Melissa D. Harris
Ruther Glen
Summary
Dedicated registered nurse with thirty-four year’s experience. Fourteen years ambulatory surgery PACU experience and twenty-two years specialty experience in Pediatrics. BLS certified. Possesses demonstrated strong pediatric knowledge in both medical and surgical patient care. Expanded knowledge to include adult surgical patient care, including preparing patients for surgery and recovering them. Reliable team player with a positive team approach to patient care. Well respected by peers and enjoys the opportunity to serve as a mentor for less experienced nurses. Willing and anxious to expand skills and knowledge through new experiences and being open to learn new approaches. Proven ability to build and maintain positive relationships with patients, family members, physicians and other medical professionals, ensuring the best care and outcome for the patient. Known as a proactive patient advocate, willing to go the extra mile, as patient need indicates.
Education professional skilled in curriculum development, student engagement, and program coordination. Proven ability to foster collaborative environments and drive successful outcomes in educational settings. Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills. Adaptable and reliable, consistently meeting evolving needs and delivering impactful results.
Overview
36
36
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Quality Assurance and Education Coordinator
Fredericksburg Ambulatory Surgical Center
01.2023 - Current
- The Quality Assurance and Education Coordinator is responsible for designing, developing, instructing, and coordinating educational programs and activities that foster the development of Associate competencies
- This position will support the Fredericksburg Ambulatory Services Center (FASC) management team in identifying and applying evidenced-based nursing practice standards to develop action plans for process improvement and risk management issues
- The Quality Assurance and Education Coordinator is responsible for the formation and implementation of Regulated Ambulatory Surgery compliance requirements as well as ensuring that all Associates are knowledgeable of the safety, security, and emergency preparedness programs
- Identifies, develops and implements programs and processes that define and maintain quality standards, as well as develops programs to focus on quality improvement
- Coordinates performance improvement activities designed to facilitate and maintain quality and safety compliance as per regulatory and hospital requirements
- Monitors, reviews and collaborates with FASC management to review and report all SAFE/VERGE reports
- Leads root cause analysis activities as needed, documents improvement plans and educates per findings
- Develops systems to ensure regulatory readiness and continuous quality improvement in all facility departments to ensure consistent quality, service and safety
- Monitors and documents patient and Associate safety outcomes
- Plans and implements mitigation plans as needed
- Develops and implements education plans to optimize Associate competency and professional growth
- Provides competency assessment tools, and assists department managers with identifying and mitigating specific educational deficiencies as requested
- Develops and implements systems to prevent, manage and monitor the presence of infectious events in the facility to assure patient, staff and visitor safety
- Implements infection control practice guidelines and best practices, and serves as a resource to facility managers to ensure compliance
- Serves as the liaison and coordinates with the MWHC Education Department, Quality Department, Regulatory Readiness and Infection Prevention
- Responsible for Quality, Education and Infection Prevention
- Maintains a 16 page spreadsheet to organize and complete the monthly assigned tasks
- Plans the facility’s yearly Education Calendar to provide the required education for staff members as well as responsible to assess the educational needs of the staff to provide education as needed
- Gathers monthly data to present quarterly reports to the Quality Committee and the Infection Prevention Committee, ASCA and NHSN
- Rounds with surveyors from AAAHC and CMS for announced and unannounced site visits
- I am proficient in Word and Excel to create spreadsheets and documents, using the data gathered
- Serves as a member of the Leadership Team for the facility
- Meeting weekly to stay aware of topics of concern where actions may be needed
- Manages the Verge report system to document occurrences and concerns brought forward by the staff
- Facilitates Debriefs related to events, such as near misses, medical emergencies or even weather events and planning
- Helps to identify things done well, areas of improvement and establish action items that are discovered as part of the debrief
- Organizes and facilitates a 'Comfort Item' project with the volunteers from Project Linus, Stitches of Love and Spotswood Stitchers so that every child who has a procedure is discharged home with a handmade blanket, bear and/or fidget ball
- Works alongside the staff from Stafford County Schools to oversee the Project SEARCH Interns at FASC
Registered Nurse
Fredericksburg Ambulatory Surgical Center
07.2008 - 01.2023
- Worked as a full time staff nurse in an ambulatory surgical center with six operating suites
- Started in a PRN position from July 2008 to February 2018
- Changed to full time status in September 2019
- Was consistently working three to four shifts per week, so made the transition to part time, when a position became available in February 2018 and then to full time in 2019
- Worked as a permanent Team Leader for approximately the last 2 years
- Rotating on a weekly basis, through all three areas, to include, Preadmission Testing, Holding and PACU
- General duties include registering patients, assembling charts, direct patient care, patient and family education, follow up phone calls, precepting new staff members and managing patient care
- Preadmission Testing duties include overseeing and helping with charts being finalized to ensure all paperwork is correct and within specified dates
- Direct and participate in patient registrations via phone and in person, if needed
- Monitor the call back message line and incoming faxes
- Communicate with physician offices to obtain missing information and with anesthesia regarding patients with special concerns
- Calculate patient arrival times and oversee arrival times being called to patients for the next day
- Obtain the final schedule for the next day
- Ensure special patient needs are documented on the final schedule
- Distribute copies of this schedule to PACU and the front desk
- Attend bi-weekly schedule review meeting and research any patient or documentation needs that are discovered during the meeting
- Complete a tally sheet of registrations needed and patient census numbers for the next week to be shared at the next days morning huddle
- Holding duties include facilitating the opening of the unit to prepare for patient arrivals
- Coordinate breaks and lunches
- Cover assignments as needed
- Help to keep smooth patient flow by monitoring OR timing or delays
- Contact patients to change arrival times, if needed
- Mix and draw up nerve blocks as per anesthesia orders and assist with administration, as needed
- Make patient assignments for the next day and make room assignments for the patients, based on time of arrival and time to the OR
- Ensure that the Holding area is closed at the end of the day or make a plan as to how the unit will be closed
- PACU duties include facilitating the morning huddle to provide a plan of patient care for the day
- Ensure that the huddle topics and information discussed is documented and placed in the units huddle book for staff to review
- Assigning staff to care for patients as they come out of the OR
- Coordinating staff breaks and lunches to cover patient care needs
- Provide direct patient care, while still providing leadership to the unit
- Assist coworkers with patient care
- Call discharge instructions to patient families
- Attend bi-weekly schedule review meeting to help manage staffing needs for the upcoming days
- When working in each unit, help to maintain good communication with the team leaders in the other areas to ensure our patient needs are met within the shift
- Attend mid-day huddle meetings with OR and PACU managers, OR team lead and anesthesia, if available, to discuss the ending of the current day and patient care needs for the next day
- Served as a member of the Resource Council and had been a member of the Resuscitation Committee, until it was decided we did not need representation on that committee
- Attend monthly meetings and bring back pertinent information that applies to my unit
- Participate in projects and continuing education that originate from the committee and council
- Helped to organize and present at the surgery center’s biannual Skills Fairs each year
- Provide continuing education training each year, for staff with Urine Pregnancy Testing, to include performing the test with testing solution and how to accurately document the results
- Summer of 2018, the transition was made to electronic medical record, using EPIC
- Provide resource help for coworkers, since I went through the same transition when I was employed at St Mary’s Hospital
- Complete the monthly PACU staff schedule by pulling together the time that staff signs up, via self-scheduling, to produce a completed unit schedule each month
- Maintain the QA log for the urine pregnancy test kits and perform monthly QA trails
- Stay alert for lot numbers changes and communicate that change to the staff, to ensure accurate documentation
Registered Nurse
St. Mary’s Hospital
05.2000 - 01.2011
- Worked as a complimentary staff nurse on a 26 bed Pediatric unit
- In 2000, I resigned my Staff Nurse II position to raise my family
- From 2000 to 2011, I worked in a complimentary position, working 1-2 days per week, depending on the needs of the unit
- Worked in both the general pediatric floor and the step down unit, serving as charge nurse, step down nurse, preceptor, team leader and team player
- Floated within the Women’s and Children’s Division to staff the PICU, NICU, Mother Infant Unit and Labor and Delivery as needed
- Attended computer classes and was a part of the transition from paper charting to electronic medical record, using EPIC
Pediatric Unit Staff Nurse II
St. Mary’s Hospital
01.1994 - 01.2000
- Promoted to a Staff Nurse II in 1994
- As a Staff Nurse II, in addition to general pediatric nursing duties, was part of the unit’s management team
- Served on the scheduling guidelines committee
- Responsible for performance evaluations and career development for the night shift staff nurses
- Served as one of the unit’s charge nurses and performed divisional staffing on a rotating basis
- When not in charge, regularly worked in the five bed step down unit that was located on the general pediatric unit
Pediatric Unit Staff Nurse
St. Mary’s Hospital
01.1990 - 01.1994
- Worked full time night shift as a registered nurse on the general pediatric unit
- Regularly performed duties included; direct patient care, medication administration, care plan initiation and updating, discharge planning and teaching and QA documentation
- Responsible for overseeing care provided by LPN’s, nursing assistants and patient care technicians
- Assigned to complete environmental rounds to ensure the unit was safe for patient care and equipment and supplies were available to staff
- Round with physicians each morning to provide current patient status for help with care needed and plan for patient discharge
Nursing Extern on Pediatrics
St. Mary’s Hospital
05.1989 - 05.1990
- After completing orientation, I was assigned a full patient load and provided direct nursing care while being overseen by an RN
- Responsible for performing all patient care except for the administration of IV medications
- Held this position working full time hours over the summer and then continued an every other weekend rotation while completing my senior year of nursing school
- This experience enabled me to have a smooth transition from a student nurse to a registered nurse
Education
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia05.1990
Skills
- Training facilitation
- Medication and IV administration
- Strong teamwork
- Clinical documentation
Certification
- BLS/CPR certification, 01/2024
- PALS certification, 04/2023
- ACLS certification, 02/2023
Continuing Education
- Recertify ACLS, PALS and CPR every two years.
- Mary Washington Healthcare Education hours, can provide documentation, if needed.
- CE Direct on line hours, can provide documentation, if needed.
- EPIC training class time and computer modules.
- ASPAN membership, Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing
Timeline
Quality Assurance and Education Coordinator
Fredericksburg Ambulatory Surgical Center
01.2023 - Current
Registered Nurse
Fredericksburg Ambulatory Surgical Center
07.2008 - 01.2023
Registered Nurse
St. Mary’s Hospital
05.2000 - 01.2011
Pediatric Unit Staff Nurse II
St. Mary’s Hospital
01.1994 - 01.2000
Pediatric Unit Staff Nurse
St. Mary’s Hospital
01.1990 - 01.1994
Nursing Extern on Pediatrics
St. Mary’s Hospital
05.1989 - 05.1990
- BLS/CPR certification, 01/2024
- PALS certification, 04/2023
- ACLS certification, 02/2023
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
George Mason University
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