Kathleen Stachyra
New Lenox
Summary
- Dedicated, compassionate, and knowledgeable Registered Nurse with over 23 years of critical care hands on critical care experience. Seeking to expand my nursing career in a new position. Possess exceptional interdisciplinary and communication skills,working as part of a nursing team with a passion to advocate for my patients, be a team player and posses leadership skills.
- Charge Nurse
- Preceptor
- Specialized practice in Hospice, Level 3 NICU & Lactation
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Registered Nurse, Intermediate Care Nursery
AdventHealth
Bolingbrook
10.2025 - Current
- Administered medications and treatments as prescribed by healthcare providers.
- Monitored patient vital signs and reported changes to medical staff.
- Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to develop patient care plans.
Hospice Nurse
Palos Northwestern Medical Healthcare
Lemont
09.2022 - 01.2025
- Inpatient & Field Hospice Nurse
- Conducted Hospice Election Meetings
- Admissions, Routines & Discharges
- Provide compassionate and personalized care to terminally ill patients in a hospice setting
- Administer medications, monitored vital signs, and assessed patient conditions on a regular basis
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary team members to develop and implement individualized care plans for each patient
- Manage pain and symptoms effectively through the use of medication adjustments and alternative therapies
- Educate patients and their families about end-of-life care options, including palliative measures and advanced directives
- Support patients' emotional well-being by providing counseling, active listening, and therapeutic communication
- Coordinate with other healthcare professionals to ensure continuity of care for patients transitioning between different settings (e.g., hospital to home)
- Assist in coordinating hospice admissions, discharges, transfers, and bereavement services as needed
- Maintain accurate documentation of patient assessments, interventions, progress notes, and medication administration records
- Ensure compliance with all regulatory standards related to hospice care delivery
- Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings to discuss patient cases, review treatment plans, and address any concerns or challenges
- Respond promptly to medical emergencies or changes in patient conditions by implementing appropriate interventions
- Provide support during the dying process by offering comfort measures such as positioning assistance or spiritual guidance if desired by the patient/family
- Implement infection control protocols to minimize the risk of infections among vulnerable hospice patients
- Collaborate with social workers and chaplains to provide holistic support for patients' psychosocial needs
- Facilitate family meetings or conferences when necessary to address complex medical decisions or end-of-life planning
- Advocate for patients' rights while respecting their autonomy and cultural beliefs
- Assess caregiver stress levels regularly; provided education on self-care techniques
- Demonstrate proficiency in managing symptoms associated with various end-stage diseases (e.g., pain, dyspnea, nausea)
- Coordinate with pharmacy services to ensure timely delivery of medications and supplies
- Provide emotional support and guidance to family members during the grieving process
- Collaborate with community resources to arrange additional support services for patients and families as needed
- Participate in ongoing professional development activities to stay updated on best practices in hospice care
- Earned recognition for exceptional patient satisfaction scores through compassionate care delivery
- Manage a caseload of terminally ill patients while ensuring high-quality care standards were met
- Implement evidence-based nursing interventions to effectively manage complex symptoms and improve patient comfort
- Contribute to the development of new policies and procedures aimed at enhancing the quality of hospice care
- Serve as a mentor for newly hired hospice nurses, providing guidance and support during their orientation period
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary team members on research projects related to improving end-of-life care
- Serve as a resource person for colleagues regarding pain management techniques or difficult symptom control cases
- Develop educational materials for patients/families on topics such as medication management or advance directives
- Liaise between patients & primary physicians and the hospice team to ensure seamless coordination of medical treatments
Registered Nurse, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Advocate Health Care Christ Hospital
Oak Lawn
09.2004 - 02.2022
- Responsible for care of premature critically ill infants from admission to discharge conducting patient assessments, participate in the development of the plan of care, implement plan and evaluate according to patient specific age and/or developmental needs and educating families throughout stay and at time of discharge.
- Provide care for ECMO, high frequency ventilator, conventional ventilator, therapeutic cooling and micro preemie patients.
- Provide patient care and treatment at high risk deliveries.
- Breastfeeding education including pumping and feeding schedules, milk production, feeding techniques, non-nutritive suckling, and skin to skin kangaroo care.
- Bridge scanning super user for breast milk.
- Preceptor.
- Frequently given charge nurse duties overseeing 25+ RN's.
- A member of the NICU Human Milk Committee, with exceptional knowledge working with donor milk, mother's milk and Prolacta.
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
Silver Cross Hospital
New Lenox
04.2019 - 10.2019
- Provided family-centered patient care, assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating lactation needs for the breastfeeding dyad and with pumping mothers.
- Provided breastfeeding education to postpartum mothers.
- Address nursing concerns and assist with nursing issues.
Registered Nurse Maternal Child Float Pool
RUSH University Medical Center
09.2002 - 10.2003
- Provided care to post-partum, newborn nursery, neonatal ICU and pediatric patients.
- Duties include post-operative monitoring and general assessments of mothers, detailed assessments of babies, assisting with breastfeeding and newborn education and delivering complete care to pediatric patients.
Registered Nurse Cardiovascular Telemetry Unit
St. Francis Hospital
- Provided care and treatment to pre-operative and post-operative patients, patients with complex heart condition and patients experiencing illness.
- Duties included patient assessment, medication administration, titrating drip medications, management of post-operative pain, and educating patients and families.
Registered Nurse Pediatric Oncology
Children's Memorial Hospital
- Provided care and established patient plan of care with a multidisciplinary team within the hospital setting for children with cancer and hematological conditions.
- Duties included same as above.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
St. Xavier University
12.2000
Skills
- Charge Nurse
- Preceptor
- Leadership
- Hospital experience
- Nursing
- Telemetry
- Patient assessment
- Communication skills
- Ventilator
- Pediatric oncology
- Children's hospital
- Newborn nursery experience
- Infants
- Charge experience
- Critical care experience
- Oncology
- Neonatology
- Medication administration
- Hospice Care
- Vital Signs
- Cerner
- Laboratory Experience
- EMR Systems
- Patient Care
- Pain Management
- Phlebotomy
- Experience Administering Injections
- Dementia Care
- Epic
- Anatomy Knowledge
- Caregiving
Certification
- IBCLC
- RN License
- STABLE
- CPR Certification
- NRP Certification
- Dementia Training
Timeline
Registered Nurse, Intermediate Care Nursery
AdventHealth
10.2025 - Current
Hospice Nurse
Palos Northwestern Medical Healthcare
09.2022 - 01.2025
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
Silver Cross Hospital
04.2019 - 10.2019
Registered Nurse, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Advocate Health Care Christ Hospital
09.2004 - 02.2022
Registered Nurse Maternal Child Float Pool
RUSH University Medical Center
09.2002 - 10.2003
Registered Nurse Cardiovascular Telemetry Unit
St. Francis Hospital
Registered Nurse Pediatric Oncology
Children's Memorial Hospital
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
St. Xavier University