Riverside Health System is pleased to announce it has named Sadie Thurman, MS, RN, CEN as the new Chief Nursing Officer for Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, Virginia.
Thurman came to Riverside in 2006 as a travel nurse in the emergency department and was quickly promoted to a variety of positions, including emergency department clinical educator, emergency department nurse manager, director of emergency services, system director of emergency services and assistant chief nursing officer.
“When I transferred here as a travel nurse, I knew this was the place for me,” Thurman said. “I absolutely fell in love with the family atmosphere, the culture, and the mission of what Riverside stands for.”
That mission, Thurman said, is to care for others as you would care for those you love. It’s a philosophy that speaks volumes to Sadie who, while in high school, watched, and was inspired by, the nurses who cared for her mother who had been diagnosed with cancer.
“I saw the amazing care and experienced the art and science of nursing firsthand,” Thurman said. “That’s what drove me to become a nurse.”
A native of Montana, Thurman spent the early part of her nursing career in her home state gaining experience first as a certified nursing assistant at a lifelong health facility and then as both a critical care and emergency room nurse.
Thurman received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Montana State University-Bozeman and her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Virginia and will be pursuing her Doctorate in Nursing Practice at Old Dominion University beginning in January 2020.
In her role as Chief Nursing Officer, Thurman’s immediate focus is on recruitment and retention of talented nurses.
“Once you get nurses in the door, you have to keep them and that’s really about engagement,” Thurman said.
Riverside, Thurman said, does an excellent job of making its nurses feel valued and appreciated.
“At Riverside, you’re not just a number,” she said. “You’re family.”
Riverside Regional Medical Center is the only hospital in the Peninsula region to maintain a Comprehensive Stroke Center designation, a Level III neonatal intensive care unit (offering mechanical ventilation, access to pediatric specialists, imaging capabilities, and surgeries requiring anesthesia), and Level II Trauma Center. In addition to other medical specialties, it also provides cancer care services and is home to a radiosurgery center. Its 42-room emergency department responds to more than 67,000 emergencies each year and in 2018 the medical center completed a 150,000 square-foot expansion that enhanced the medical intensive care and cardiac care units.
Thurman came to Riverside in 2006 as a travel nurse in the emergency department and was quickly promoted to a variety of positions, including emergency department clinical educator, emergency department nurse manager, director of emergency services, system director of emergency services and assistant chief nursing officer.
“When I transferred here as a travel nurse, I knew this was the place for me,” Thurman said. “I absolutely fell in love with the family atmosphere, the culture, and the mission of what Riverside stands for.”
That mission, Thurman said, is to care for others as you would care for those you love. It’s a philosophy that speaks volumes to Sadie who, while in high school, watched, and was inspired by, the nurses who cared for her mother who had been diagnosed with cancer.
“I saw the amazing care and experienced the art and science of nursing firsthand,” Thurman said. “That’s what drove me to become a nurse.”
A native of Montana, Thurman spent the early part of her nursing career in her home state gaining experience first as a certified nursing assistant at a lifelong health facility and then as both a critical care and emergency room nurse.
Thurman received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Montana State University-Bozeman and her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Virginia and will be pursuing her Doctorate in Nursing Practice at Old Dominion University beginning in January 2020.
In her role as Chief Nursing Officer, Thurman’s immediate focus is on recruitment and retention of talented nurses.
“Once you get nurses in the door, you have to keep them and that’s really about engagement,” Thurman said.
Riverside, Thurman said, does an excellent job of making its nurses feel valued and appreciated.
“At Riverside, you’re not just a number,” she said. “You’re family.”
Riverside Regional Medical Center is the only hospital in the Peninsula region to maintain a Comprehensive Stroke Center designation, a Level III neonatal intensive care unit (offering mechanical ventilation, access to pediatric specialists, imaging capabilities, and surgeries requiring anesthesia), and Level II Trauma Center. In addition to other medical specialties, it also provides cancer care services and is home to a radiosurgery center. Its 42-room emergency department responds to more than 67,000 emergencies each year and in 2018 the medical center completed a 150,000 square-foot expansion that enhanced the medical intensive care and cardiac care units.