diego. Duties include scrubbing and circulating. Experience includes Orthopaedics, General, Vascular, Neurosurgery, Urology, Gynecology, and Laparoscopic surgeries.

Clinical Research Coordinator/ Staff RN Operating room
A San Diego Healthcare System
San Diego, CA
2002-2005

Responsible for activities at the San Diego research site of the Open Versus Endovascular Repair (OVER) Trial. One of forty sites in this nationwide prospective randomized trial administered by Yale University, Cooperative Studies Program. Accountable for patient recruitment, surveillance and safety while maintaining the integrity of study protocol. Followed subjects from enrollment through surgical repair and post operative surveillance.Additional responsibility included surveillance of entire endovascular repair population at VAMC as mandated by the FDA. Responsible for case management for ongoing surveillance and care of over 200 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Functioned as a RN in this all RN staffed operating room, duties included scrubbing and circulating cases.

Director PeriOperative Services
Eisenhower Memorial Hospital
Rancho Mirage, CA
2000-2002

Responsible for the departments of periOperative services as well as central services and ancillary staff that numbered 150 employees. Directly responsible for the day to day operations, including finances and budgeting for these departments. Instrumental in opening the twenty million dollar Andrew Allen Surgical Pavilion by ordering its equipment and preparing for the California Department of Health Services inspection. Quality of care and system improvements were evidenced by implementation of the PYXIS supply stations and initiation of the Procedure Bases Delivery System (PBDS). Instituted a team for the identification and transport of surgical specimens assuring the quality of specimen integrity. Reviewed and revised the policy and procedure manual for inpatient services, institution of procedures to prevent wrong site surgery. Collaborated with the risk manager to initiate patient allergy identification bands. Reinforcement of JCAHO standards including History and Physical documentation. Developed a policy for Sentinel Event reporting for Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (CJD) by researching and developing management policies and action plans and took responsibility for the education of staff regarding supplies, instrumentation and Central Service requirements.

PeriOperative Speciality Coordinator
Tri-City Medical Center
Oceanside, CA
1987-2000

As periOperative specialty coordinator, performed as an expert in the specialty field to not only assist the physician but to act as a mentor for other operating room personnel, in both the scrubbing and ciculating roles. Ensured that all equipment, supplies and implants were operable and available at the time of need. Responsible for budgeting and ordering this equipment.

OB GYN Coordinator
Laser Coordinator
Eye Coordinator
Neurosurgery Coordinator
Vascular Coordinator

PeriOperative Preceptor
Tri-City Medical Center
1995-2000

Monitored the level of both technical and nursing students during their practical experience upon completion of the didactic phases of their training programs. Eased them into work setting and assisted them in becoming safe and functioning members of the periOperative team in both the scrubbing and circulating roles for the Registered Nurses and as scrub person for the technical students.

PeriOperative Nurse Intern
Tri-City Medical Center
1986-1987

Received OR speciality training in a highly structured curriculum of didactic and clinical settings. Received instruction in the complex area of periOperative nursing to provide high quality, individualized care to patients in the periOperative setting with a high degree of surgical conscience. Proficient in the roles of both scrubbing and circulating.

Staff Nurse and Oncology
Tri-City Medical Center
1982-1986

Employed as a new graduate nurse in a staff nurse position. After one year as a staff nurse undertook speciality training in the area of oncology nursing. Provided comprehensive care to cancer and chronically ill patients and their family members. Developed expertise in chemotherapeutic agents, radiation therapy, blood/blood product transfusion, and amelioration of pain.

COMMITTEES AND COUNCILS

Operating Room Education Committee
Tri-City Medical Center
1996-2000

As Chairperson, directed the committee in assessing the educational needs and requests of the periOperative staff in keeping abreast of all industry changes and updates required to meet regulatory demands while providing classes and assuring proper documentation of class materials presented by nurses, vendors, physicians, or outside agencies for an average of thirty-six (36) contact hours a year of continuing education credit to the staff without cost to them or the hospital. These were Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) sanctioned activities. Maintained the agenda and chaired the monthly meetings and provided written documentation for the staff of all committee activities. Provided two (2) BRN sanctioned activities on a Saturday for a total of 15 contact hours that were open to the community and resulted in an average of seventy-three (73) to seventy-six (76) participants without cost to the institution and at greatly reduced cost to the hospital staff members.

City of Oceanside Mentoring Program
1997-1998

Acted as a role model for high school students and assisted them in decision making for their education and career needs. Provided direction on an as needed basis while guiding them to consider what those decisions could achieve.

Interdisciplinary Practice Committee
Tri-City Medical Center
1997-1998

Assessed the level of practice within the perioperative setting and reported the same to the council for consideration and assured that we maintained a level of practice that was in concert with the local community and industry at large. Wrote recommendations for the committee that were forwarded to the Interdisciplinary Education Council for institution throughout the house and assisted with bringing those changes to the periOperative setting.

Employee Incentive Plan Committee
Tri-City Medical
1996-1997

Worked to elicit suggestions and recommendations from all hospital staff to improve the level of staff moral and productivity. Reviewed with other members of the committee all suggestions for feasibility, cost effectiveness and positive benefit to patients and staff. Assisted in instituting programs that engendered and maintained staff satisfaction at a high positive plateau.

Policy and Procedure Council
Tri-City Medical Center
1984-1986

Assessed current policies for needed revision, update, or deletion as required. Maintained an up-to-date knowledge base with changes in nursing in order to assure that the hospital guidelines were geared to be user friendly and met the changes in industry as well as to keep abreast of the demands of all regulatory changes.

RELATED EXPERIENCE

Fresh Start Surgical Gifts
2005
Contributed skills and services as a periOperative nurse for people with congenital and traumatic facial deformities.

Thousand Smiles (Humanitarian Project)
1987-2000
Contributed skills and services as a periOperative nurse in support of correcting congenital and traumatic facial deformities to the impoverished children of Mexico who otherwise have no access to medical or nursing care. Directed the operating room, OR staff, maintained supplies, guided ancillary personnel in support of the Thousand Smiles mission.

Special Olympics
California
1986-1988
Organized, set up, and directed other volunteers at first aid stations to serve the participants and spectators of the Special Olympics competition. Assisted participants, parents, and family members in realizing positive demonstration of their capabilities and skills.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Creation of a Website for persons interested in diabetes
2005
Collaborated with colleagues for the creation and launching of a website for persons interested in diabetes education. This comprehensive site has links to the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and provides assistance in finding a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) in the viewers area. This website allows for questions and answers, it has the latest updates regarding treatment, medicines, and dietary information.

Clinical Research Associate
2003
Completed a clinical research associate training course sponsored by the nationally recognized Clinimetrics® Research Associates, Inc.

Tri-City Medical Center Project Director, KCOT TV (Local Public Access) Community Educational Video detailing the PeriOperative Experience
1996-1997
Outlined, scripted, acted, narrated, and served as professional consultant to the KCOT-TV production team in the production of a video that walks the viewer through the experience from the time the physician and the patient decide on surgical intervention until the patient, family, and significant other complete their transit through this complex and anxiety producing life event. This video was shown a total of twenty-six times on public access TV and is currently being shown daily in the waiting areas of the Pre-operative Education Unit of Tri-City Medical Center. Tracking documentation indicates that the video has been viewed by over twenty-one thousand patients, family, and significant others.

Near-Death Experience Class
1996
Conducted a state of California , Board of Registered Nursing class for the periOperative staff members to provide a venue to discuss "Near-Death" experiences and how these occasions often serve to change the person at the center of the incident and those close to them. Provided some insight in ways in which the professional staff could offer support to both the client and their support group and structure.

Midas Rex Certification
1996
Matriculated in the Midas Rex course and gained the skills required to set-up, maintain, and safely operate this high powered equipment utilized in a wide range of both Neurosurgical and Orthopaedic procedures.

References available on request.

KEYWORDS

Nurse Expert Witness; Registered Nurse Expert Witness; PeriOperative Registered Nurse Expert Witness; Registered Nurse First Assistant Expert Witness; RNFA Expert Witness; Certified Legal Nurse Consultant Expert Witness; CLNC Expert Witness; Operating Room Expert Witness; Surgical Expert Witness; Scrubbing and Circulating Expert Witness; Surgery Experience in Orthopaedics, General, Vascular, Neurosurgery, Urology, Gynecology, and Laparoscopic surgeries Expert Witness

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