Natalie Okonkwo

Profile

Pediatric RN with 9 years of progressive critical-care experience across Level I trauma centers and community hospitals, specializing in PICU management and post-operative care for neonates through adolescents. Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN) and PALS instructor with deep expertise in ventilator weaning, sepsis protocols, and family-centered care models. Reduced central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates by 34% over two years as unit champion for infection-prevention initiatives.

Work Experience

Senior Pediatric ICU NurseMar 2019 - Present

Texas Children's Medical Center, Houston, TX

Led a 6-nurse care team in a 24-bed PICU, managing ventilated patients and post-cardiac-surgery cases with a 97.2% survival-to-discharge rate over 4 consecutive years.
Championed a unit-wide CLABSI bundle protocol adopted by all three PICU pods, cutting infection events from 11 to 7 per 1,000 catheter-days within 18 months and saving an estimated $280,000 in avoidable treatment costs.
Mentored 14 new-graduate nurses through a structured 12-week orientation program, achieving a 93% 1-year retention rate compared to the hospital's 74% baseline.

Pediatric Staff Nurse – Step-Down UnitJun 2016 - Feb 2019

Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital, Houston, TX

Managed a caseload of 5–6 pediatric step-down patients per shift, coordinating care for post-operative oncology and cardiac patients and contributing to a 22% reduction in average length of stay through proactive discharge planning.
Initiated a pain-assessment education program for parents of post-surgical patients, increasing caregiver confidence scores on Press Ganey surveys from 71 to 88 out of 100 within 6 months.
Collaborated with a 12-member interdisciplinary team to implement a sepsis early-warning checklist, cutting time-to-antibiotic administration by an average of 38 minutes across 200+ sepsis alerts.

Graduate Pediatric NurseAug 2015 - May 2016

Houston Methodist Hospital – Pediatrics, Houston, TX

Completed a 10-month new-graduate residency rotating through general pediatrics, pediatric ED, and NICU, developing competency in 40+ clinical skills validated by preceptor evaluation.
Administered medication safely to a daily average of 8 patients across age groups from premature neonates to 17-year-olds, maintaining a zero medication-error record throughout the residency.
Participated in a quality-improvement project that standardized hand-off communication using SBAR, reducing post-shift incident reports by 19% over the residency cohort.

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