The Miriam Hospital last week announced that Rebecca Burke, the hospital’s chief nursing officer and senior vice president for patient care services, has been named chief operating officer. She succeeds Sandra L. Coletta, who left to become president and CEO of Kent Hospital. (READ MORE)
In her new, dual role, Burke will oversee the hospital’s daily operations as well as the strategic planning and decision-making for the department of nursing.
Burke spoke with Providence Business News about the new job and how her experience as a nurse has shaped her values and priorities.
PBN: You’re the Miriam’s chief nursing officer and have led it through a very positive time for Miriam nursing, including the three Magnet designations from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. What are your priorities in that position?
BURKE: My CNO priorities in this new position will primarily focus on developing nursing strategy and vision for the future which, of course, includes assuring that we maintain our Magnet designation. The Magnet standards and model serve as a road map for creating the culture and environment that supports nursing practice, and that model will continue to guide our stable and high-performing nursing leadership team through this transition. I will also continue to participate and contribute to professional nursing activities in the community and throughout the state and will remain active nationally.
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PBN: How does your experience as a nurse and a nursing administrator shape your priorities and vision in your new role?
BURKE: My [previous dual] role prepared me very well for this new and unique role. As a nurse, I understand the clinical complexity of the patient experience and the challenges faced by the bedside caregivers. As an administrator for all of patient care services, I have gained extensive knowledge about the many regulations and requirements from external entities. In addition, my experience managing and leading a large portion of the hospital provided me numerous opportunities to hone my understanding of the tactical and strategic financial requirements and challenges we face in this industry now and in the future.
PBN: How do you expect to balance those two roles? Both seem like very substantial jobs for a single person to take on.
BURKE: It has been cited in the business literature that large organizations like the Miriam are living and breathing entities that are dynamic – moving, shifting and changing as internal and external forces push us around in the environment. Over the years we have reorganized and readjusted at the Miriam, and many roles and responsibilities have changed and overlapped, specifically in the area of quality and safety. Combining these two roles reduces some of that overlap and actually creates a slightly more efficient, less duplicative structure. That being said, the success of this role will require some additional restructuring. Some of my operational responsibilities will be reassigned within that new structure, which will allow me more time to devote to hospital operations and finance.
PBN: The Miriam has recently completed major construction and has made big efforts in recent years to really enhance patients’ and family members’ comfort. How important is that work, from a business perspective and clinically?
BURKE: Assuring a patient’s comfort and care through enhancements in the physical environment is always desirable, and we think we have achieved much of that with the addition of the Baxt building. We will continue to evaluate our physical plant and look for opportunities to improve it in the future.
However, the business imperative is to provide high-quality, compassionate care within any physical environment. I believe that patients come to the Miriam because the people – our employees and physicians – make the difference from both a clinical and a patient satisfaction perspective. My goal is to continue to drive to that mission. We could build another Taj Mahal, but if we don’t deliver clinically competent, safe, contemporary, respectful and compassionate care, no one would want to walk in the door.
PBN: How do things look for the Miriam right now in term of operational costs and operational challenges?
BURKE: Fortunately, Lifespan – the Miriam included – remains financially sound, but the Miriam is experiencing the same financial challenges as all the other hospitals in the state. It is evident that we will have to address the issues associated with our unstable global economy like any other business. In addition, we too are faced with issues associated with work force availability. However, this is no new challenge to us. We will continue to be creative and proactive. There are many benefits to being part of the Lifespan system, and there is expertise and experience we can draw on to help us get through these tough times.
The Miriam Hospital, on the East Side of Providence, is part of the Lifespan health system and a teaching hospital of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. For more information, go to www.miriamhospital.org .
