Keri M. Stokes, R.N
Parma, OH 44134
********@****.***
OBJECTIVE:
Enthusiastic, focused, and experienced cardiac step down & PACU/Ambulatory trained RN with excellent people skills and dedicated work ethic aspiring to enhance my nursing specialty by educating nursing students.
SKILLS:
Excellent communicator
Educator and Advocate
Adept at prioritizing/managing deadlines
Attentive to detail
Strong clinical judgement
High level of autonomy
WORK EXPERIENCE:
Target
North Canton, Ohio
Receiver/Reverse Logistics Team Member
2001-2013
Full-time
40 hours/week
● Demonstrated capability and efficiency in a fast-paced environment by providing a calm and focused attitude.
● Demonstrated effective communication skills by working with store vendors, backroom team members, and management to ensure processes were completed correctly and in a timely fashion.
● Provided excellent multitasking and organizational skills through understanding of store processes and best practices.
● Managed vendor inventory through acceptance of vendor orders, crediting out outdated product, and organizing product in backroom location.
● Consistently reviewed and maintained store’s allotted incoming product based on weekly sales by overseeing vendor orders. Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH
Registered Nurse- Cardiology Stepdown J7-3
October 2014-August 2017
Full-time
36 hours/week
● Provided full assessments, administered medications, performed venipuncture for lab work or additional intravenous access, managed arterial lines with arterial sheaths and managed care for patients with cardiac arrhythmias, valvular issues, coronary artery disease, and heart failure
● Provided a safe environment for patients and staff
● Provided care for patients while loading Tikosyn and Sotalol and titrating Nitroglycerin IV medication
● Provided care for patients with CADD pumps including managing medications such as Veletri and Remodulin
● Educated patients regarding new medications (Tikosyn, Flecainide, Sotalol, and all classes of blood pressure medications) and post-hospitalization routines to assist with their recovery from cardiac ablations and cardiac catheterizations
● Collaborated and coordinated closely with members of the healthcare team (physicians, pharmacists, physical therapists, care managers) to ensure the patient’s care plan was followed
● Demonstrated ability to interpret telemetry strips and patient electrocardiograms
● Prepared patients for procedures including cardiac ablations, cardiac catheterizations, emergent and routine CT scans and MRI’s, and open-heart surgery by providing education, inserting additional intravenous access, and maintaining a calm and supportive environment
● Assessed patients closely and monitored for any negative changes in condition by viewing vital signs and/or telemetry rhythm changes Registered Nurse- J3-3 PACU/CARU/SHORT STAY
August 2017-August 2019
Full-time
36 hours/week
● Provide care and assessment for patients post-operatively/procedurally from thoracic surgeries (laparoscopic and full thoracotomy lobectomy, heller myotomy, Claget and pericardial window, EGD, and mediastinoscopy), cardiac procedures (cardiac ablation, cardiac catheterization, transfemoral pulmonary and aortic valve replacement, and transfemoral mitral clip repair), vascular surgery (endovascular aortic aneurysm repair, carotid/subclavian/femoral bypass and endarterectomy, and arterial iliac stent placement)
● Recover patients from anesthesia and perform neurological and physical assessments every fifteen minutes for the first hour
● Administer ordered medications to assist in safe recovery from anesthesia including pain medication and anti-nausea medication
● Titrate vasoconstrictor and vasodilator IV medications including Nitroglycerin, Nitroprusside, Norepinephrine, Epinephrine, Vasopressin, Phenylephrine, and Dopamine
● Manage radial, brachial, and femoral arterial sheaths and pulmonary swan catheters
● Provide a safe environment for patients and staff
● Identify any acute changes that occur due to a post-operative issue, such as bleeding, respiratory issues, or cardiac rhythm changes
● Assist physicians by administering conscious sedation during transesophageal echocardiograms, chest tube placement, and cardioversions
● Use effective communication skills to provide patients education on post-operative process and expected outcomes
● Ensure all required criteria is met before discharging patient or transferring to a stepdown floor. The criteria to be met includes the patient having intact neurological and respiratory status, hemostatic operative sites, manageable pain level, and no evidence of nausea
● Evaluate patient cardiac rhythm through interpretation of telemetry and electrocardiogram
● Coordinate patient care with disciplines including primary and surgical teams, respiratory therapists, care management, and physical/occupational therapy
Department of Veterans Affairs
Registered Nurse- Progressive Care Unit/COVID-19 unit August 2019-current
Full Time
40 hours/week
● Provide care for patients with primary cardiac diagnoses
● Prepare patients for open heart surgery, cardiac catheterization, ablation procedure. stress test, MRI or CT scan, and GI procedure
● Recover patients from cardiac catheterizations and cardiac ablations
● Perform full assessments, evaluate cardiac rhythms, provide venipuncture (IV’s and blood draws), report any abnormal findings including labs, heart arrhythmias, and new medication onset symptom development
● Administer medications (including anti-arrhythmic introduction such as Dofetilide and Sotalol and ensure QTc is not elongated) and blood products per orders
● Advocate for patient when appropriate to provide the utmost standard of care and safety
● Coordinate care for patient with multiple disciplines by updating and involving physicians, care managers, pharmacists,
physical/occupational therapists, and respiratory therapists
● Provide a safe environment for patients at all times
● Educate patient thoroughly throughout hospital stay of diagnosis and prepare patient for discharge
● Gauge patient’s understanding of diagnosis, medication administration, follow-up appointments and educate as needed including involving other disciplines to ensure patient understands home-going instructions
● Perform charge nurse duties including assigning admitting patients to nurses throughout shift based on acuity and assigning patients to oncoming shift RN’s
● Follow guidelines for appropriate personal protective equipment
(PPE) donning and doffing for patients with precautionary viruses/diseases. PPE including the use of PAPR, gowns, and gloves
● Performing appropriate room etiquette with PPE in place to ensure decrease risk of any potential exposure
EDUCATION:
B.S.N., 2019
Ohio University
A.S.N., 2014
Aultman College- Canton, Ohio
M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, 2011-
The University of Akron- Akron, Ohio
B.A. Psychology, 2009
Kent State University, Stark Campus-North Canton, Ohio High School Diploma, 2003
Jackson High School- Canton, Ohio
LICENSE/CERTIFICATION:
• Registered Nurse in Ohio, #.405812, current-2021
• BLS- Basic Life Support, current-2021
• ACLS- Accelerated Cardiac Life Support, current-2021 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
● Anger Management Group Leader (Akron University Graduate Program)
o Utilized skills and counseling techniques for men and women in Akron, Ohio who were court-ordered anger management classes
o Worked with a colleague to help clients assess anger before it became volatile and develop a plan on how to react to stressful and frustrating situations
● Previous Heart and Vascular Institute Shared Governance Representative for J73, charge nurse, and preceptor o Attended monthly Shared Governance meetings to represent J73 and contribute to overall institute ideas and projects o Performed charge nurse duties including assigning patient assignments, reported to nursing onsite manager or nurse manager, assisted in staffing unit, assisted nurses with questions or issues pertaining to patients/procedures
o Precepted new graduate nurses to J73, educated and oriented new nurses to unit and nurse role
● Previous Charge Nurse and preceptor for J33 (CARU/PACU/Short Stay)
o Attend daily meetings with ICU managers to discuss unit census and expected daily patient load
o Assist nurses in admitting patients, charting, and medication administration
o Act as assistant nurse manager by assigning patients to specific rooms and communicating with step-down floors to admit PACU patients
● NurfLit research award recipient and poster developer for Shared Governance
o Researched for literature review focused on the topic “The determinants of effective hand-off communication between levels of care in the ICU, OR, procedural, and step-down units” o Created poster to represent topic and display articles and conclusions
o Poster displayed at Shared Governance poster presentation for Cleveland Clinic Enterprise wide
● Jive developer (Cleveland Clinic informatic website for new residents)
o Worked with six other registered nurses across the Cleveland Clinic enterprise to develop a web-based program to support new graduate nurses in the beginning stages of bedside nursing
● Lecturer in stress management for The Artful Living Program
(Massillon, OH), 2014-2017
o Speaker for a parent focused presentation on how to manage day-to-day stress
o Provided techniques for stress free living
● Co-Chair Newsletter Quality Council (Veterans Affairs) o Contributing writer and editor for evidence-based research relating directly to quality enhancements and education pertaining to the nursing field
o Quality Council member engaged in unit specified projects with accordance to hospital guidelines
o Promoter of Pathways to Excellence by educating staff through information provided and organized throughout Quality Council Summit County Crisis Hotline Volunteer 2013-present
● Crisis intervention trained hotline worker
● Assess caller for risk for suicide/homicide
● Maintain calm, empathetic attitude to allow caller to express feelings or desires
● Communicate with caller about options for mental health treatment
● Communicate with Akron Police if suicide/homicide risk is present