Child Advocacy and Protection Services (CAPS) APP Program Expansion
APP Now Program
Child Advocacy and Protection Services (CAPS) is expanding its hospital-based clinical services to 24/7 in-person coverage. The APP Now Program will be staffed by advanced practice providers with daytime and overnight support by Child Abuse Pediatrics attending physicians. Providers will be available for consulting services in the Emergency Department, Inpatient Units, and clinics on campus. All APPs within the program will complete CAPS APP Internal Certification prior to independent practice in the program.
CAPS APP Internal Certification Program
Child Advocacy and Protection’s Advanced Practice Provider Certification Program is an innovative training curriculum designed to prepare Advanced Practice Providers to diagnose and manage acute and chronic manifestations of child maltreatment, develop skills in teaching and quality improvement activities, act as a competent provider in a multidisciplinary field, and become familiar with administrative, legislative, and policy issues in child maltreatment. It includes four well-defined phases to ensure our new hospital-based APPs integrate as successful members of Child Advocacy and Protection Services (CAPS). The curriculum includes a series of clinical and professional competency evaluations to promote feedback from all members of the CAPS team.
Phase 1 – Focus on clinical skills through didactic sessions, specialty specific skills and subspecialty experiences. The goal at the end of phase 1 is independent oversight in clinic and leading evaluation with direct supervision on hospital-based service.
Phase 2 – Focus on continued development of specific clinical skills and medical decision-making for increased independence. The goal at the end of phase 2 is a transition to indirect supervision on hospital-based service for most simple cases and direct supervision and coaching for some complex cases.
Phase 3 – Focus on completing onboarding, which includes an increased skill and independence in management and medical decision-making. The goal is competence to perform inpatient cases independently in collaboration with a CAPS physician by the end of phase 3.
Phase 4 – Ongoing professional development.
APP Introductions
Kristin Alinea, APNP/CPNP-PC, was previously an RN in Children’s Wisconsin’s Inpatient Surgical-Medical unit for 6+ years. She received her BSN from UW-Milwaukee and her MSN, CPNP-Primary Care from Marquette University. Kristin has quality improvement experience as a participant in the Hospital Whiteboard Project pilot study. She was also a member of the Hospital Partnership Council and has experience as a charge nurse. Kristin has a passion for providing trauma-informed care and one of her main interests in Pediatrics and Child Advocacy is prevention. Outside of her Child Advocacy role, Kristin enjoys fitness, Wisconsin sports, and is a foodie who loves trying new restaurants.
Brittany Eminger, MSN, CPNP-PC, was previously an RN at Aurora West Allis in Labor and Delivery and an RN at Children’s Wisconsin in primary care. She received her BS in Biology at Loras College and her MSN and CPNP-primary care from Marquette University. Brittany is passionate about advocating for children and their families and providing education to promote health. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities and traveling.
Ashley Good, DNP, FNP-C, was previously an RN in the surgical/trauma PICU at Children’s Wisconsin for the last 15 years. Ashley was a preceptor to students and new/experienced bedside RNs, along with being an experienced educational resource on the unit. She received her BSN from Marquette University and her DNP in Family Practice from UW-Oshkosh. She is passionate about providing care to children and is excited to be a part of the growing APP Now program within the Child Advocacy department. When she is not at work, she enjoys spending time on the water, gardening, being with friends and family, and traveling all around the world.
Rhiannon Gunther, DNP, CPNP-PC, was previously an RN in the surgical/trauma PICU at Children’s Wisconsin. She received her BSN from UW-Milwaukee and her DNP in pediatric primary care from UW-Madison. She is new to the CAPS team and is very excited to bring her knowledge from her bedside career to this new role. She is also looking forward to participating in quality improvement projects in the future. Outside of work, Rhiannon loves spending time with her husband, son and 2 dogs, as well as watching any Wisconsin sports team.
Megan Koller, DNP, CPNP-PC, was previously a RN at Children’s Wisconsin for 7+ years on an inpatient medical unit. She received her BSN from UW-Madison and her DNP in pediatric primary care from Marquette University. Megan is passionate about providing high-quality, evidence-based care to her patients and families and has experience in quality improvement initiatives through past work with Project Ujima. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, trying out new restaurants, and traveling.
Emma Nitz, CPNP-PC, was employed as an RN at Advocate Aurora Sinai in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit since December 2016. Emma also served as a Transport RN and an elected Coordinating Council Member. She received her BS in Biomedical Sciences, MSN, and CPNP-Primary Care from Marquette University. Emma is a Milwaukee native and dedicated to serving the children and families of the community. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, and cheering on the Bucks.
Samantha Mazur, APNP/CPNP-PC, was previously an RN in Children’s Wisconsin Acute Care Clinical Resource Unit for 7+ years. She has experience as an RN and student preceptor. Samantha received her BSN from Edgewood College and her DNP, CPNP-Primary Care from UW-Madison. Samantha has quality improvement experience working with CW Urgent Care’s EQUIP AOM antibiotic stewardship project. She has a strong interest in evidence-based practice, prevention and early intervention. In her free time Samantha loves family activities with her husband, two young daughters, and their two dogs.
Colleen Ruetz, CPNP-AC, was previously an RN in Children’s Wisconsin’s PICU Medical-Oncology unit for 7+ years. Colleen has experience as an RN preceptor and charge nurse. Colleen received her BSN from UW-Madison and her MSN, CPNP-Acute Care, from Marquette University. Although new to the team this year, she has had interest in joining the CAPS group since 2020, during which time she had clinical experience at the Child Advocacy Center as a graduate nursing student. She is eager to be a part of the newly established APP Now program. In addition, she and her husband are thrilled to have welcomed their first child (daughter) in early 2023.
