41.7 F
Oxford

Cherry Drives Nursing Excellence Through Visionary Leadership

By Ruth Cummins

UMMC Communications

Dr. Kristina Cherry is UMMC’s chief nursing executive. Photo provided by UMMC

When Dr. Kristina Cherry became chief nursing executive at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the global pandemic was still in full swing – as was a national nursing shortage.

She put into action a short-term goal: workforce planning, not just for the present, but for UMMC’s future.

“We were already down,” she said of UMMC’s 3,000-strong nursing force. “We know from schools of nursing that they will not be producing as many nurses. So, a priority is workforce planning. It’s important to cultivate a pipeline of nurses and focus on retaining the nursing workforce and building a workforce for the future.”

“We are partnering with Dr. (Julie) Sanford at our School of Nursing about how we can make sure we have a good pipeline and we support faculty,” Cherry said of Sanford, who became dean of the School of Nursing in 2019. “We are looking at nurse residency and mentoring programs. What are the underrepresented candidate pools we need to tap into? What other team members do we need to support so that they can bring their expertise to the table?”

Cherry, who began her role at UMMC Jan. 2, oversees more than half of all hospital staff positions. She came to the Medical Center from Tennova Healthcare Cleveland, a two-campus hospital in Cleveland, Tenn., where she served as chief nursing officer.

Before her service in Cleveland, Cherry was a nursing administrator at hospitals including St. Francis Hospital in Bartlett, Tenn., where she was the chief nursing officer; Houston (Texas) Methodist Medical Center, associate chief nursing officer; and CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria, La., chief nursing officer.

Cherry “brings more than 30 years of nursing experience to the Medical Center, including 15 years in nurse executive-level positions in community, academic and for-profit medical centers,” said Dr. Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for clinical affairs.

“She has a proven record of success in the development of leaders, service lines, enhancing physician and associate engagement, improving clinical and operational performance and creating a culture of excellence. She is known for her passion for a patient-centric approach to care, staff wellness, inclusion and development.”

“I’m enjoying it here. There are lots of great things we do and can do,” Cherry said. “Everyone has been so supportive. It’s an interesting time in health care, and definitely in nursing. We need to see it as an opportunity to lead the charge.”

During the interview process, Cherry said, she was taken not just with UMMC’s top administrators, but other members of the health care team. “I heard how the team activated all sorts of resources during the pandemic, and because of networking with the community and other organizations, was quickly able to set up tents as alternative care sites in order to make sure patients were taken care of.

“I was impressed to hear that this facility created a test, right here on site, for COVID. We had physicians that were able to have the foresight to think that we might run out of ventilators, and to be able to put together one for our patients.

“That’s a lot of the mission of an academic medical center: not only to provide care, but to have the science and research to do all those things and to be innovative.”

A bachelor of science in nursing graduate of Tuskegee University, Cherry received her master of nursing from Emory University and doctor of philosophy in nursing from the University of Alabama-Birmingham. She is a nationally certified nurse executive-advanced, a family nurse practitioner and an alumnus certified critical care nurse.

Cherry has been recognized with multiple honors, among them top nurse leadership awards and accolades for procuring research grants. She has served as an active member or officer of several community boards and professional organizations, including the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the American Nurses Association and the American Organization of Nursing Leadership.

Cherry is providing visionary leadership for the defined standard of nursing excellence and enhancing the organizational vision and mission of the health system, Jones said. She is working with nurse leaders to improve quality of care and patient satisfaction and to identify innovative and strategic ways to improve financial performance, Jones said.

A critical work area is quality and safety, said Britt Crewse, chief executive officer of the health system’s adult hospitals. “Specifically, it’s looking for opportunities with CLABSI and MRSA infections, falls and pressure injuries. She will help our organization not only set targets toward (decreasing) those things, but determine how we are going to continue to improve in those areas.”

Consistently providing safe and quality care has been a struggle for all hospitals during two-plus years of a pandemic, Crewse said.  “It’s a big area that we will continue to focus on. Our patients need that, and they deserve that.”

And, Cherry is addressing a key factor in keeping UMMC’s nursing force strong and satisfied: their pay.

“We already had a consultant looking at our nursing compensation model,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to look at our current picture, and to see what we need to do to make sure we are competitive in the market, and to make sure we put things in a compensation model that also support the nurses at the beside. That’s definitely a priority initiative to work on.”

She plans to put together a Nurse Executive Advisory Council for workforce planning, which will ponder “what are our current outcomes are from a quality perspective, and what we should set as priorities we can impact,” Cherry said.  “We want to make sure the nursing team is driving excellence in nursing practice.”

The work by Cherry and the health system “will really help propel us for the next several years so that we can be competitive not just for today, but in the years to come,” Crewse said. “We’re looking at models of care in an environment with a bit of a shrinking nursing workforce, and seeing how inpatient and ambulatory care will look like in the future and how we head toward those new models sooner than later.”

Cherry and her husband Clifford live in Madison and have two grown children. “This area has been just a wonderful surprise,” she said. “It’s far enough out that you have the peace and quiet, but just a couple of exits up the interstate, you have lots of restaurants and shopping.”

Life outside the Medical Center includes Cherry’s love of travel, although the pandemic has kept the couple from hitting the road. “We like to go to places we’ve never been before to experience the culture,” she said. “We like walking and relaxing and having time with friends. We like to read as well.”

It’s not easy for a nursing executive to begin a new post and immediately effect change, Crewse said, but Cherry “has done it with incredible confidence.

“Kris’ vast experience has already been on display many, many times,” he said. “Her calm demeanor is really an asset to the organization.”


Most Popular

Recent Comments

scamasdscamith on News Watch Ole Miss
Frances Phillips on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Grace Hudditon on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Millie Johnston on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Binary options + Bitcoin = $ 1643 per week: https://8000-usd-per-day.blogspot.com.tr?b=46 on Beta Upsilon Chi: A Christian Brotherhood
Jay Mitchell on Reflections: The Square
Terry Wilcox SFCV USA RET on Oxford's Five Guys Announces Opening Date
Stephanie on Throwback Summer
organized religion is mans downfall on VP of Palmer Home Devotes Life to Finding Homes for Children
Paige Williams on Boyer: Best 10 Books of 2018
Keith mansel on Cleveland On Medgar Evans
Debbie Nader McManus on Cofield on Oxford — Lest We Forget
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: The Last of His Kind
Richard Burns on A William Faulkner Sighting
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Ruby Begonia on Family Catching Rebel Fever
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
jeff the busy eater on Cooking With Kimme: Baked Brie
Travis Yarborough on Reflections: The Square
BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH on Oxford is About to Receive a Sweet Treat
baby travel systems australia on Heaton: 8 Southern Ways to Heckle in SEC Baseball
Rajka Radenkovich on Eating Oxford: Restaurant Watch
Richard Burns on Reflections: The Square
Guillermo Perez Arguello on Mississippi Quote Of The Day
A Friend with a Heavy Heart on Remembering Dr. Stacy Davidson
Harold M. "Hal" Frost, Ph.D. on UM Physical Acoustics Research Center Turns 30
Educated Citizen on Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving
Debbie Crenshaw on Trump’s Tough Road Ahead
Treadway Strickland on Wicker Looks Ahead to New Congress
Tony Ryals on parking
Heather Lee Hitchcock on ‘Pray for Oxford’ by Shane Brown
Heather Lee Hitchcock on ‘Pray for Oxford’ by Shane Brown
Dr Donald and Priscilla Powell on Deadly Plane Crash Leaves Eleven Children Behind
Dr Donald and Priscilla Powell on Deadly Plane Crash Leaves Eleven Children Behind
C. Scott Fischer on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Sylvia Williams on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Will Patterson on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Rick Henderson on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
George L Price on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
on
Morgan Shands on Cleveland: On Ed Reed
Richard McGraw on Cleveland: On Cissye Gallagher
Branan Southerland on Gameday RV Parking at HottyToddy.com
Tom and Randa Baddley on Vassallo: Ole Miss Alum Finds His Niche
26 years and continuously learning on Ole Miss Puts History In Context With Plaque
a Paterson on Beyond Barton v. Barnett
Phil Higginbotham on ‘Unpublished’ by Shane Brown
Bettina Willie@www.yahoo.com.102Martinez St.Batesville,Ms.38606 on Bomb Threat: South Panola High School Evacuated This Morning
Anita M Fellenz, (Emilly Hoffman's CA grandmother on Ole Miss Spirit Groups Rank High in National Finals
Marilyn Moore Hughes on Vassallo: Ole Miss Alum Finds His Niche
Jaqundacotten@gmail williams on HottyToddy Hometown: Hollandale, Mississippi
Finney moore on Can Ole Miss Grow Too Big?
diane faulkner cawlley on Oxford’s Olden Days: Miss Annie’s Yard
Phil Higginbotham on ‘November 24’ by Shane Brown
Maralyn Bullion on Neely-Dorsey: Hog Killing Time
Beth Carr on A Letter To Mom
Becky on A Letter To Mom
Marilyn Tinnnin on A Letter To Mom
Roger ulmer on UM Takes Down State Flag
Chris Pool on UM Takes Down State Flag
TampaRebel on UM Takes Down State Flag
david smith on UM Takes Down State Flag
Boyd Harris on UM Takes Down State Flag
Jim (Herc @ UM) on Cleveland: Fall Vacations
Robert Hollingsworth on Rebels on the Road: Memphis Eateries
David McCullough on Shepard Leaves Ole Miss Football
Gayle G. Henry on Meet Your 2015 Miss Ole Miss
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on Neely-Dorsey: Elvis Presley’s Big Homecoming
Jennifer Mooneyham on ESPN: Ole Miss No. 1 in Nation
Wes McIngvale on Ole Miss Defeats Alabama
BARRY MCCAMMON on Ole Miss Defeats Alabama
Laughing out Loud on ESPN: Ole Miss No. 1 in Nation
Dr.Bill Priester on Cleveland: On Bob Priester
A woman who has no WHITE PRIVILEGE on Oxford Removes Mississippi Flag from City Property
A woman who has no WHITE PRIVILEGE on Oxford Removes Mississippi Flag from City Property
paulette holmes langbecker on Cofield on Oxford – Rising Ole Miss Rookie
Ruth Shipp Yarbrough on Cofield on Oxford — Lest We Forget
Karllen Smith on ‘Rilee’ by Shane Brown
Jean Baker Pinion on ‘The Cool Pad’ by Shane Brown
Janet Hollingsworth (Cavanaugh) on John Cofield on Oxford: A Beacon
Proud Mississippi Voter on Gunn Calls for Change in Mississippi Flag
Deloris Brown-Thompson on Bebe’s Letters: A WWII Love Story
Sue Ellen Parker Stubbs on Bebe’s Letters: A WWII Love Story
Tim Heaton on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Tim Heaton on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Karen fowler on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Don't Go to Law School on Four Legal Rebels Rising in the Real World
bernadette on Feeding the Blues
bernadette on Feeding the Blues
Joanne and Mark Wilkinson on Ron Vernon: a Fellowship of Music
Mary Ellen (Dring) Gamble on Ron Vernon: a Fellowship of Music
Cyndy Carroll on Filming it Up in Mississippi
Dottie Dewberry on Top 10 Secret Southern Sayings
Brother Everett Childers on ‘The Shack’ by Shane Brown
Mark McElreath on ‘The Shack’ by Shane Brown
Bill Wilkes, UM '57, '58, '63 on A Letter from Chancellor Dan Jones
Sandra Caffey Neal on Mississippi Has Proud Irish Heritage
Teresa Enyeart, and Terry Enyeat on Death of Ole Miss Grad, U.S. Vet Stuns Rebel Nation
P. D. Fyke on Wells: Steelhead Run
Johnny Neumann on Freeze Staying with Rebels
Maralyn Bullion on On Cooking Southern: Chess Pie
Kaye Bryant on Henry: E. for Congress
charles Eichorn on Hotty Tamales, Gosh Almighty
Jack of All Trades on Roll Over Bear Bryant
w nadler on Roll Over Bear Bryant
Stacey Berryhill on Oxford Man Dies in Crash
John Appleton on Grovin' Gameday Memories
Charlotte Lamb on Grovin' Gameday Memories
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on Two True Mississippi Icons
Morgan Williamson on A College Education is a MUST
Morgan Williamson on A College Education is a MUST
Jeanette Berryhill Wells on HottyToddy Hometown: Senatobia, Mississippi
Tire of the same ole news on 3 "Must Eat" Breakfast Spots in Oxford
gonna be a rebelution on Walking Rebel Fans Back Off the Ledge
Nora Jaccaud on Rickshaws in Oxford
Martha Marshall on Educating the Delta — Or Not
Nita McVeigh on 'I'm So Oxford' Goes Viral
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on How a Visit to the Magnolia State Can Inspire You
Charlie Fowler Jr. on Prawns? In the Mississippi Delta?
Martha Marshall on A Salute to 37 Years of Sparky
Sylvia Hartness Williams on Oxford Approves Diversity Resolution
Jerry Greenfield on Wine Tip: Problem Corks
Cheryl Obrentz on I Won the Lottery! Now What?
Bnogas on Food for the Soul
Barbeque Memphis on History of Tennessee Barbecue
Josephine Bass on The Delta and the Civil War
Nicolas Morrison on The Walking Man
Pete Williams on Blog: MPACT’s Future
Laurie Triplette on On Cooking Southern: Fall Veggies
Harvey Faust on The Kream Kup of the Krop
StarReb on The Hoka
Scott Whodatty Keetereaux Keet on Hip Hop — Yo or No, What’s Your Call
Johnathan Doeman on Oxford Man Dies in Crash
Andy McWilliams on The Warden & The Chief
Kathryn McElroy on Think Like A Writer
Claire Duff Sullivan on Alert Dogs Give Diabetics Peace of Mind
Jesse Yancy on The Hoka
Jennifer Thompson Walker on Ole Miss, Gameday From The Eyes of a Freshman
HottyToddy.com