OSWEGO – January 2, 2024, With lives on the line and every second counts, former EMS and paramedic professional and now Intensive Care Nurse at Oswego Health, Kristopher Ferrara RN, is the first within the organization to become a Certified Rapid Response Healthcare Professional (CRRP).
Working in EMS for nearly 22 years and as a paramedic for 13, Ferrara was looking for another way to serve and give back even more to the community he grew up in, so he pursued the career of becoming a Registered Nurse. At Oswego Health he found his true calling as a Registered Nurse in the ICU.
Given his background, Ferrara was very interested in enhancing his skills further and sought out training that would allow him to be more effective as a rapid-response teammate and help patients through a crisis.
Oswego Health is proud to share that Ferrara is now a Certified Rapid Response Healthcare Professional. Oswego Health implemented a Rapid Response Team several years ago, however, Ferrara is the first employee to become certified in this life-saving technique.
As part of the comprehensive training, Ferrara gained new clinical insights and critical thinking skills, as well as understanding how to better spot the early signs of a clinically deteriorating patient. Studies show that patients typically demonstrate signs of deterioration up to 12 hours before they go into arrest. Ferrara’s new training will help him better respond to emergency situations. And since a rapid response team is designed to recognize those signs and intervene early, it’s logical to expect better outcomes and more lives saved.
Director of Oswego Health’s ICU, Sarah Morse, BSN, RN, CCRN commented, “We are so proud of Kris for seeking out this additional training and bringing these new skills back to our team. Together, we are more prepared for the unknown and the next patient emergency.”
Ferrara is also starting his BSN in January 2024 through the support of the Oswego Health Tuition Assistance Program as he hopes to focus more on palliative care in the future.
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About Oswego Health:
The mission of Oswego Health is to provide accessible, quality care and improve the health of residents throughout Oswego County. As a nonprofit healthcare system established in 1881, Oswego Health is proud to continue to be one of Oswego County’s largest employers. More than 1,200 employees spread throughout its 17 locations, work for the Oswego Health system, which includes the 132-bed community Oswego Hospital, a 32-bed psychiatric acute-care facility with multiple outpatient behavioral health service locations, The Manor at Seneca Hill, a 120-bed skilled nursing facility, and Springside at Seneca Hill, an independent retirement community. The health system also operates Oswego Health Home Care, the only hospital-based certified home healthcare agency in the County as well as two outpatient centers, including the Fulton Medical Center, offering urgent care, lab, medical imaging, physical therapy, and occupational health services, and the Central Square Medical Center, offering urgent care, lab, medical imaging, and physical therapy services. In addition, Oswego Health includes the Oswego Health captive professional corporation, Physician Care P.C., providing physician services in orthopedics, cardiology, ENT, gastroenterology, breast care, audiology, general surgery, bariatrics, urology, and primary care. For more information about Oswego Health visit www.oswegohealth.org.
