My Introduction
- 1. Introducing Patricia A. Boguslawski, BSN, RN My current RN license is in California, it has been continuous since moving to this state in 1983. My original licensure was in the state of Illinois. Except for a brief period of renewal when I temporarily moved back between 1994 and 1998, I have since gone inactive there because I am a permanent California resident. 2010 – 2012 – Maxim Healthcare Services (Emeryville and San Mateo, CA) Hello! I would like to introduce myself to you. Above, you will see my name. There are a few more things about me that I want to share with you. I received my Associate Degree in 1971 and it has taken me a long way in a Nursing career which has spanned four decades and has included experiences in a variety of aspects in nursing. Instead of a boring list of my lengthy work history, I decided to make it a little easier to follow by using my own format. I hope that after reading it, you will consider me for employment. I spent the last two years, 2013 and 2014, as an undergraduate student in pursuit of my Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Our Lady of the Lake College (Baton Rouge, LA.) Based on academic achievement, I was inducted into the college’s Nursing Honor Society prior to graduating cum laude on December 19, 2014. Technically, I am still an employee of this agency. I was hired to care for pediatric patients at home. The second day on the job, I received a work- related injury to my neck and immediately was placed on Workmen’s Comp. After several weeks of physical therapy, I was given permission to return to work with a 20 lb. weight-lifting restriction which was eventually increased to 40 lb.
- 2. I was transferred to Maxim’s San Mateo Office for my assignments. After one year, the injury was aggravated and again the Workman’s Comp doctor prescribed more weeks of PT. At the end of treatment, my weight-lifting restriction was reduced to 15 lb. and my injury classified as a permanent partial disability. The office has been unable to match me up with patients that fit this category. Facing the end of my bedside nursing career, I decided to get my BSN in order to open up new job opportunities. 2003 – 2009 – Blood Centers of the Pacific (BCP), Burlingame, CA As site Manager for a satellite of the main blood center (Location: Cupertino, CA.): Overseen by the FDA, I was responsible for maintaining compliance with FDA standards. Oversaw all Center operations: Supervised on-site staff, including annual evaluations as well as daily assignments. Arranged for scheduling and documentation of all equipment QC and Preventive Maintenance. Maintained an adequate store of supplies and monitored expiration dates using First-In, First Out unless expiration date imminent. Kept all records up-to-date concerning local licensing, SOP revisions, updated forms and official wall posters. Maintained patient records for Hemachromatosis donors and kept doctors’ orders up-to- date. Informed all department heads of Center needs & arranged for outside vendors (locksmith, plumber, copy repair) when authorized to do so. 2003 – 2004 - Nursing Field Supervisor for off-site blood drives. I maintained compliance with blood bank and FDA regulations, and supervised field staff during bloodmobile and other off-site blood drives. Public education regarding the donation process was one of our primary goals. 2004 - 2009 - Head Nurse/Site Manager of the Cupertino Center for BCP In December of 2004, I applied for and was given the position of Head Nurse/Supervisor of the Satellite Center in Cupertino. It had opened in February of 2004 and had yet to have a permanent Head Nurse.
- 3. Informed fleet manager when assigned vehicle was due for servicing. Signed off employees’ time sheets using the Kronos timekeeping system. Recovered donors from reactions. Relieved all employees for breaks/lunches (including registrar). Dealt with whatever problems (donor reactions, staff or site issues) which arose during the shift. Under my management, this center grew independent of the main office and went from 2 days of operation to four. I instituted a means of rewarding frequent donors by posting an “Honor Roll” in our donor room. We also received the equipment to draw red blood cells only (by pheresis) and needed a second machine within four months due to the active recruitment of “double red” donors by my staff. I was given quite a bit of autonomy and seldom needed to seek direction from my superiors. Reason for leaving: staffing cutbacks increased my stress level. Blood pressure was out of control; “retired” on advice of my doctor. The remainder of my work history is more than ten years ago, but I will include it below. In chronological order, beginning after receiving my Associate Degree: 1971 – 1973 Staff Nurse; Pediatrics, PICU, NICU for Little Company of Mary Hospital, Evergreen Park, IL 1973 to 1983 – Loyola University Medical Center – Maywood, IL (refer to résumé for details) My first years after graduation were spent as a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse on the midnight shift. There was also a Step-down unit and staff rotated between the two areas. After a larger NICU was built (30 beds all in one large room), the sensory overload made sleep difficult at home. So I transferred to the smaller (6 bed) Pediatric ICU in @ 1976. From 1976 to 1981, I served as night shift Charge Nurse in PICU. After receiving Mobile Intensive Care (MICN) training, I took part in Pediatric Transports from outlying hospitals while the Pediatric Charge Nurse covered PICU. My experiences at this teaching hospital included post-surgical patients after organ transplants and open-heart surgery. In 1981, the Emergency Department recruited PICU nurses, one per shift, in order to lend some Pediatric expertise to their staff. They asked me to join them on the night shift. It was a chance for me to get out of my comfort zone and grow as a nurse. It was a Level I Trauma Center and, on the night shift, we treated everything from toothaches to severed limbs. The image I chose to illustrate this is a true representation of the aftermath of treating a trauma patient.
- 4. In 1982, after attending a conference on Emergency Care in San Francisco, I decided to relocate my family to the Bay Area. I left Loyola in June of 1983. The AIDS epidemic had just begun. 1983 – 1986 – City and County of San Francisco Mission Emergency/Central Emergency – San Francisco General Hospital I continued my emergency room experience. In early 1984, I was transferred to a small, 24-hour emergency facility in the Tenderloin District as the only nurse on the night shift. Patients were primarily among the homeless. Other staff consisted of one MD and one admissions clerk. On weekends, most of our trauma patients were registered; the MD taught me to do minor suturing after his initial exam. Our goal was to stabilize the more severe injuries and medical emergencies for transfer to Mission Emergency. 1986 - 1993 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – San Francisco, CA Concurrent with this period, to supplement my income, I also held a second job. 1986 – 1988 – San Francisco Home Care – San Francisco, CA From 1993 –1994 I transferred to the Emergency Room nurse at Kaiser Hospital. In 1994, family circumstances required that I move back to the Chicago area for a limited time. 1994 – 1998 Interim Healthcare, (both Oak Lawn, IL and San Francisco/San Jose, CA offices) I provided Pediatric Home Care; NICU, PICU, and Clinic staff augmentation on the night shift. Pediatric Oncology was the specialty of this facility. Nurses also staffed the PICU where we managed complications of Chemotherapy and other Pediatric Critical Care conditions. At one point, patients were sent to UCSF (University of California at San Francisco) for open-heart surgery and were transferred back to us for completion of their recovery. I performed home IV infusion therapy for clients who were mainly HIV+ patients. Central lines were monitored and site care performed; Groshong, Hickman, Broviac, PICC lines and subcutaneous ports using a variety of delivery systems (CADD, Pancretic and Sigma series). PCA pump med cartridges replaced.
- 5. On my return to the Bay Area, rising gasoline prices coupled with removal of gas allowance made home care less cost-effective. From 1998-2000 I was hired as a field nurse/supervisor trainee for Blood Centers of the Pacific in Burlingame, CA. Sharing one vehicle with another family member necessitated my change to an employer within reach by public transportation. In 2000, I became a Field Nursing Supervisor for American Red Cross Blood Services, Oakland, CA. After only 3 months on the job, family circumstances required me once again to move back to the Chicago area to care for a family member who was terminally ill. 2001 – 2003 Upon the death of the family member and after settling her affairs, I returned to East Bay and remained retired, attending Computer Programming Courses at Chabot CC, Hayward, CA, hoping to pair computer knowledge with my nursing experience in some productive way. Note: All images used in this presentation are from Google images libraries.