Curriculum Vitae

Professional Experience

Personal Assistance at Hills & Dales

September* 2003 - March* 2004

I learned so much during the time I spent at Hills & Dales! The residential campus features dorm style apartments that offer dozens of mentally and physically handicapped children and adults the skilled care they need to live their best life. Staff assist residents to perform activities of daily living in a home atmosphere; accompany them to the vocational training center; transport and assist with errands and outings; and provide support to residents during and after transition to independent living. I still remember the names of the residents that lived in my assigned "home."

Nursing Aide at Mt. Carmel

(March 2004- April 2004)

My first clinical rotation in nursing school was at Mt. Carmel- a retirement home for Catholic Sisters. After the rotation was over, I accepted an invitation to pick up PRN position as a nursing aide in the assisted living and skilled nursing care units. I enjoyed getting to know many of the nuns that resided at Mt. Carmel, and the experience offered a new vantage point and reverence for Catholicism.

Unfortunately, Lexy's dad and I made "too much money" for us to continue to qualify for child care assistance with his full-time employment if I worked ONE shift each month, which was the minimum requirement for my PRN position. I was forced to resign. We received food and child care assistance, but we still struggled to make ends meet. PELL grants and Federal Student Loans covered tuition, books, and supplies, and we relied on private student loans to play catch up on bills every semester.

Tutor at Northeast Iowa Community College

(Fall 2004 - December 2006)

I was offered the opportunity to tutor peers during Anatomy & Physiology I & II, Pharmacology, Medical-Surgical Nursing, Mental Health, Pediatric & OB-GYN nursing, and senior level nursing classes. I fell in love with the clinical and academic setting! I am grateful to have survived one of the most brutal nursing programs in the State of Iowa at the time, and the time I spent tutoring others was a multifaceted blessing!

Respite LPN/RN at Ultimate Nursing

(November 2006- Spring 2008)

I waited to take my LPN Board Exam until closer to graduation, and started my professional nursing career in home care. The agency I worked for charged insurance companies good money to staff private duty and respite care. I took care of over a dozen children with various diagnoses, developmental levels, and socioeconomic circumstances in home from Dubuque to Elkader to Waterloo.

Staff RN at Mercy Medical Center

(April 2007- August 2008)

I was hired as an LPN and started orientation on the general surgical floor, and my new RN license earned me $4/hr more as a Surgical Float RN. I managed the nursing care plan and provided direct cares for 5-8 patients. This involved pre- and post-operative nursing care and assessment, delegation and supervision of care for LPNs and unlicensed personnel, and case management with the multidisciplinary team for discharge planning and transition.

The Flood of 2008 was an incredibly stressful time for my family. I had recently found out I was pregnant and I was having some complications. I worked at St. Luke's for several weeks while Mercy was closed due to flooding, but once Mercy opened back up, my name was on a pretty long list of staff that were quietly let go. I won in my claim for unemployment, and took advantage of the opportunity to go back to school. I enrolled at Kirkwood, and thankfully was able to finish the semester online from my hospital bed after my water broke at 18.5 weeks gestation

Stay-at-home Mommy, Full-time Student

(September 2008- March 2010)

My water broke early at 18.5 weeks gestation. I was sent home on bedrest until I made it to 24 weeks. My daughter started preschool and lived with my grandmother while I made St. Luke's my home for a 8 week hospital stay, followed by a 5 week stay for baby #2 in the NICU. I was blessed to stay home with my children. We battled frequent respiratory illnesses and survived multiple hospital stays.

Private Care RN at CarePro Home Health

(May 2010- January 2011)

I provided in-home care for pediatric and adult clients, and their families, according to the medical care plan- including head-to-toe and focused assessments, medication administration, oral and enteral feedings, managed tracheostomy and ventilator cares, and reported concerns to the case manager.

RN Case Manager at CarePro Home Infusion

(September 2010- June 2013)

I was graciously offered a promotion into case management and maintained a caseload of 15-20 long-term pediatric clients, plus 5-10 home infusion clients. My role involved developing and maintaining the nursing care plan in conjunction with the client's full medical team, directing ancillary services such as physical, occupational, and speech therapies, and coordinating care management with the multidisciplinary care team, including traditional and alternative therapy providers. I developed the training protocols and modules, and directly supervised private duty RN, LPN, CNA, and homemaker staff. I performed comprehensive, skilled nursing assessments; medication management, administration, and monitoring; lab draws; wound cares including wound vac; patient and family education; PICC and central line cares; enteral and parenteral nutrition management, ostomy care and education. I also developed training modules on tracheostomy and ventilator-specific care for area facilities.

RN Intake Coordinator at CarePro Home Infusion

(January 21, 2013- January 24, 2013)

The week I accepted a promotion into my dream role as RN Intake Coordinator, was the same week I got charged with my first OWI. The position meant set office hours, no on-call rotation, and a nice pay raise. I was excited to be stepping into more of a leadership role, essentially running the show for the home infusion department, and to spend more time at home with my children.

EHSS Coordinator at CarePro Home Infusion

(February 2013- May 2013)

Despite the fact that I had seriously let my director of nursing and mentors down, they created a new office position that accommodated my new legal issues and driver's license restrictions. In my new role, I provided support to staff nurses working in the field, assisted other RN case managers in their duties as needed, performed chart audits and followed up on knowledge deficits, and continued to develop and provide new staff training.

Two major life changes came to a head in June 2013: I was fired from the nursing job of my dreams and I found I was pregnant with baby #3. Mounting legal costs, involvement with DHS, court obligations, and a baby on the way were all stressful enough, but the sudden total loss of income quickly made it impossible to pay bills for the beautiful 3 bedroom home I was buying on contract. I had lost everything, but the kids and I were blessed with angels looking over us as we prepared for the school year, and I juggled mom responsibilities with graduate student life as I prepared for my internship and capstone project in my final semester. I was conveniently 8 weeks away from graduation when, once again, my water broke early at 24.5 weeks, and I was admitted for another prolonged stay at the Helen G. Nassif Birthing Center.

Stay-at-home Mommy

(May 2013- August 2014)

My internship at Mount Mercy University was interrupted when premature ROM at 24.5 weeks. I spent another 8 weeks in the same hospital room on bedrest and delivered at 32 weeks. My youngest was born septic, and we spent 4 weeks in the same NICU room. I was again blessed with the opportunity to stay home with my children. They finished the school year as I finished graduate school, and then we moved to Guttenberg with my parents.

RN at ABCM Corp- Guttenberg Care Center

(August 2014- June 2017)

I performed skilled nursing care and assessment to geriatric patients in the dementia and general care units, including administration of medications and treatments, delegation of tasks to ancillary care staff, and reported concerns to the unit manager. I also helped to develop the infusion protocol and trained RN staff in infusion therapy administration.

RN Case Manager at Recover Health

(2014- 2015)

Provided nursing care, skilled assessment, and case management for adult and pediatric clients, including: medication management, administration, and monitoring; coordination with multidisciplinary team; certification and maintainance of nursing care plan; and supervision of RN/LPNs, home health aides, and homemaker services.

RN Case Manager at Above & Beyond Hospice

(2015- 2016)

Maintained a caseload of 10-12 hospice patients. Provided patient and family education regarding hospice protocol and end-of-life processes; developed a plan of care; coordinated care with multidisciplinary team; administered medication and treatments as appropriate to alleviate pain and manage symptoms related to chronic illness; faciliated bereavement services; and provided post-mortem cares.

Advanced Consultant at Pure Romance

(2016- 2018)

Empowered women to take charge of their sexual health with entertaining presentations on intimacy and skin care products, in addition to educational discussions related to women's sexual health.

Registered Nurse at Pinicon Place

(2016- 2017)

Provided nursing care and assessment to elderly clients in the assisted living setting, including the dementia unit. Administered medications and treatments, delegated cares to personal care aides, assisted with maintaining the plan of care.

Office Manager at BankHeadz

(2017- 2019)

Developed website and online presence for LLC. Collaborated with business partners and referral sources to develop protocol and service contracts. Streamlined intake and recordkeeping processes. Managed marketing and social media marketing strategies.

Freelancer at Oeuvre of Ashley Marie

(2018- present)

Offer a wide variety of creative and artistic services, including: freelance writing/blogging; performing arts/actress; visual arts such as branding and logo design, digital art and graphic design; canvas painting.

Reiki Master at Iridescent Alchemyst

(2019- present)

Provide chakra alignment and energy healing services based on the Usui Reiki methodology.

Metaphysical Therapist at Iridescent Alchemyst

(2020- present)

Provide chakra alignment and energy healing services based on the Usui Reiki methodology; metaphysical therapies such as aromatherapy, sound therapy, healing crystals; divination services using astrology, numerology, tarot, and pendulum dowsing. Added provision of psychedelic assisted therapy in 2021.