David Saddler, R.N., B.S.N.

Education

Neumann College - Aston, Pennsylvania

Employment

Laura's Adult Family Home.   From 1998 to December of 2003, I was a partner in the ownership and management of Laura's Adult Family Home, a licensed adult family home in University Place, Washington. In this home, emphasis is placed on respecting client dignity and providing a therapeutic environment that encourages as much reconstitution as possible, as well as keeping the clients comfortable.

Home Health Specialists,  Media, Pennsylvania.   As a Home Health Nurse, I provided professional nursing care to patients in their home; i.e., ventilatory dependent adult and pediatric clients. Under the direction of Holly Smeekens, R.N., who owned the agency, I was given the opportunity to work closely with many families. Many of these clients required 24 hour professional nursing care.

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  As a registered nurse assigned to Silverstein 12 Surgical Nursing, I specialized in treating a variety of post- surgical clients including post-abdominal surgery patients. This assignment was an invaluable experience as it gave me a great deal of exposure to a wide variety of medical-surgical nursing scenarios.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  As a registered nurse, I was assigned to the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center which specialized in the care of acute spinal cord injury patients as well as other patients in need of rehabilitation. This was my first hospital experience as a professional nurse and it was an unforgettable and wonderful experience. Even though the environment was very stressful, it was a great beginning for my career as a registered nurse.

Manor Care at Devon,  Devon, Pennsylvania.  At this facility, I provided professional nursing care for patients in Personal Care and Assisted Living. This was my first nursing position after graduating from Neumann College. It was a unique experience in that I had a great deal of autonomy and a very large number of clients. In retrospect, I may have stayed at this facility if I did not want to move on and obtain experience working in a hospital.

Temple University Hospital,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  It was at Temple University Hospital where I had the privilege to be in the Nurse Extern Program. I was able to work alongside registered nurses on the Neurological Medical-Surgical Nursing Unit while I was in my junior year in my B.S.N. program. This assignment was without a doubt a great addition to my education and gave me on-site experience and insight as to what I could expect as a registered nurse. Also, by working with professional nurses, I was able to get first hand knowledge as to how important it was to be part of a nursing team.

Bayada Nurses,  Media, Pennsylvania.  At Bayada I worked as a Home Health Aide which entailed my going to clients' homes and assisting them in their activities of daily living. This was my first experience with going into the home of a client. It is interesting to note that one of my clients had been a quadriplegic for 20 years. In addition to this family, all the families of all the clients that I visited demonstrated incredible spiritual fortitude.

Granite Farms Estates,  Lima, Pennsylvania.  At this facility I was employed as a Certified Nursing Assistant. This facility was a skilled nursing unit which almost exclusively provided care to clients who had been living in the private residential apartments on the estate. As with my first nursing assistant position, I gained a great deal of practical experience in the use of my basic nursing skills.

Chester Care Center,  Chester, Pennsylvania.  This was my first experience with taking care of clients in a skilled nursing facility. As a Certified Nursing Assistant, I worked with the nursing staff and provided a safe and compassionate environment. To this day, I remember many of my experiences while working at Chester Care Center. I started working at the center during my first year in my B.S.N. program. As rewarding an experience as it was, it was difficult for me to maintain a high degree of excellence in the nursing program and do shift work in a skilled nursing facility. Nonetheless, I have never regretted having worked at this facility as it was my first glimpse at the challenges that come with choosing a career in nursing.

Honors and Accomplishments

Licensed Registered Nurse in Washington and Pennsylvania, Cum Laude Graduate and a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society.

Volunteer Experience

Apheresis Donor for the American Red Cross and a Member of the National Marrow Donor Program

References

Available upon request.