Trusted Med Mal & Wrongful Death Expert Witness
Contact this Expert Witness
- Company: K. Waite Legal Nurse Consulting
- Phone: 303-919-1355
Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness
General Specialties:
Critical Care Surgery and Critical Care MedicineKeywords/Search Terms:
Critical care, brain, spine, stroke, sepsis, wrongful death, falls, med records review, vascular, neurosurgery, post-op care, trauma, Cardiac Cath, pressure injury, abdominal, pain, overdose, respiratory, PACU, IREducation:
MS, Regis University Denver; BSN, University of Nebraska Lincoln, College of NursingYears in Practice:
45Number of Times Deposed/Testified in Last 4 Yrs:
6Additional Information
Forty (45) five years of professional experience in critical care nursing that includes 17 years of leadership and management responsibility in a variety of specialties, including Surgical/Trauma ICU, Burn Trauma ICU, MICU/CCU, CVICU, Cardiothoracic ICU, Neuro ICU – affiliated with major university teaching and research hospitals. During my tenure as a nurse manager, I was entrusted with significant responsibilities. These included program development, strategic planning, fiscal resources and budget allocation, personnel management, and care-delivery outcomes for the Neurosurgical ICU. I successfully fulfilled these duties for a decade, demonstrating my leadership and management skills. Since establishing my legal nurse consulting business in 2017, I have been actively involved in reviewing and providing expert opinions on a wide range of cases. This includes both plaintiff and defense cases spanning 15 states. Clinical Experience Clinical Charge nurse in an 18-bed ICU, level 3 trauma, and primary stroke center. Caring for patients’ post-op Brain & Spine, Head & Neck, Oncology, Ortho, Thoracic, GI, Vascular (CEA/ Fem-Pop bypass/ Arterial Revascularization), and General surgery. Caring for Stroke/TPA/TNK & Intracranial hemorrhage patients as well as Heart Failure, Liver & Kidney failure, Sepsis, Multi-system organ failure, and Trauma patients. Manage NICOM for fluid responsiveness & hemodynamic monitoring. Manages post-cardiac catheter (PCI/IABP/Impella) and manages neuro-interventional and general interventional patients. Manage CRRT (dialysis) therapy, TTM: targeted temperature management for hypothermia post-cardiac arrest, Massive Blood Transfusions (MTP), ICP management with Bolts and EVD drains, as well as the end-of-life and organ donation procedures. Trained in advanced Non-violent Crisis Prevention Interventions, Trauma Nurse Core Curriculum, Trauma Care After Resuscitation, NIHSS stroke scale, and Neuro Trauma. Provide direct patient care and charge responsibilities for patient flow in and out of the unit, staffing, and troubleshooting patient care issues. Respond to Code Blue in the hospital and RRT (rapid response medical emergencies). Educate staff RNs on best practices and standards of care. Instructor for yearly skills competency check-off. Promote progressive mobility, safe patient handling, and fall prevention in conjunction with PT, OT, and SLP therapies. Board Member, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses- Denver Chapter-2015- to present Member of UCHealth System-wide Critical Care Nurse Practice Council, 2018 to present Society of Critical Care Medicine 2023 -2024 TCAR -Trauma Care After Resuscitation -2019- present CLNC Certified Legal Nurse Consultant 2017 to present CCRN Certified Critical Care RN (July 1983 to present) NE-BC ANCC Nursing Executive Board Certification (2006 to 2016) CNRN Certified Neuro RN 2011 to present (Neuroscience RN) SCRN Stroke Certified RN 2013 to present UCHealth - Highlands Ranch Hospital- Stroke Committee 2020 - present Co-Chair UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital Charge Nurse Council 2024 to present