CURRICULUM VITAE Mary H. Zuccaro, MSN, ARNP, ACHPN 2658 East Alluvial Avenue #121 Fresno, CA 93720 559.365.5069 maryznp@gmail.com EDUCATION 1968-1970: San Jose State University, San Jose, California Major: Tutorials in Letters and Science Honors Program Semester abroad: Montecapanno, Italy (Spring, 1970) 1975-1976: University of California, Santa Cruz, California Major: Psychology Minor: Women s Studies Degree: BA 1984-1986: Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Major: Nursing Degree: ADN Hahnemann Hospital Assn. Award for Outstanding Student in Nursing Program Distinguished Service Award, School of Allied Health Professions 2003-2004: West Liberty State College, West Liberty, West Virginia Major: Nursing Degree: BSN (Cum Laude) Eastern Star Scholarship awarded upon graduation by BSN faculty 1 of 6 pages
2004 to 2006: Franciscan University, Steubenville, OH Major: Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner Degree: MSN 2008, 2012: National Board for Certification of Hospice & Palliative Nurses Certified Hospice & Palliative Nurse Practitioner (ACHPN) PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 2011 to present: VISN 21 Palliative Care Program Manager, Sierra Pacific Network, Fresno, CA Monitor and support six palliative care programs in Veterans Administration hospital inpatient units and nursing facilities for Veterans Integrated Services Network #21: central and northern California, northwestern Nevada, and the Pacific Islands. Accountabilities include: technical assistance for palliative care program development, assisting with building infrastructure to support program sustainability, clinical mentoring for nursing staff, including advance practice nurses, analyzing performance measure results, supporting regulatory compliance and quality improvement projects, and supporting outreach to community hospice and palliative care partners to form Hospice Veteran Partnerships throughout the VISN. Results: Contributed Key Words at Key Times as an intervention tool for the VA National Implementation Toolkit to improve family satisfaction with end of life care in VA inpatient facilities. Featured in national VA Satellite Conference with filmed and live interviews, April- May 2012. The KWAKT tool was identified by national VA experts as one of five (out of 29) high impact tools to be tested in 41 VA national grant-funded QI projects 2012-13. Selected to present KWAKT tool for Annual Assembly of AAHPM & HPNA 2013. Approach to VA Bereaved Family Survey data analysis and QI featured as the VA national July 2012 Success Story by the VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion: http://www.cherp.research.va.gov/promise/newsbriefs/julysuccess.asp Appointed Project Leader for VA Bereaved Family Survey ICARE & Serious Illness National Work Group 2012-13. Supervisor: Dr. Mary Anne Johnson, VISN 21 Chief Medical Officer 2009 to 2011: Facilities Program Manager, Hospice of the Valley, San Jose, CA Overall responsibility for Facilities Program (skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities). Scheduling and case management assignments. Served as a mentor to nursing staff. Performed field supervisory visits for evaluation of nursing staff. QAPI responsibilities included participating in the planning and establishment of clinical quality improvement indicators, implementing clinical quality improvement interventions. Assisted in development of clinical policies, procedures and protocols. Led Interdisciplinary Team meetings and provided care plan oversight. Performed chart audits and reviews of medication profiles. Utilized nurse practitioner expertise in evaluating patients for hospice eligibility and serving as a clinical resource for facility staff. Served as a clinical resource to Transitions (palliative care) program. Collateral responsibility for supervising 17 hospice aides. Supervisor: Christine O Connor, Chief of Clinical Operations 2 of 6 pages
2008 to 2009: Admissions Services Manager, Hospice of Santa Cruz County, Scotts Valley, CA Duties: Responsible for the direction and management of outreach/marketing, intake, and admissions functions. Served as a member of the clinical leadership team, responsible for the direction and management of clinical services across all functions. Supervised, trained staff for Transitions outpatient palliative care program. Temporary position until Transitions could be expanded to include nurse practitioner to provide pain and symptom management consultations. Supervisor: Judy Land O Brien, Patient Care Manager 2006 to 2008: Director of Palliative Care Consultations, Valley Hospice, Inc., Rayland, OH Duties: Created, implemented, and marketed a palliative care program serving the needs of patients in outpatient settings. Collaborated with physicians and nursing facilities to provide palliative care consultations for patients living with chronic progressive illness who were not eligible for hospice or who did not choose it. Consults to provide expertise in quality of life assessment, pain and symptom management, advance care planning, and treatment goal clarification. Editor of bi-monthly palliative care newsletter; leadership team and CQI responsibilities. Supervisor: Cynthia Bougher, BSN, RN, Chief Operating Officer 2004 through 2005: Admission Team Director, Valley Hospice, Inc., Steubenville, OH Duties: Supervised day-to-day operations, including a team of five nurses and a referral center coordinator. Provided ongoing training to support clinical decision-making and effective communications with referral sources, patients, and families. Leadership team responsibilities included customer service training for all new hires, CQI projects and task forces, manager on call duty, statistical reporting, and chart audits. Clinical duties included providing cancer pain consultations. Clinical education duties included providing pain and symptom management training for all new clinical staff and annual inservices for RNs in ten local hospitals. Supervisor: Cynthia Bougher, BSN, RN, Chief Operating Officer 1996 to 2004: Palliative Care Educator, Valley Hospice, Inc., Wheeling, WV Duties: Educate health care professionals about hospice, palliative care, Valley Hospice services; liaison to 100 physician practices; editor of bi-monthly palliative care newsletter (circulation 1500); worked with interdisciplinary teams to address patient care issues; admissions nurse; annual inservices for RNs in six area hospitals; community education. Supervisor: Cynthia Bougher, BSN, RN, Vice President of Program Operations 1992-1994: Staff Nurse, The Alliance, Madison, Wisconsin Duties: Conducted health risk appraisals; worksite wellness presentations; staffed prenatal hotline; liaison to health care providers. Supervisor: Cheryl DeMars, MSW, Director of Education & Advocacy Dept. 1994: Patient Education Consultant, University of Wisconsin Medical School Wrote and edited patient education materials for HEART Research Trial Supervisor: Dr. Patrick MacBride 3 of 6 pages
1991-1994: Technical Writer, Center for Substance Abuse Prev., Bethesda, MD Duties: Synthesized and summarized committee reviewer reports and comments for evaluations of grant applications. Supervisor: Stanley Kusnetz 1991: Staff Nurse, Taylor Manor Psychiatric Hospital, Ellicott City, MD Duties: Routine patient care in a therapeutic milieu. Supervisor: Henri Zepp, RN 1989-1992: Hospital Education Instructor, St. Agnes Hospital, Baltimore, MD Duties: Program designer, instructor for smoking cessation and weight control classes. Supervisor: Lynette Reagan MEMBERSHIPS Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association since 1999 National Council of Hospice and Palliative Care Professionals 1997-2008 National Hospice Work Group 2006-2008 PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES California RN Licensure, NP Licensure, and Furnishing Number Advanced Practice Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (ACHPN) Community Visioning Task Force, West Virginia Initiative to Improve End of Life Care (past member) Palliative Care Team Task Force, West Virginia Initiative to Improve End of Life Care and Ohio Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (past member) Ohio Hospice Veterans Partnership, Ohio Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (past member) Created Ohio Valley Partnership for Caring, a community coalition to improve end of life care in the Ohio Valley, 2000-2001 RN reviewer for RN CEU programs by Northwestern Area Agency on Aging, 2005-2006 Hospice-Veterans Partnership, Ohio Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (2006-2007) Ethics Committee, Belmont Community Hospital (2007-2008) Steering Committee of Ohio Hospice & Palliative Care Organization Palliative Care Task Force (2008) Pain Committee, Trinity Health System Hospitals (2008) ELNEC for Veterans Trainer, 2011 EPEC for Veterans Trainer, 2011 Strategic planning consultant to VA National Hospice/Palliative Care Program, 2011 and 2012 National Project Leader, VA National Bereaved Family Survey-ICARE Work Group, 2012, 2013 Hospital Ethics Committee, Central California Health Care System (Fresno, VAMC), 2012 4 of 6 pages
PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS Symptom Management at End of Life presented at Ohio Valley Medical Center, Wheeling, WV, September, 2000 Palliative Care and Making Good Decisions presented at Northwestern Area Agency on Aging, Fairmont, WV, October 2001 Opioids and Pain Management: What Do Nurses Know Now? presented at East Ohio Regional Hospital, Martins Ferry, Ohio December 2001 End of Life Issues presented at Bishop Hodges Continuous Care Center, Wheeling, WV, July 2001 Keynote Speaker, WV Nursing Association District 3, 12 th Annual Nursing Trends Symposium, Nursing Care at the End of Life Parkersburg, WV March 9, 2002 End of Life Care: Including Pain Management presented at East Ohio Regional Hospital, April, 2002 Pain and symptom management training for new palliative care teams: Sistersville Center, Sistersville, WV, March, 2002 Willows Center, Parkersburg, WV, April, 2002 Camden Clark Medical Center, Parkersburg, WV, August, 2002 Wheeling Hospital, Wheeling, WV, August, 2002 Community outreach project: How To Talk With Your Doctor About Pain profiled as a West Virginia statewide project in Means to a Better End: A Report on Dying in America Today, November 2002 Caring Well a class for lay caregivers, Jefferson Community College, 2003 The Undertreatment of Pain: Is it An Elder Abuse Issue? presented at WV Governor s Summit, Wheeling, WV, 2003 and at Adult Day Services Assn. Tri-State Symposium, Chester, WV, 2004 A Pain Management Approach to Hospice Marketing presented at Annual National Hospice Work Group Business Development Conference, Denver, CO, 2005 Respecting Choices: Advance Care Planning Facilitator Training 2-day training presented at Altenheim Resource Center, 2005 Respecting Choices: Advance Care Planning Facilitator Training 2-day training presented at East Ohio Regional Hospital, 2006 Legacy of Preparation: Advance Care Planning presented at Altenheim Resource Center, Wheeling, WV, 2006 Pain Management at End of Life: the Case of Johnny Doe presented at 2007 Advanced Pharmacology Update, Oglebay Resort Conference Center, Wheeling, WV, 2007 5 of 6 pages
Annual in-services presented at Valley Hospice contracted hospitals: Palliative Care Update Communicating With Dying Patients and Families ELNEC Module 1: Nursing Care at End of Life ELNEC Module 2: Pain Management at End of Life ELNEC Module 3: Symptom Management at End of Life Enhancing Nursing Practice Through Complementary and Alternative Therapies Using Key Words at Key Times: Therapeutic Communication for Nursing Assistants multiple presentations at VA Community Living Centers in Menlo Park, CA, Livermore, CA, Reno, NV, 2011 End of Life Care: A Gift for the Veteran and the Caregiver poster presentation at National Palliative Care Nursing Assistant Leadership Conference, Orlando, FL, 2011 End of Life Pain Management for Veterans: Myths vs. Reality webinar presentation sponsored by California Hospice & Palliative Care Association, 2011 VA Faculty, We Honor Veterans Summit, NHPCO/CHAPCA Annual Clinical Team Conference, San Diego, CA, October, 2011 ELNEC for Veterans: Introduction to Palliative Nursing Care multiple presentations for VA Medical Centers in Fresno, CA and Palo Alto, CA, 2011, 2012, 2013 Presenter for national VA end of life care quality improvement webinars: Looking for the Bright Spots, Applying the Principles of Switch to BFS-QI, January, 2012 Using Key Words at Key Times: Planning Communication as a Comfort Measure May, 2012 GPS for Bereaved Family Survey Analysis, June, 2012 Strategic Sustainability: How Do BFS QI Projects Fit into Strategic Planning? August 2012 Supporting Family Caregivers Through End of Life Considerations webinar continuing education presentation sponsored by VA National Family Care Giver Support Program and VA Talent Management System, 2013 EDITORIAL ACTIVITIES Designer, editor of RxValley Hospice, a bi-monthly newsletter for health care professionals (circulation 1500) 2000-2008 Designer, webmaster for www.valleyhospice.org 2000-2001 Columnist, hospice and palliative care nursing specialty for West Virginia Nurse 2005 Revised February 2013 6 of 6 pages