Kris Whitted
Elizabeth
Summary
Well-rounded, experienced clinician with over 34 years in nursing, specializing in critical care. Dual National Board Certification as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and a Family Nurse Practitioner, CCRN certified. Highly experienced in the management of complex, critically ill patients at a large teaching hospital. Known for strong critical thinking and adaptability, with experience in unit-based management of nursing staff and hospital wide quality improvement initiatives.
Overview
34
34
years of professional experience
7
7
Certifications
Work History
Critical Care Nurse Practitioner
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Aurora
10.2025 - Current
- Provide comprehensive care and management for critically ill patients in a fast-paced medical intensive care unit.
- Collaborate closely with ICU attending physicians, fellows, residents, and interns, as well as multiple specialty providers, to provide high-quality patient care.
- Participate in morbidity and mortality rounds to evaluate the quality of care delivered, identify contributing factors to adverse outcomes, and collaborate on solutions to improve care processes, clinical timing, and patient outcomes.
Critical Care Nurse Practitioner
Colorado Pulmonary Intensivists
Littleton
07.2015 - 07.2025
- Provide comprehensive care and management for critically ill or injured patients in a fast-paced, mixed-specialty ICU.
- Worked closely with ICU administration and nursing leadership to develop rounding tools to assist in the concise, streamlined delivery of information to enhance communication.
Nurse Practitioner, Surgical ICU
Denver VA Medical Center
Denver
11.2014 - 07.2015
- Provided comprehensive care and management of critically ill postoperative surgical patients.
- Collaborated closely with ICU attendings, fellows and residents to provide high quality care.
Trauma Nurse Practitioner
Flagstaff Medical Center
Flagstaff
12.2012 - 11.2014
- Provided comprehensive care and management of critically injured patients at a Level 1 trauma center in collaboration with surgeons and residents.
Nurse Practitioner, Orthopedic Unit
Swedish Medical Center
Englewood
08.2011 - 11.2012
- Provided management of acute pain and changes in clinical condition in postoperative surgical patients.
- Coordinated with multiple therapy and ancillary disciplines, resulting in increased efficiency, decreased length of stay, and improved patient and nurse satisfaction.
- Acted as a resource to patients, families, and staff, providing pre-operative and post-operative education, and helped facilitate patient throughput and discharge planning.
- Responsible for ensuring compliance with Surgical Core Measures and CMS guidelines for orthopedic patients, ensuring full regulatory compliance.
- Utilizing evidence-based care for a vulnerable population, I assisted in the development of a new Senior Fragility Fracture Program and Delirium Protocol, resulting in improved patient, nurse, and physician satisfaction.
RN, Relief Charge Nurse, ICU
Swedish Medical Center
Englewood
06.1992 - 11.2012
- Supervised nursing staff in Intensive Care Unit to ensure adequate staffing and compliance with care standards.
- Addressed concerns promptly to facilitate issue resolution.
- Participated in annual evaluations of staff performance to uphold quality standards.
- Contributed as member of Organ and Tissue Donation committee, serving one year as Chairperson. Responsibilities included review of established policies/procedures, and acted as designated requestor.
- Contributed as a member of the Unit-Based Council, helping to develop unit-wide standards of care, ongoing education, and team building.
- Acted as a preceptor and mentor for new-hire ICU RNs.
- Participated as committee member supporting efforts in optimizing hospital documentation toward achieving Magnet status designation.
Surgical Core Measures Nurse Practitioner
Swedish Medical Center
Englewood
03.2010 - 08.2011
- Innovative program developer responsible for creating a new monitoring program, resulting in an increase in Surgical Core Measures compliance to the top 10th percentile of HQA/Joint Commission averages and above state averages within 2 months.
- Ensured compliance with Surgical Core Measures and CMS regulations for surgical patients hospital-wide, coordinating with multiple departments, surgeons, and nursing staff, resulting in successful updates of procedures, documentation, and adherence to Surgical Core Measures.
Education
Post-Masters Certificate - Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
CSU-Pueblo
Pueblo, CO07-2011
Master of Science - Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner
Regis University
Denver, CO06-2006
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, CO06-1992
Skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Clinical judgment
- Communication with patients, families, providers, and ancillary departments
- Compliance auditing
- Quality improvement
- Training and mentoring
- Conflict resolution
- Program evaluation
- Patient advocacy
- Policy adherence
- Attention to detail
Certification
Board Certified Acute Care Nurse Practitioner 2011-present
Accomplishments
West Metro Fire Departments 911 Hero Award for lifesaving efforts in the Deer Creek Middle School shootings; April 2010
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Critical Care Nurse Practitioner
University of Colorado School of Medicine
10.2025 - Current
Critical Care Nurse Practitioner
Colorado Pulmonary Intensivists
07.2015 - 07.2025
Nurse Practitioner, Surgical ICU
Denver VA Medical Center
11.2014 - 07.2015
Trauma Nurse Practitioner
Flagstaff Medical Center
12.2012 - 11.2014
Nurse Practitioner, Orthopedic Unit
Swedish Medical Center
08.2011 - 11.2012
Surgical Core Measures Nurse Practitioner
Swedish Medical Center
03.2010 - 08.2011
RN, Relief Charge Nurse, ICU
Swedish Medical Center
06.1992 - 11.2012
Post-Masters Certificate - Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
CSU-Pueblo
Master of Science - Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner
Regis University
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
University of Northern Colorado