Program Dean, School of Nursing - Portland Community College - Portland, OR
(2023-10 - 2025-12)
- Leveraged long-standing community relationships to secure highly coveted pediatric-specific clinical partnerships with Randall Children's Hospital, OHSU, and Legacy, bolstering a pediatric-abundant academic nursing program and expanding high-quality clinical opportunities for students.
- Expanded and strengthened difficult-to-secure clinical partnerships with regional health systems, improving clinical capacity and reducing new graduate onboarding time. Resulting in an OSBN approved 25% increase in each cohort's capacity.
- Directed grant funding to expand the pediatric high-fidelity simulation lab—adding four pediatric mannequins, two newborns, a birthing mother, and a panda warmer with bassinet—elevating pediatric training as a core priority in graduate readiness and patient safety.
- Led academic and operational strategy for the School of Nursing—overseeing faculty, curriculum, clinical placements, and student outcomes—and served on the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education (OCNE) review committee, advocating to deepen pediatric standards and embed diversity, equity, and inclusion across the curriculum.
- Aligned the program with AACN and OSBN accreditation standards and regional workforce demands—recruiting expert faculty across the lifespan from newborn to elder care and emphasizing quality, safety, and value-based care to meet employer needs.
- Demonstrated strong stewardship of public dollars by strategically securing and managing DOE and ODE funding—maximizing impact through resourceful budgeting, targeted investments, and accountable use of funds to advance nursing education priorities.
- Developed a high-functioning nursing workforce in collaboration with department leadership, evidenced by a 100% NCLEX pass rate, top earning accolades such as being named a top-performing program in the country, and strong readiness for practice among graduates.
Director of Clinical Services - Southwest Washington Regional Surgery Center - Vancouver, WA
(2022-03 - 2023-04)
- Directed clinical operations for a multi-specialty ambulatory surgery center, overseeing pre-op, intra-op, and PACU services for diverse pediatric through geriatric patients across a wide range of surgical cases, with a sustained focus on quality, efficiency, and cost control.
- Partnered with surgeons, anesthesia, and nursing staff to achieve pediatric advanced life support (PALS) certification, broadening the surgery center's patient profile to safely include children under age 15.
- Led the organization's first-ever electronic health record (EHR) implementation, enhancing documentation accuracy, data visibility, and process efficiency.
- Utilized workforce and industry data to identify gaps in attrition, recruitment, and retention, benchmarking against trends across the healthcare sector to inform targeted strategies for building a more resilient nursing workforce. Resulting in an inaugural new graduate perioperative residency program (meeting AORN standards), reducing dependence on costly agency staff, and enhancing internal talent development.
- Standardized clinical and operational policies and procedures, reducing variation in care and supporting regulatory compliance and risk reduction, while evaluating the practice environment and implementing quality improvement strategies to ensure nursing-sensitive outcomes meet or exceed established goals.
- Led successful financial management of an organization-wide remodel and implemented cost-saving measures by monitoring key performance indicators—including on-time starts, turnover times, case volume, patient satisfaction, and adverse events—to drive continuous quality improvement and strengthen financial performance.
Manager, Surgical Specialties & Complex Discharge Unit - Legacy Meridian Park Hospital - Tualatin, OR
(2020-05 - 2022-03)
- Through system-wide established relationships and interdisciplinary collaboration, converted 13 of 39 beds into a complex discharge unit modeled after adult assisted living for patients facing housing and shelter challenges—supporting medically discharged patients with no safe placement options during the pandemic and connecting them to appropriate care facilities and community resources. This was the standard model for Legacy Health until late 2025, when the CDU was finally closed.
- Strong record in operational leadership, improving nursing engagement scores to >90% and achieving the highest staff participation in the facility through transparent communication, shared governance, and data-informed decision-making.
- Led a redesign converting ~33% of unit beds into a Complex Discharge Unit, which became the system-wide model, reducing length of stay and avoidable hospital days.
- Re-established the post-pandemic Unit-Based Council, empowering frontline staff to identify inefficiencies, reduce harm risk, and enhance patient experience—driving nursing engagement scores to >90% and achieving the highest staff participation in the facility.
- Served on the hospital-wide Surgical Site Infection (SSI) drill-down committee, leveraging unit metrics (readmissions, LOS, falls, CLABSI, patient satisfaction) to identify areas of risk, trend, and investigate concerns and errors, and address root causes—driving performance improvement projects that reduced adverse events, decreased recidivism, and supported cost savings
Clinical Practice Specialist & Nurse Educator, Vascular - Legacy Health System - Portland, OR
(2018-05 - 2020-05)
- Served as system vascular access expert, leading evidence-based practice initiatives across multiple hospitals and care settings, drawing on AHRQ, NIH, FDA, and other governmental and non-governmental guidelines to standardize pediatric vascular access care and practice.
- Led pediatric vascular access quality initiatives at Randall Children's Hospital, driving a sustained decline in pediatric peripheral and central line infections and achieving zero CLABSI in 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023.
- Partnered with the pediatric vascular access team and physician leaders to modernize outdated central line policies, strengthen practice guidelines, and ensure nursing support for central line insertion—improving safety, consistency, and adherence to evidence-based standards
- Developed and delivered orientation, competency validation, and ongoing education that reduced line complications, central line days, and non–value-added variation.
- Introduced a system-wide, modern, evidence-based practice anti-reflux, lever lock (needleless) connectors (MaxZero) to reduce line aspiration and reflux, contributing to decreased peripheral IV failures and infections, and supporting a zero-CLABSI culture.
- Collaborated with infection prevention, pharmacy, and medical staff to standardize insertion and maintenance bundles, driving sustained reductions in CLABSI and device-related harm.
- Recognized with the John G. King CQI "Chasing Zero" award for central line infection prevention (CLABSI) at Randall Children's Hospital, reflecting system-level leadership in pediatric vascular access and harm reduction, 2018, 2019, 2023
- Led system-wide approach in product 21st-century product evaluation/selection (catheters, dressings, securement devices) to balance clinical outcomes with cost-effective purchasing decisions.
- Used infection metrics and device performance data to design and evaluate unit-based quality improvement projects, aligning frontline practice with evidence-based vascular access standards and sustaining near-zero catheter-related infections, specifically targeting pediatrics.
- Created Legacy's first Ultrasound-Guided Peripheral IV (USGPIV) course in response to patient harm data from multiple IV attempts, designing a six-hour didactic and lab with bedside coaching to validate nurse competency. (USGPIV) A program that reduced USGPIV-related harm events by >25% in the first quarter after implementation in the adult population
- Certified nurses in standardized USGPIV techniques and equipment use, reducing failed IV attempts and improving vascular access success and experience for pediatric patients.
- Partnered with pediatric ED, PICU, and pediatric physicians to align USGPIV indications and escalation pathways, embedding ultrasound-guided access into interdisciplinary standards of care. Results were increased catheter dwell time beyond 72 hours with proper technique.
- Secured grant funding for portable ultrasound machines for the vascular access team, extending point-of-care USGPIV across ED and PICU settings and decreasing pediatric harm events.
Emergency Department Charge Nurse - Legacy Randall Children's Hospital - Portland, OR
(2012-11 - 2018-05)
- Long-time pediatric nurse and core day/night shift charge nurse, coordinating daily operations in a busy pediatric emergency department, including staffing, patient flow, and bed management.
- Chaired the Randall Children's Hospital Value Analysis Committee, instituting a weighted decision matrix evaluation tool to evaluate the value of new product requests specific to Randall Children's Hospital. A vetting process that reduced waste and required ≥15% savings or clear evidence of reduced harm or faster discharge for adoption—balancing pediatric safety, outcomes, and cost stewardship, and delivering average savings above a 10% margin on prior loss items. This model became the standard
- Led and supported initiatives to improve triage accuracy, pediatric pain management, sepsis recognition, and trauma response, contributing to reductions in serious safety events.
- Served as a clinical resource for high-acuity and resuscitation cases, reinforcing adherence to evidence-based protocols and minimizing risk.
- Sat on the multidisciplinary committee that brought the RCH ED's first fast track online, collaborating with PAs and NPs to develop fast track protocols that improved throughput and patient experience.
- Precepted and educated nurses transitioning into pediatric emergency care, strengthening team capability, engagement, and readiness for high-acuity pediatric presentations.
Emergency Department Charge Nurse / ICU Staff RN - Providence Healthcare System - Portland, OR
(2005-06 - 2012-11)
- Practiced as both an ED charge nurse and an ICU RN at a Level III/IV trauma hospital, providing comprehensive care for highly acute adult and pediatric patients, with a primary focus of practice in the pediatric wing of the department.
- Selected for a highly coveted ICU residency while simultaneously working in the ED, helping bridge gaps in patient care, communication, and throughput between the two units.
- Coordinated ED operations, collaborating with inpatient units to ensure safe, timely admissions, transfers, and optimal bed utilization.
- Delivered full-spectrum critical care, including ventilator management, vasoactive drips, invasive monitoring, and post-operative management for complex trauma and medical patients.
- Contributed to the implementation of sepsis bundles, ventilator-associated event prevention, and early mobility programs that reduced complications and length of stay.
- Participated in rapid response/code teams and quality/safety committees focused on reducing harm events and preventable readmissions.
