I never really understood what she meant at the time, but my favorite high-school teacher always spoke of the importance of becoming “a life-long learner.” Back then, I never really gave her words much thought. I just wanted to go to college and move on with my life. I suppose some concepts require a certain degree of maturity.
I think I truly began to understand what she meant when I became a nurse. I was fortunate to be hired directly into the emergency department of my local hospital in February of 2013. As you can imagine, the learning opportunities for a new nurse in an emergency department are immense. I dove in with gusto. Not only was I learning, I was caring for members of our community in a meaningful way. I never thought I could love any profession this much.
My second year on our unit I passed my CEN (Certified Emergency Nurse) exam and began precepting new nurses to the department. I took every training course, attended every lecture I could. Knowing I wanted more, I decided to return to school for my Doctorate of Nursing Practice in the spring of 2015. I was thrilled to begin my studies at Rutgers University. I soon became a leader on the unit and the following year I was promoted to assistant nurse manager.
The road to becoming a nurse practitioner has proved to be one of the best, and most difficult, journeys of my life. By journey's end, I had completed 945 clinical hours in family practice, pediatrics, and emergency care.
I am genuinely excited to assume my new role and to be able to apply my knowledge, clinical skills, and training to care for patients. I look forward to the challenge of continuing to learn and enrich my knowledge base throughout my career. I feel very fortunate to have chosen a path that affords me not only the opportunity to keep learning and growing, but also the privilege to care for my neighbors and their loved ones.
Many people have asked me why I decided to earn my DNP rather than an MSN. My decisions has roots in my life before I became a nurse, back when I worked for the customer service department of the hospital. As one may imagine anything that goes wrong in a hospital setting is inherently more meaningful, more emotionally charged, than an error at a coffee shop, for example. Working customer service in a hospital taught me that the best way to truly care for patients is to consistently offer them your best. When you do that, you eliminate many problems before they arise. And when problems do arise, as they will even in the best of circumstances, it is much easier to trouble shoot when you are starting with a well-oiled machine.
So to me to choice between a DNP and an MSN was an easy one. I believe the DNP allows me to offer the highest standard of care to my patients. It demonstrates my commitment to remaining at the forefront of advanced nursing practice. I also believe my customer service experience allows me to offer medical care from a patient-centered, caring perspective. Good medicine is important, but I believe the relationship a patient has with their provider is equally so. If I am not invested in the lives of my patients, then I am not truly invested in their well-being.
Assistant Nurse Manager, Emergency Department, Riverview Medical Center
07/2016 to present
• Manage the daily work flow of the department, providing support to nursing and medical staff.
• Ensure national quality standards and health system policies are met. Assess and adapt to quickly changing and often fragile situations.
• Lead and empower the team to improve patient outcomes, promote the best possible healthcare experience, and improve patient satisfaction and HCAHPS scores.
• Manage staff vacation calendar.
• Compose and send weekly departmental emails with updates regarding workflow, procedures, policies, educational and volunteer opportunities, and unit news.
Staff nurse, Emergency Department, Riverview Medical Center
02/2013 to 07/2016
• Provided safe, effective and appropriate nursing care to diverse patient populations.
• Worked collaboratively with nursing, medical, and administrative team members to improve patient outcomes and deliver patient and family-centered care.
Patient Relations Representative and Welcome Ambassador, Patient Relations Department, Riverview Medical Center
05/2010 to 02/2013
• Made daily rounds on inpatient and outpatient units to advocate for patients and families and to serve as a resource for clinical staff, with a focus on improving patient satisfaction and HCAHPS scores.
• Registered walk-in emergency care center patients and managed needs of waiting room guests.
• Served as 2011 departmental Safety Officer and Team Member Campaign Champion of the Riverview Medical Center Foundation.
Rutgers University
Doctorate of Nursing Practice, Family Nurse Practitioner in Emergency Care, 2018
•GPA 4.0.
•I completed 945 clinical hours in Emergency Care, Adult-Gero Primary Care, and Pediatric Primary Care. This includes clinical hours in the Operating Room and Labor and Delivery departments of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, the Essex Counter Medical Examiner's Office, and University Hospital Emergency Medical Services.
Seton Hall University
Bachelor of Science in Nursing, 2012
•GPA 4.0.
•Summa Cum Laude, Cohort Valedictorian.
Washington and Lee University
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 2005
•Cum Laude
MY JOURNEY
About me
Work
experience
Education
Skills & Affiliations
• Registered Professional Nurse, New Jersey State Board of Nursing
• Certified Emergency Nurse, Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing
• National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) certified
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Provider, American Heart Association
• Basic Life Support (BLS) Provider, American Heart Association
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Provider, American Heart Association
• Member, Eastern Nursing Research Society
Honors & Awards
2015:
• General Scholarship, Meridian Ann May Center for Nursing
• Nominee, Nursing Excellence, Riverview Medical Center
2013:
• Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Gamma Nu Chapter
•Adult Health Nursing Award, Seton Hall University
•General Excellence Award, Seton Hall University
•Nursing Research Award, Seton Hall University
2012:
• Summa Cum Laude, Seton Hall University
• Cohort Valedictorian, Seton Hall University
• Van Houten scholarship, Seton Hall University
• Joe and Rosemary Todino Scholarship, Seton Hall University
• General Scholarship, Meridian Ann May Center for Nursing
2005:
• Cum Laude, Washington and Lee University
Clinical
experience
08/2017 to present. Family nurse practitioner in emergency care clinical preceptorship. Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Emergency Department. Under the preceptorship of Frederick Waldron, MD, provided emergency care to a diverse urban population.
05/2017 to 08/2017. Family nurse practitioner in emergency care clinical preceptorship. Ivy Pediatrics, primary care, general pediatrics. Under the preceptorship of Igor Trogan, MD, provided primary care to infants, children, and adolescents, managed acute and chronic conditions.
01/2017 to 05/2017. Family nurse practitioner in emergency care clinical preceptorship. Red Bank Family Medicine, family primary care. Under the preceptorship of Dana Essner, FNP, provided primary care to a diverse suburban population, managed acute and chronic conditions.
09/2016 to 12/2016. Family nurse practitioner in emergency care clinical preceptorship. Hazlet Family Care, urgent care. Under the preceptorship of Dana Essner, FNP, provided primary and urgent care to a diverse suburban population, managed acute and chronic conditions.
05/2016 to 08/2016. Family nurse practitioner in emergency care clinical preceptorship. University Hospital, Emergency Department, Fast Track. Under the preceptorship of Gloria Regis-Andrews APN-C, provided emergency care to a diverse urban population.
