Amy L. Donnellan, APRN, DNP, CPNP-AC
- Nurse Practitioner, Cardiac Intensive Care, Heart Institute
- amy.donnellan@cchmc.org
- Board Certified
About
Biography
I am a pediatric acute care nurse practitioner in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, where I care for infants, children and young adults with complex congenital and acquired heart disease. My passion for nursing comes from the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others while continually learning from the resilience, courage and humanity of the patients and families we serve. For me, nursing is more than a profession, it’s a calling to support, respect and care for every patient, family, colleague and learner I encounter.
My clinical interests include pediatric cardiac critical care, quality improvement, patient safety, simulation-based education, delirium prevention, family education and discharge readiness, and the development of evidence-based clinical pathways. I serve as co-leader of both the cardiac intensive care event review team and the neurodevelopment team, and I’ve had the privilege of leading numerous quality improvement and research initiatives that have advanced care for critically ill cardiac patients.
Beyond my clinical work, I serve on the board of directors of the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society and am an adjunct clinical faculty member at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing, where I enjoy mentoring the next generation of advanced practice providers. I have authored peer-reviewed publications, textbook chapters and national presentations focused on pediatric cardiac critical care, advanced practice nursing and quality improvement.
BSN: Ball State University, Muncie, IN, 1993
MSN: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 2007
DNP: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 2015
Certifications: PNCB Certified Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, 2007; Pediatric Nursing
Interests
Pediatric cardiac critical care; advanced practice provider education; advanced practice provider role development
Services and Specialties
Interests
Ventricular assist devices; pediatric heart failure; cardiomyopathy
Publications
Impact of Virtual Reality Simulation on New Nurses' Assessment of Pediatric Respiratory Distress. American Journal of Critical Care. 2024; 33(2):115-124.
New Nurse Self-assessed Clinical Competence, Immersion, and Attitudes Following Virtual Reality Training on the Assessment of Pediatric Respiratory Distress. Clinical Simulation in Nursing. 2023; 84:101461.
Measuring Acuity and Pediatric Critical Care Nursing Workload by Using ICU CAMEO III. American Journal of Critical Care. 2022; 31(2):119-126.
Prevalence of ICU Delirium in Postoperative Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Patients. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. 2021; 22(1):68-78.
1220: IMPROVING NURSE EMPOWERMENT DURING CARDIAC ARREST PREVENTION HUDDLES IS RELATED TO DECREASED ARREST. Critical Care Medicine. 2020; 48(1):587-587.
A Review of Tetralogy of Fallot and Postoperative Management. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America. 2019; 31(3):315-328.
Reducing Exposure to Opioid and Benzodiazepine Medications for Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Patients: A Quality Improvement Project. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. 2019; 20(4):340-349.
Cockpit culture: Avoiding the crash and burn. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2018; 155(2):697-698.
Preoperative Stabilization of Infants With Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Before Stage I Palliation. Critical Care Nurse. 2016; 36(1):52-59.
Establishment of Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Advanced Practice Provider Services. World journal for pediatric & congenital heart surgery. 2016; 7(1):72-80.
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