Karen Curry MN, NP-PHC, FNP-C
cell 289-***-**** ***********@*****.***
linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-curry-01555930/ CNO license #0555839 NYS license #698924
Professional Employment
April 2019-present Nurse Practitioner, Adult Epilepsy Hamilton General Hospital
Hamilton, ON
• Provide support to the comprehensive adult epilepsy program, which includes 4 epileptologists, neurology residents and fellows, medical students, neuropsychology, social work, business clerks and nursing staff, in addition to over 5000 patients
• Assist in clinic visits, including collecting health history, and focused physical examinations, both independently and collaboratively with the most responsible physician
• Supports the inpatient Epilepsy monitoring unit by screening and selecting patients for admission, performing admission history and physical, rounding daily, and discharging patients
• Ordering diagnostic tests such as EEG and MRI under a medical directive
• Ordering, interpreting and monitoring blood work
• Prescribing and monitoring effects of anti-epileptic medications, often in conjunction with the most responsible physician
• Act as the point of contact for patients, families and other health care professionals for questions, concerns, and epilepsy management
• Review, triage and prioritize all incoming referrals to the epilepsy program
• Review, triage and prioritize all referrals to the epilepsy monitoring unit
• Assist with selecting patients who may be surgical candidates, and arranging for them to be presented over OTN to our surgical colleagues at London Health Sciences Centre
• Act as point of contact for all patients referred for surgical management to centres in London and Toronto
• Act as point of contact for all pediatric patients, being transitioned to adult care; this includes attending initial intake appointments, and providing telephone support and guidance to patients and families
• Refer patients for additional services as needed, such as psychiatry/psychology, homecare, internal medicine
• Extensive telephone contact to assist in managing issues between clinic appointments, which may include medication adjustments, collaborating with the most responsible epileptologist and family physician, and health teaching
• Arrange and assist in appointments for patients with vagus nerve stimulators, including adjusting device parameters as per a set schedule, or based on physician input
• Provide extensive support to nursing staff on the epilepsy monitoring unit, including providing regular education updates, completing care plans for complex patients, and daily discussions of patient and nursing related issues
• Develop and assist with tools to improve patient safety, such as care planning, safety plans, and working to implement more thorough and formal tools for transfer of accountability between nursing staff, as well as physicians
• Member of the Project ECHO epilepsy core team, which includes developing scenarios for presentation, and engaging community members and core team members in discussion about epilepsy and related issues
September 2017-March 2019 Family Nurse Practitioner St. Catharines, Ontario
● Provide primary care for patients ranging from neonates, to the very elderly
● Assessment, diagnosis and management of acute conditions, including independently managing a walk in clinic for rostered patients daily
● Assessment, management and evaluation of chronic diseases, particularly diabetes management
● Well women examinations and preventative care
● Provide antenatal and postnatal care
● Well child visits and preventative care
● Mental health counseling and management
● Geriatric assessment and examinations, including utilizing appropriate screening tools for evaluation of cognitive impairment, such as MMSE and MOCA
● Ordering and interpreting results from laboratory and diagnostic testing
● Performing simple in office procedures, such as biopsies, application of cryotherapy, ear syringing, and suture/staple removal
● Prescription of medications for various acute and chronic illnesses, and contraception counseling and management
● Provide anticipatory guidance and parenting information, including breastfeeding support July 2015-Aug 2016 Registered
Nurse
Hamilton Family Health Team: Drs Shott and Tam
Dundas, Ontario
● Worked within the interdisciplinary team to provide primary health care to patients, ranging from newborn to the very elderly
● Obtain health history from patients, including history of presenting illness, and medication history
● Conduct health assessment on patients, utilizing appropriate screening tools, and clinical practice guidelines
● Perform physical assessments, including well-woman examinations, antenatal care and well- baby/child visits
● Telephone and in-person triaging of patients
● Follow up with patients in-person and via phone, regarding results of blood work, diagnostic testing, and any reported health concerns
● Provide chronic disease management, especially diabetes care
● Prepare prescriptions, diagnostic imaging, and laboratory requisitions for physician to sign
● Accurate, comprehensive, and timely documentation in the electronic medical record (Practice Solutions)
● Communicating pertinent health information to the interdisciplinary team, patient, and designated third-parties as authorized
● Offer health promotion, disease prevention, education and support to patients
● Worked with the interdisciplinary team to develop more consistent diabetes education and care, to ensure all affected patients were being appropriately monitored and managed September 2014-Present Legal Nurse Consultant
Self employed
● Provide unbiased, evidence-based assessment of nursing standard of care on medical malpractice cases
● Formulate legal nursing opinion reports, based on relevant literature and standards of practice November 2012-March 2015 Drug Safety Specialist
Innomar Strategies /AmerisourceBergen Canada
Burlington, Ontario
● Recognize and report adverse events
● Receive, assess, follow up and enter data of adverse event reports into drug safety database
● Quality assurance of adverse event reports from a medical perspective
● Information management and pharmacovigilance: receive, scan and document all pertinent clinical information in compliance with protocol and applicable legislation
● Work directly with internal and external clients to request additional information or clarification as needed
● Review patient information in database and ensure accurate documentation
● Reconciliation of adverse event reports
● Develop and maintain responses to medical, scientific, and technical information request in response to questions received from health care providers or patients
● Receive and respond to medical information inquiries and product complaints; provide scripted answers to frequently asked questions provided by the client
● Provide accurate, balanced and timely summaries of medical and scientific information to health care providers and patients on request
● Act as medical consultant/resource nurse for Drug Safety department, as well as support for other program staff
● Responsible for training medical and non-medical staff on recognizing and reporting adverse events
● Develop and maintain medical training modules and corporate protocols for internal training purposes
September 2010-November 2012 Registered Nurse Case Manager Allianz Global Assistance
Kitchener, Ontario
● Ensure timely, efficient and effective management of medical cases in order to assist clients requiring medical assistance while traveling outside of Canada
● Ensure that clients receive appropriate treatment within the terms and conditions of their policies, while also adhering to cost containment measures
● Provide clients, families, hospitals, doctors and underwriters with concise, accurate and professional medical information
● Communicate with transport services department to relay travel needs of clients and arrange appropriate transport back to Canada
● Review and interpret medical documents and medical records to evaluate patient status and level of care being administered
● Act as a resource for the call center and claims associates regarding medical and technical questions
● Provide ongoing education to clients and call center associates
● Interpret insurance policies for clients, families, hospitals and doctors
● Assist other interdepartmental teams with interpretation of medical information
● Provide emotional support and assistance to families and clients in need
● Prioritize case work and efficiently multitask and delegate tasks
● Collaborate with medical team to ensure provision of appropriate care to clients June 2005-September 2010 Registered Nurse, Obstetrical Suite McMaster University Medical Centre
Hamilton, Ontario
● Provided care to women of low to high risk during the antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum period
● Acted as a preceptor and mentor to nursing and medical students
● Delegated patient care and assisted in the functioning of the unit as the charge nurse
● Functioned in the various roles within the obstetrical operating rooms and PACU
● Assisted with insertion of invasive monitoring devices
● Worked collaboratively to respond to obstetrical emergencies
● Assessed and triaged women presenting to the labour and delivery unit
● Bereavement support and care to women and families dealing with fetal demise and neonatal death
● Care of the newborn, including capillary heel pricks
● Provided assistance with breastfeeding, including troubleshooting of problems
● Conducted quality assurance reviews, to ensure best practice guidelines were being followed
● Assisted in the delivery of the Managing Obstetrical Risk Effectively (MORE Ob) program to all staff in the women’s health program
April 2003-May 2005 _ Personal Support Worker
Parkview Nursing Centre
Hamilton, Ontario
● Assisted clients with activities of daily living Nurse Practitioner Internship
● 828 total hours completed
● Performed history and physical exams, ordered and evaluated testing, prescribed medications, treatments, consulted and referred as needed
Hamilton Family Health Team – Dr B.L. DiPaolo 585 hours Spring 2015-Winter 2017
● Cared for patients ranging from newborn, to the very elderly
● Assessment, diagnosis and management of acute and chronic conditions
● Preventative care, including well women examinations and well child visits
● Antenatal and postpartum care
● Mental health counseling and management
● Geriatric assessment and examinations
● Ordering and interpreting laboratory and diagnostic testing
● Performing simple in office procedures, such as biopsies, ear syringing, and suture/staple removal
● Prescription of medications for various acute and chronic illnesses Hamilton Family Health Team – Dr R. Black 95 hours Winter 2016
● Performed well-woman exams, prescribed contraception and treated women’s health concerns
● Performed well-child and acute illness care
● Performed mental health assessment, counseling and management
● Assessment, diagnosis and management of various acute and chronic conditions
● Performed simple in office procedures such as punch biopsies Beamsville Medical Centre 150 hours Fall
2015
● Performed well-child and acute illness care
● Provided anticipatory guidance and parenting information
● Performed well-woman exams, prescribed contraception and treated women’s health concerns
● Assessment, diagnosis and management of various acute and chronic conditions Education
May 2013 to April 2017: Masters of Nursing Specialization in Nurse Practitioner Athabasca University
Athabasca, Alberta
● Masters of Nursing: Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner stream September 2001 to April 2005 Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing McMaster University-Mohawk College Collaborative Program Hamilton, Ontario
Professional Development/Certifications
● Prescription and Management of Controlled Substances course through Athabasca University
● Introduction to Legal Nurse Consulting Program through CanLNC
● Perinatal nursing High Risk Obstetrics program through Mohawk College
● Completed beginner, intermediate and advanced fetal monitoring courses through AWHONN
● Completed the MOREOB program
● Childbirth educator training program through CAPPA
● Critical care nursing program through Mohawk College
● Arrhythmia interpretation training through Mohawk College
● Breastfeeding program through Mohawk College
● Neonatal resuscitation provider certificate
Memberships and Associations
● Active member in good standing with the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO)
● Active member in good standing with the New York State Board of Nursing
● Member of the Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario (NPAO)
● Member of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA)
● Member of the Nurse Practitioner Association of Canada (NPAC)
● Member of Legal Nurse Consultants Association of Canada (LNCAC)
● Current professional liability insurance