Taja Russell
LCMC Health- University Medical Center Emergency Department - Behavioral Health
NEWORLEANS
1
Certification
14
years of professional experience
Compassionate and dedicated Registered Nurse with experience in behavioral health emergency nursing, ED care, and rehabilitation. Skilled in patient assessments, interdisciplinary coordination, and delivering safe, evidence based care in fast-paced environments. A team player whom serves as both a charge nurse and preceptor, training newly hired unit nurses, supporting unit operations, and fostering a collaborative team culture. Brings a strong clinical foundation built through progressive roles within LCMC Health, demonstrating critical thinking, communication, crisis intervention, and leadership skills. Committed to promoting patient safety, improving quality outcomes, and providing compassionate care to diverse patient populations.
Work History
RN Staff Nurse
1 Year- Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate patient care based on the standards of care and policies.
- Delegates to professional and non-professional personnel involved in the delivery of care.
- Facilitate and maintain a safe environment for patients and others with a specialty in wound care treatment and prevention.
- Performed priority technical procedures for the department safely and effectively.
- Actively promotes improvement initiatives by consistently implementing infection control practices, maintaining the environment of care consistent with Joint Commission requirements and participating in quality improvement activities and review/audit processes.
Nurse Technician Senior
1 Year 3 Months- Assists in maintaining a neat and organized environment, thus promoting efficient patient care, parent/patient satisfaction, and overall safety of patients, visitors, and staff.
- Demonstrates appropriate use of standard precautions when delivering patient care or using appropriate isolation techniques for patients requiring isolation.
- Lifts, moves or transfers patients utilizing proper body mechanics to prevent self-injury or injury to others.
- Assists nursing staff with patient transport, repositioning, and transfer of patients. Obtains and uses appropriately-sized stretchers based on patient's age and developmental level.
- Utilizes side rails and/or restraints according to policy and based on stage of growth and development.
- Use appropriate safety measures to prevent injury.
- Provides oversight for patients in the holding area.
Clinical Preceptorship – Emergency Department
2 Months- Completed a 120-hour senior nursing preceptorship in the Emergency Department under the supervision of a registered nurse preceptor.
- Provided direct patient care by performing patient assessments, monitoring vital signs, administering medications, assisting with wound care, collecting specimens, and documenting care in the electronic health record (EHR).
- Assisted in the care of patients presenting with acute illnesses, traumatic injuries, and medical emergencies in a fast-paced, high-acuity environment.
- Collaborated with registered nurses, physicians, and interdisciplinary healthcare team members to prioritize patient care and support timely interventions.
- Strengthened clinical judgment, critical thinking, communication, and time management skills while delivering safe, compassionate, evidence-based nursing care.
- 120 Clinical Hours
Patient Care Technician Certified
2 Years 1 Month- Assist in collection of data used for assessment of patients' conditions as assigned, including vital signs, weights, blood glucose monitoring, I&O, etc.
- Assist with the patient hygiene, nutrition and personal care needs and patient-related tasks.
- Maintain and advocate a safe environment for everyone.
- Complete patient rounding in accordance with patient assignments and schedule to drive patient satisfaction and safety.
Student Information Systems Coordinator (SIS)
4 Months- Achieves 100% Projected Enrollment by the first day of school
- Executes student recruitment efforts that target families with school-aged children within the district of the school
- Ensures all new families are effectively on-boarded
- Hosts information sessions for interested families and new applicants
- Paper attendance process solidified 2 weeks prior to school beginning
- Student enrollment reconciliation process solidified 2 weeks prior to school beginning
- Enrollment goal is consistently hit every week after the first week of school
- Complies with all federal and state student registration requirements throughout the enrollment process
- Monitors and reviews with APO, parent, and student feedback, particularly as it relates to non-instructional services and support
- All records requests fulfilled within 10 days of student registration
- Partner and collaborate with key stakeholders including the ELL Coordinator, 504 Coordinator, HQ SPED Clerk, and special education teachers
- Complete cumulative folders
- Paper rosters for HR
- Enrollment numbers are verified prior to the daily enrollment calls
- Assist with lunch/recess duty
- Answer telephones
- Make copies
- Monitor classes
- Other related duties as required.
HIM Specialist
2 Years 9 Months- Manages and maintains various HIM databases.
- Resolves error queues and/or issues identified through reporting and feedback.
- Maintains the integrity of the system through monitoring and auditing functions.
- Provides transcription support.
- Coordinates all aspects of forms management.
- Manages trending and reporting.
- Serves as Health Information Department resource.
- Adapts behavior to the specific patient population, including but not limited to: respect for privacy, method of introduction to the patient, adapting explanation of services or procedures to be performed, requesting permissions and communication style.
- Other related duties as required.
HIM Medical Records Intern
3 Months- Answer telephones.
- Fax and email documents to hospitals, clinics, and SNF.
- Create deficiency sheets for deficient charts.
- Create deficiency reports.
- Keep knowledge of daily census, admit & discharge patients, and patient demographics using Meditech.
- Submit LTRAX to CMS (evaluation of admits & discharge patients required for LT Care Facilities).
- Send request for records to MRO.
- Process Internal and External records request.
- Observe monthly chart audits.
- Complete patient chart analysis and reanalysis.
- Daily scanning of patient records to outsource coders.
- Complete management of charts on unit floors.
- Create consult logs for physician consults.
Human Resource Analyst B
2 Years 6 Months- Process the full range of personnel and payroll actions needed to complete appointments, merit increases, promotions, transfers, separations, etc.
- Compute routine pay changes. May compute service time of employees as required. Verifies accuracy of information and makes needed corrections.
- Process all benefits and retirement applications and handle all follow-ups.
- Provide general, basic explanation of employee benefit programs and advises employees of various options available under some programs. Reviews benefits documents for accuracy and completeness; forwards to appropriate office.
- Post job openings on Acrew.
- Provide induction documents to new employees, providing guidance and a general overview of each document; follows up to ensure new employee timely completes all required forms.
- Review position descriptions for accuracy of organizational information. Contacts employees, supervisors, managers, and/or directors and any other necessary staff to elicit corrections or resolve minor conflicts in information presented.
- Supervise 3 student workers a semester.
- Review files on a routine basis to ensure that current descriptions are maintained for all positions.
- Participate in salary surveys and other research needed to support requests for special pay actions.
- Provide grievance forms and routine procedural instructions to employees.
- Collect and compiles statistical data required to prepare reports.
- Provide assistance to agency personnel on routine or limited Civil Service rules, Federal and State laws, and department policies and procedures in assigned areas.
- Schedule interviews. Accepts and screens applications. Verifies eligibility of selected applicants.
- Assist supervisors and managers by providing routine information relative to the performance appraisal system. Provides notification of deadlines for completion of appraisal process and follows up to ensure target dates are met.
- Schedule employees for required training courses. Monitors and maintains records of completed course work.
Medicaid Analyst 2
1 Year 5 Months- Conduct telephone interviews with clients and make other necessary contact for verification in determining initial or continuing eligibility for Medicaid Programs.
- Examine application packets for timeliness, completeness, and appropriateness prior to authorization of reimbursement.
- Attend community outreach events.
- Deploy to disaster shelters during natural disaster.
- Make decisions on complex eligibility factors and determines level of benefits for federal and state funded programs.
- Contact hospitals and medical offices to obtain medical records and medical bills.
- Verify income and resource eligibility for Medicare premium payments.
- Spend down medical bills.
- Interpret and applies complex federal, state, and agency policies for each program.
- Conduct special investigations and compiles reports concerning fraud and location of absent parents.
- Counsel and refers potentially eligible recipients or applicants to other agencies.
- Contact individuals, companies, and businesses, local state and federal agencies as needed to obtain or to verify information. Record findings, recommendations, and services provided.
- Complete case record forms and necessary correspondence in connection with assigned cases.
- Assist Customer Service Unit on call.
Medicaid Analyst 1
1 Year- Conduct telephone interviews with clients and make other necessary contact for verification in determining initial or continuing eligibility for Medicaid Programs.
- Examine application packets for timeliness, completeness, and appropriateness prior to authorization of reimbursement.
- Attend community outreach events.
- Deploy to disaster shelters during natural disaster.
- Make decisions on complex eligibility factors and determines level of benefits for federal and state funded programs.
- Contact hospitals and medical offices to obtain medical records and medical bills.
- Verify income and resource eligibility for Medicare premium payments.
- Spend down medical bills.
- Interpret and applies complex federal, state, and agency policies for each program.
- Conduct special investigations and compiles reports concerning fraud and location of absent parents.
- Counsel and refers potentially eligible recipients or applicants to other agencies.
- Contact individuals, companies, and businesses, local state and federal agencies as needed to obtain or to verify information. Record findings, recommendations, and services provided.
- Completes case record forms and necessary correspondence in connection with assigned cases.
Psych Counselor
2 Years 1 Month- Assist in the care of patients, this includes assisting the nurses in several hospital units, ranging from responding to patient mental trauma, irregular patient behavior related to eating disorder, child adolescence problem solutions, dual diagnosis alcohol and drug abuse, and adult psychiatry.
- Conduct individual and group workshops.
- Participate in patient and family teaching.
- Work cooperatively with other patient care personnel in maintaining a high level of quality service to patients of all ages found within the scope of services.
- Respond to psychiatric codes.
- Escort patients off campus appointments.
- Assist patients with bathing and hygiene.
- Lift and carry up to 50 pounds; pushing and pulling more than 100 pounds.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
Bachelor of Science - Health Information Management
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology
Magna cum Laude
Skills
Hardware: Handheld electronics
Office equipment
Desktop
and Laptop computers
Software: EPIC
Microsoft Office
Banner
Adobe
10-key
typing 65 WPM
etc.
Certification
- Basic Life Support Health Care Provider (CPR, BLS) - American Heart Association American Heart Association, 07/30/2026 - 07/31/2028
- Non-Violent Crisis Prevention (CPI, NCI-CPI) - Crisis Prevention Institute Crisis Prevention Institute, 10/04/2024 - 10/04/2026
- Registered Nursing License (RN) - Louisiana State Board Of Nursing Louisiana State Board Of Nursing, 08/04/2025 01/31/2028
Timeline
RN Staff Nurse
LCMC Health- University Medical Center Emergency Department - Behavioral Health
08.2025 - CurrentRead More
Clinical Preceptorship – Emergency Department
LCMC Health – East Jefferson General Hospital
02.2025 - 04.2025Read More
Nurse Technician Senior
LCMC Health- University Medical Center Emergency Department
05.2024 - 08.2025Read More
Patient Care Technician Certified
LCMC Health- Touro Spinal Cord Injury Rehab
04.2022 - 05.2024Read More
Student Information Systems Coordinator (SIS)
Idea Public Schools
01.2022 - 05.2022Read More
HIM Specialist
Ochsner Health System
04.2019 - 01.2022Read More
HIM Medical Records Intern
Curahealth New Orleans
01.2019 - 04.2019Read More
Human Resource Analyst B
Southern University at New Orleans
10.2016 - 04.2019Read More
Medicaid Analyst 2
State of Louisiana/ DHH-Medical Vendor Administration
04.2015 - 09.2016Read More
Medicaid Analyst 1
State of Louisiana/DHH-Medical Vendor Administration
04.2014 - 04.2015Read More
Psych Counselor
River Oaks Hospital
03.2012 - 04.2014Read More
Southern University at New Orleans
Bachelor of Arts from Psychology
Read More
Southern University at New Orleans
Bachelor of Science from Health Information Management
Read More
Chamberlain University
Bachelor of Science from Nursing
Read More