Psychiatric Administration Expert Witness

Expert Witness No. 1148

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

M.A. DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY;
California State University; Long Beach, California 1988

B.S. DEGREE IN HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION;
Southern Illinois University; Carbondale, Illinois 1985

California Registered Nurse

Ph.D. DEGREE IN EPIDEMIOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH; George Washington University; Washington, D. C. 1980

ADVANCED HOSPITAL CORPS SCHOOL;
Naval School of Health Sciences; San Diego, California 1975

FIELD MEDICAL SERVICE SCHOOL;
Camp Pendleton, California 1969

BASIC HOSPITAL CORPS SCHOOL;
Naval School of Health Sciences; San Diego, California 1969

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

ADVANCED CLINICIAN, PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION TEAM
for a local Healthcare System, April 2001 to present.

Responsible for consulting, education, mentoring and development of Psychosocial Specialists within a seven hospital system.  Provides in-services and training workshops as needed on a variety of medical and administrative topics.  Consults with administrations regarding JACHO preparation, legal and clinical issues encountered in medical settings.  Carries out Title 22 investigations.  Provides assaultive response training and education system wide.  Member of Bioethics Committee.  Acts as liaison to Domestic Violence Response Team, (PERT) Psychiatric Emergency Response Team and several other county level organizations.  Conducts and monitors all LPS training and certification of designated personal.

DIRECTOR OF NURSING, CLINICAL COORDINATOR
Alpine Special Treatment Center, Alpine, California, May 2000 to May 2003.

Responsible for all Client Care and administrative management of Nursing department in a (99) bed locked Long Term Care Facility.  Carried out JCAHO, Title 22 and Title 9 requirements.  Additional duties included clinical coordinator and supervision of all contracted therapists and services.  Served as the facility Infection Control nurse and provided numerous in-services to the direct care staff.  Served as Risk/Quality manager for the facility.  Responsible for administrative and clinical supervision on a 24/7 basis.  Acted as community liaison representative to numerous organizations.

EDUCATIONAL COORDINATOR, NURSING SUPERVISOR, RISK MANAGER, INFECTION CONTROL
Bayview Hospital & Mental Health Systems, Villaview Community Hospital, San Diego and Chula Vista, California, Aug 98 to Aug 00.

Responsible for formulating, implementing, coordinating, monitoring and evaluating educational programs in accordance with all JCAHO, DHS, HCFA, and other compliance regulations.  Additional responsibilities included Performance Improvement/Compliance, Risk and Quality Management functions and Infection Control.  House Supervision in free standing psychiatric facility with 64 beds for locked adult, children and adolescents and a chemical dependency unit.   Served as Assessment nurse with LPS certification and Assaultive Behavior Trainer and Basic CPR instructor for both facilities.

DIRECTOR, HEALTHCARE, EDUCATIONAL, COMMUNICATION CONSULTANT, LEGAL NURSE CONSULTANT
Private Consulting Firm, El Cajon, California, May 94 to Present.

Partner in consulting business focused on providing medical legal consulting and testifying expert in Malpractice, Personal Injury, Environmental and Workers’ Compensation Cases on a national level.  Quality and Risk Management consulting to healthcare and dental providers within southwestern region.  Provide training’s, seminars and staff development workshops in numerous healthcare and educational topics.

PSYCHIATRIC PATIENT CARE MANAGER, FLU CLINIC COORDINATOR
VNA Health Services of San Diego, California, Aug 96 to Jun 97.

Responsible for formulation, implementation and management of the psychiatric component for a large Home Health agency.  Duties included operational and clinical management of (6) psychiatric nurses. Case Management and consulting was provided for diverse population.  Served as Performance Improvement facilitator and risk manager for agency.  Additional duties included Coordinating the Flu Immunization Clinic for this agency in both public and corporate settings.  Directed a staff of (16) Nurses and assistants in delivery of this service county wide.  Served as liaison to Case Management program for HIV/AIDS clients.

CHARGE NURSE/INTAKE COORDINATOR
Villa View Community Hospital, San Diego, California, Nov 92 thru Oct 95.

Per diem relief on Medical/Surgical, Medical ICU units.  Rotated in PACU/OR and GI clinic.  Assisting in the implementation of Outpatient Surgery/Industrial Medicine clinic.  Served as supervisor of a (31) bed open Behavioral Health Program and (12) bed locked unit in conjunction with acting as Psychiatric Intake Coordinator providing screening and psychiatric nursing assessment and crisis interventions as needed.  Certified as a Psychiatric LPS nurse.  Provided milieu Management and directed the delivery of skilled nursing care.  Served as member of management team and served as TQI facilitator for facility.  Assigned quality and risk management role in program development.  Provided numerous in-services to all units.  Certified facilitator in Professional Assaultive Response Training.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF NURSING, NURSING SUPERVISOR/CHARGE NURSE
Rancho Park Hospital and Residential Treatment Center, El Cajon, California Jun 91 thru Jun 92.

Served as clinical manager supervising the delivery of skilled nursing care and Conducting the clinical programs on two Acute (30) bed locked Adolescent/Pre-adolescent units in conjunction with duties as House supervisor for (60) bed Residential Treatment Center.  Responsible for clinical program formulation, implementation, and monitoring.  Served as member of Management team, TQM team and Forms Committee. Conducted therapy as Co-facilitator of sexual abuse and perpetrator process groups.  Additional duties included LPS certified psychiatric nurse for San Diego county.  Provided numerous staff in-services both administrative and clinical in nature, including infection control, Management of Assaultive Behavior and Professional Assaultive Response Training.

RELIEF CHARGE/STAFF PER DIEM NURSE
University of California San Diego Medical Center, San Diego, California, Feb 90 thru May 91.

Provided diverse skilled nursing care and supervision in relief role at a (400) bed regional medical teaching hospital.  Assignments were focused on HIV/ARC medicine, Kidney Transplant, Pulmonary Medicine, Cardiac step down, Oncology, Orthopedic, and Regional Burn Center, Clinical Research Center, Gastroenterology Services, Pharmacy Home Infusion Service, I.V. Resource Team

UNIT COORDINATOR, REACH PROGRAM
Harbor View Medical Center, San Diego, California May 89 thru Jan 90.

Served as clinical milieu manager of program structure and aftercare component on a (26) bed locked Adolescent duel diagnosis program.  Directed staff in providing both milieu and crisis driven clinical interventions.  Preformed physical and psychiatric nursing assessments on the unit and in emergency department.  Member of the management team, provided both LPS and CPS expertise to facility and other in-services to clinical staff as required.

PROGRAM /NURSING MANAGER, CHILD/ADOLESCENT SERVICES
Charter Hospital, San Diego, California Jan 89 thru Apr 89.

Clinical/Administrative management of two (20) bed units dedicated to Children, Adolescents and Adolescents Addictive Diseases in a free standing Acute Psychiatric hospital.  Directed program content, management of the milieu, supervision of staffing, staff development, coordination of JACHO/Title 22 information for certification, program marketing, Monitoring of all LPS and CPS functions, crisis intervention, program utilization review, risk management and quality assurance plans.  Served as member of the Management team, Hospital Quality Assurance/Utilization Review committee and Medical Records Review committee.

RELIEF HOUSE SUPERVISOR/CHARGE NURSE
Mesa Vista Hospital, San Diego, California Aug 87 thru Jan 89.

Served as manager delivering skilled nursing and clinical intervention on a (26) bed Psychiatric (Locked) Intensive Care Unit.  Completed staffing and nursing assessments as needed.  Provided crisis intervention to clients via telephone.  Additional duties as house supervisor included data base management for hospital admission screening.  Designated to place LPS holds on patients as required.  Coordinating all staffing and staff management within a (150) bed facility and conducting clinical in-services as assigned.

RELIEF CHARGE/STAFF NURSE
Western Medical Registry, San Diego, California Sep 85 thru May 86.

Contracted to San Diego County assignments and duties included medical and psychiatric monitoring of (1500) inmates in the county jail system, interviewing all new inmates and assessment for psychiatric, drug, alcohol or medical issues.  Provided forensic blood collection on all felony cases.  Consulted as expert witness for San Diego County Prosecutors office in areas of cause and effect of drug, alcohol and traumatology.  Also, rotated thru County Mental Health facilities on locked child, adolescent and adult units as relief charge nurse.

RELIEF CHARGE/STAFF NURSE
Med Pro, Favorite Nurses, Health Care Staffing, Staff Builders, Sep 82 thru Aug 90.

Provided diverse skilled nursing care and clinical interventions while assigned to a variety of hospitals in Greater San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles counties region. Settings included Acute Adult/Adolescent psychiatric units, Eating Disorder Programs, Providing Crisis Intervention in emergency departments and supervising local crisis telephone hot line.  Medical assignments included staff and charge relief roles in ICU/CCU, Med/Surg, Telemetry, Oncology, Orthopedics, Neuro Surgical units and Emergency Departments.

NURSING SUPERVISOR/CHARGE NURSE
Capistrano by the Sea Hospital, Dana Point, California, May 81 thru Dec 85.

Supervised the delivery of skilled nursing care on Locked Adolescent and Adult psychiatric unit.  Also, monitored the Chemical Dependency and Eating Disorder Research programs funded and staffed by U.C. Irvine Medical School.  Provided nursing assessment and crisis intervention as needed.  Provided administrative support and staffing for facility.

SENIOR MEDICAL DEPARTMENT REPRESENTATIVE
United States Navy Medical Department, May 69 thru Aug 85.

Served on three naval ships as sole medical department representative.  Supervised several large emergency rooms, outpatient departments and served in Viet Nam over several tours with Marines and Navy in combat medical settings.  Coordinated field research studies for World Health Organization (WHO) and Center for Disease Control (CDC) on Valley Fever and Malaria.

CERTIFICATION

Certified Professional Assaultive Response Trainer
Certified Pro-ACT Trainer
Certified Emergency Department Nurse
Certified Quality/Risk Management
Certified Basic Life Support Instructor
Certified Legal Nurse Consultant

PUBLICATIONS

Available Upon Request

PRESENTATIONS

Available Upon Request

AFFILIATIONS

American and California Nurses Association
American and California Psychiatric Nurses Association
National Alliance, Certified Legal Nurse Consultants
American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants
San Diego Chapter, American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants
Forensic Expert Witness Association