Elais Ponton, MSN, BSN, RN
Elais Poton, MSN, BSN, RN is Chief Nursing Officer at Nurses with Heart. Currently, she is pursuing her Doctorate of Nursing Practice and holds a Master of Science In Nursing, Care Coordination Specialty, Capella University 2021, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, British Columbia Institute of Technology 2011, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Minor in Anthropology, University of British Columbia 2008.
Elais Ponton started her educational path at the University of British Columbia, where she earned a BA in Psychology and Anthropology. During that time, she worked in an audiology lab, running studies on infants and adults, inspiring her to apply to a nursing program. Elais graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the British Columbia Institute of Technology, specializing in home health care and wound care. Since then, she has worked as a Registered Nurse in high-acuity hospital settings, community hospice, and home health, including being a founder of Nurses With Heart Home Care in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After going back to school and earning a Master of Science in Nursing with a focus on care coordination, she decided to pursue her Doctorate in Nursing Practice, with the goals of not only furthering her own practice, but to continue to enhance the offerings of Nurses With Heart and better serve our community as a nurse. Elais is currently the Chief Nursing Officer of Nurses With Heart Home Care. She has co-founded the Nurses With Heart Education Center, where she teaches CPR and prospective Certified Nursing Assistants. In her “spare” time, Elais serves as a commission member on the Santa Fe Women’s Commission, volunteers at the Silver Horizons senior food pantry, and enjoys long trail runs with her dog Oliver and the occasional ultramarathon.
ELAIS PONTON MSN, BSN, RN
EDUCATION
Doctorate of Nursing Practice, Capella University In Progress
Masters of Science In Nursing, Care Coordination Specialty, Capella University 2021
Bachelor of Science in Nursing, British Columbia Institute of Technology 2011
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Minor in Anthropology, University of British Columbia 2008
EXPERIENCE
PROGRAM DIRECTOR, NURSES WITH HEART EDUCATION CENTER
SANTA FE, NM 2023 - PRESENT
• Oversees all administrative and educational aspects of the Certified Nursing Assistant program
and CPR BLS training
• Provides classroom, laboratory, and/or clinical instruction to students
• Prepares for each learning experience; prepares, maintains, and updates lesson plans; develops
and prepares methods to evaluate student performance; prepares laboratory to provide
demonstrations and hands-on experience as appropriate; orders supplemental materials to
enhance textbook lessons as appropriate
• Serves as a liaison between education programs and clinical agencies as appropriate
• Develops and prepares tests to evaluate student performance; proctors tests; grades and records
individual scores; evaluates student performance in laboratory/clinical when applicable
• Serves as academic advisor and counselor, assists in registration of students and maintains
advisee files, provides individual assistance to students outside of classroom as appropriate
• Participates in the development, implementation, and evaluation of curriculum and/or courses
CHIEF NURSING OFFICER, NURSES WITH HEART HOME CARE
SANTA FE, NM 2010 - PRESENT
• Home health care, home care, and long term community care nurse
• Monitors patients’ vital signs
• Administers medication via IV/PO/SQ/IM
• Performs wound care & dressing changes, including VAC dressings & PICC line dressing changes
• Executes goals & objectives for implementing effective home health care following the
requirements of the New Mexico Department of Health
• Assists patients with bathing, dressing, grooming, transferring (gait belt & hoyer lift), & ambulation
• Assists clients and their families with end-of-life care management
• Educates patients and their families on disease processes, wound care, and medication
• Completes case management, nursing visits, client and family education
• Supervises and manages day-to-day business management, including billing, invoicing, payroll,
and marketing
• Hires, trains, supervises & organizes caregiver, CNA, LPN, & RN staff, including supervisory visits
2848 CALLE PRINCES JUANA, SANTA FE, NM 87507
TEL 505-699-8138 EMAIL [email protected]
• Develops and delivers monthly educational in-services on a variety of clinical and behavioral topics
using technological and hands-on teaching methods
• Establishes community partnerships through:
• Collaborations on volunteer projects (Silver Horizons Food Pantry for seniors; Moving Day, A
Walk for Parkinson’s Disease)
• Presentations on topics relevant to community concerns (A Matter of Balance Fall Prevention
Seminars; Presentations to Villages on helpful paperwork related to healthcare)
• Delivering informational question and answer sessions on the benefits of home care (Las
Alamos Medical Center, Christus St. Vincent Medical Center, The Montecito of Santa Fe,
Morningstar of Santa Fe, & Brookdale Santa Fe)
ICE UNIT NURSE, SURREY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
SURREY, CANADA 2011
• Nurse residency on the Intensive Care Unit for the Elderly (ICE)
• Monitored patients’ vital signs
• Administered medication via IV/PO/SQ/IM
• Monitored and recorded input and output in patients with renal failure, gastroenteric, oncologic,
and cardiac conditions
• Performed patient’s assessment incl. cardiovascular, urinary catheters, respiratory, neurologic,
tracheostomy, and trauma
• Assisted patients with bathing, dressing, maintaining personal hygiene, moving in bed, standing
and walking
• Educated patients and their families on disease processes, med/surg procedures, and medication
HOME HEALTH CARE, SURREY NORTH DELTA FRASER HEALTH
SURREY, CANADA 2011
• Nurse residency in hospice and home health care
• Monitored clients’ vital signs
• Administered medication via IV/PO/SQ/IM
• Wound care and dressing changes
• Assisted clients and their families with end-of-life care management
• Educated patients and their families on disease processes, wound care, and medication
• Collaborate with physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and hospice
physicians to create plans of care for clients
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE, BCIT
VANCOUVER, CANADA 2010
• Student liaison for the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia, faculty, and the British
Columbia Institute of Technology School of Health Department
2848 CALLE PRINCES JUANA, SANTA FE, NM 87507
TEL 505-699-8138 EMAIL [email protected]
• Collaborated with students & faculty to improve learning experiences and solve issues
• Developed fundraisers for graduation events & charitable donations
BCIT ALUMNI CALLING PROGRAM REPRESENTATIVE
VANCOUVER, CANADA 2010
• Cold-called alumni regarding updating information & benefits of being an alumni
• Helped to raise more than $1,500.00 for student scholarships and bursaries
LAB RESEARCHER/ASSISTANT, UBC HAPLAB
VANCOUVER, CANADA 2005
• Collected & analyzed data from a diverse population, from infants to the elderly
• Trained & worked with students & faculty on completing and publishing various studies
INTERNATIONAL EVOKED RESPONSE AUDIOMETRY XX SYMPOSIUM
POSTER PRESENTER & PARTICIPANT
BLED, SLOVENIA 2007
• Presented information on auditory responses in adults to peers in audiology scientific community
OTHER EXPERIENCES
SANTA FE WOMEN’S COMMISSION MEMBER 2023
VOLUNTEER FOR SILVER HORIZONS FOOD PANTRY 2022
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION CERTIFIED BLS INSTRUCTOR 2022
CPR/BLS CERTIFIED 2022
NATIONAL NURSES IN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION MEMBER 2016
MATERNAL & CHILD HEALTH PLANNING COUNCIL MEMBER 2013
SANTA FE HEALTH POLICY AND PLANNING COMMISSION FORUM
PARTICIPANT 2013
END-OF-LIFE NURSING EDUCATION CONSORTIUM TRAINING PROGRAM
PARTICIPANT 2013
COMING HOME CONNECTION VOLUNTEER 2012
EDUCATION
Doctorate of Nursing Practice, Capella University In Progress
Masters of Science In Nursing, Care Coordination Specialty, Capella University 2021
Bachelor of Science in Nursing, British Columbia Institute of Technology 2011
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Minor in Anthropology, University of British Columbia 2008
EXPERIENCE
PROGRAM DIRECTOR, NURSES WITH HEART EDUCATION CENTER
SANTA FE, NM 2023 - PRESENT
• Oversees all administrative and educational aspects of the Certified Nursing Assistant program
and CPR BLS training
• Provides classroom, laboratory, and/or clinical instruction to students
• Prepares for each learning experience; prepares, maintains, and updates lesson plans; develops
and prepares methods to evaluate student performance; prepares laboratory to provide
demonstrations and hands-on experience as appropriate; orders supplemental materials to
enhance textbook lessons as appropriate
• Serves as a liaison between education programs and clinical agencies as appropriate
• Develops and prepares tests to evaluate student performance; proctors tests; grades and records
individual scores; evaluates student performance in laboratory/clinical when applicable
• Serves as academic advisor and counselor, assists in registration of students and maintains
advisee files, provides individual assistance to students outside of classroom as appropriate
• Participates in the development, implementation, and evaluation of curriculum and/or courses
CHIEF NURSING OFFICER, NURSES WITH HEART HOME CARE
SANTA FE, NM 2010 - PRESENT
• Home health care, home care, and long term community care nurse
• Monitors patients’ vital signs
• Administers medication via IV/PO/SQ/IM
• Performs wound care & dressing changes, including VAC dressings & PICC line dressing changes
• Executes goals & objectives for implementing effective home health care following the
requirements of the New Mexico Department of Health
• Assists patients with bathing, dressing, grooming, transferring (gait belt & hoyer lift), & ambulation
• Assists clients and their families with end-of-life care management
• Educates patients and their families on disease processes, wound care, and medication
• Completes case management, nursing visits, client and family education
• Supervises and manages day-to-day business management, including billing, invoicing, payroll,
and marketing
• Hires, trains, supervises & organizes caregiver, CNA, LPN, & RN staff, including supervisory visits
2848 CALLE PRINCES JUANA, SANTA FE, NM 87507
TEL 505-699-8138 EMAIL [email protected]
• Develops and delivers monthly educational in-services on a variety of clinical and behavioral topics
using technological and hands-on teaching methods
• Establishes community partnerships through:
• Collaborations on volunteer projects (Silver Horizons Food Pantry for seniors; Moving Day, A
Walk for Parkinson’s Disease)
• Presentations on topics relevant to community concerns (A Matter of Balance Fall Prevention
Seminars; Presentations to Villages on helpful paperwork related to healthcare)
• Delivering informational question and answer sessions on the benefits of home care (Las
Alamos Medical Center, Christus St. Vincent Medical Center, The Montecito of Santa Fe,
Morningstar of Santa Fe, & Brookdale Santa Fe)
ICE UNIT NURSE, SURREY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
SURREY, CANADA 2011
• Nurse residency on the Intensive Care Unit for the Elderly (ICE)
• Monitored patients’ vital signs
• Administered medication via IV/PO/SQ/IM
• Monitored and recorded input and output in patients with renal failure, gastroenteric, oncologic,
and cardiac conditions
• Performed patient’s assessment incl. cardiovascular, urinary catheters, respiratory, neurologic,
tracheostomy, and trauma
• Assisted patients with bathing, dressing, maintaining personal hygiene, moving in bed, standing
and walking
• Educated patients and their families on disease processes, med/surg procedures, and medication
HOME HEALTH CARE, SURREY NORTH DELTA FRASER HEALTH
SURREY, CANADA 2011
• Nurse residency in hospice and home health care
• Monitored clients’ vital signs
• Administered medication via IV/PO/SQ/IM
• Wound care and dressing changes
• Assisted clients and their families with end-of-life care management
• Educated patients and their families on disease processes, wound care, and medication
• Collaborate with physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and hospice
physicians to create plans of care for clients
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE, BCIT
VANCOUVER, CANADA 2010
• Student liaison for the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia, faculty, and the British
Columbia Institute of Technology School of Health Department
2848 CALLE PRINCES JUANA, SANTA FE, NM 87507
TEL 505-699-8138 EMAIL [email protected]
• Collaborated with students & faculty to improve learning experiences and solve issues
• Developed fundraisers for graduation events & charitable donations
BCIT ALUMNI CALLING PROGRAM REPRESENTATIVE
VANCOUVER, CANADA 2010
• Cold-called alumni regarding updating information & benefits of being an alumni
• Helped to raise more than $1,500.00 for student scholarships and bursaries
LAB RESEARCHER/ASSISTANT, UBC HAPLAB
VANCOUVER, CANADA 2005
• Collected & analyzed data from a diverse population, from infants to the elderly
• Trained & worked with students & faculty on completing and publishing various studies
INTERNATIONAL EVOKED RESPONSE AUDIOMETRY XX SYMPOSIUM
POSTER PRESENTER & PARTICIPANT
BLED, SLOVENIA 2007
• Presented information on auditory responses in adults to peers in audiology scientific community
OTHER EXPERIENCES
SANTA FE WOMEN’S COMMISSION MEMBER 2023
VOLUNTEER FOR SILVER HORIZONS FOOD PANTRY 2022
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION CERTIFIED BLS INSTRUCTOR 2022
CPR/BLS CERTIFIED 2022
NATIONAL NURSES IN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION MEMBER 2016
MATERNAL & CHILD HEALTH PLANNING COUNCIL MEMBER 2013
SANTA FE HEALTH POLICY AND PLANNING COMMISSION FORUM
PARTICIPANT 2013
END-OF-LIFE NURSING EDUCATION CONSORTIUM TRAINING PROGRAM
PARTICIPANT 2013
COMING HOME CONNECTION VOLUNTEER 2012