Karen Descent

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT KAREN DESCENT

Senior Healthcare Executive with a 20+ year career trajectory in clinical and operational leadership building a strategic vision that drives nursing practice, infection prevention, regulatory preparedness, patient satisfaction, and process optimization.Aa a transformational leader, my expertise is rooted in inter-professional collaboration, team building, innovation, organizational culture building, and continuous improvement. My agility allows me to toggle between the strategic and tactical levels. I have undertaken multiple Interim roles, positions where I have parachuted in and reconstructed systems and processes, turning around teams and boosting care and quality. My first step is to connect with my teams, to understand their focus while gaining buy-in and engagement. I do this by shadowing and supporting my staff, aiding in all operations no matter how \"big\" or \"small\". My role as Chief Nurse focuses on caring for my staff by creating a culture of support, open communication, and engagement. This empowers staff to deliver quality, compassionate care to all who enter the organization. I have had remarkable success in aligning patient access to healthcare by formulating plans that optimize clinical quality and improve organizational outcomes. My core tenet is to build the best environment I can through optimization, alignment, development, education, resource allocation, and overall care management improvement. When patients come into the door at my hospital, they know they are where they need to be.