Riverside Health System is pleased to announce it has named Sandy Hurley, MS, RN, NE-BC as the new Chief Nursing Officer for Riverside Walter Reed Hospital in Gloucester, Virginia. She is responsible for all clinical operations related to nursing.
“I am excited to be here and part of this tight-knit community,” said Hurley, who comes to Riverside following six years serving as the Chief Nursing Officer for a hospital in Colorado. “The hospital I came from was a small community hospital, much like Riverside Walter Reed, and I like that. When you are taking care of someone who you will see in the store or sit next to at church, it has a different feel. It’s neighborly. It’s family.”
While originally from Michigan and Arkansas, Hurley is no stranger to Virginia, having lived here years ago with her family and husband, who retired from the U.S. Air Force.
She brings to Riverside a career of experience working as a nurse manager in critical care, a Director of Patient Care Services focused on emergency and critical care, and a hospital Chief Nursing Officer.
She holds degrees from Arkansas State University and Regis University. When the opportunity to join the Riverside team became available, Hurley was intrigued first and foremost because coming back to Virginia was like “coming home,” she said. “Virginia is where all my family is, where my kids and grandkids are, as well as my in-laws.”
Then she saw a great opportunity to practice great care – caring for others as she would those she loves – at Riverside.
“My interactions with Riverside’s Chief Nursing Officer, Nancy Littlefield, and the Administrator of Walter Reed, Ester Desimini, were unlike others I’d had before,” Hurley said. “They were full of integrity and that told me that if this is how this organization functions, then it was the right place for me. I knew I wanted to work alongside these ladies.”
Hurley said she is looking forward to continuing to get to know the Middle Peninsula community and ensuring the voice of nurses is heard.
“Nurses are often the most prevalent at a hospital, but often the most quiet,” Hurley said. “My focus has been, and my philosophy is, we need to bring nurses’ voices to the table.”
When hospitals are measured on their quality of care, Hurley said, many of the measures analyzed are part of the jobs nurses perform each day.
“My hope is to continue to engage the nursing workforce to be full partners in what we do moving forward,” Hurley said. “I plan to also focus on recruitment and retention, as this is an area I have a lot of passion for.”
Already, Hurley said, she has found the nursing team at Walter Reed excited about the care they provide in the community and of the recent expansion and renovations of the hospital.
“Ultimately, everything we do is about patient care,” Hurley said, “and I’m thrilled to be part of such a great care team.”
“I am excited to be here and part of this tight-knit community,” said Hurley, who comes to Riverside following six years serving as the Chief Nursing Officer for a hospital in Colorado. “The hospital I came from was a small community hospital, much like Riverside Walter Reed, and I like that. When you are taking care of someone who you will see in the store or sit next to at church, it has a different feel. It’s neighborly. It’s family.”
While originally from Michigan and Arkansas, Hurley is no stranger to Virginia, having lived here years ago with her family and husband, who retired from the U.S. Air Force.
She brings to Riverside a career of experience working as a nurse manager in critical care, a Director of Patient Care Services focused on emergency and critical care, and a hospital Chief Nursing Officer.
She holds degrees from Arkansas State University and Regis University. When the opportunity to join the Riverside team became available, Hurley was intrigued first and foremost because coming back to Virginia was like “coming home,” she said. “Virginia is where all my family is, where my kids and grandkids are, as well as my in-laws.”
Then she saw a great opportunity to practice great care – caring for others as she would those she loves – at Riverside.
“My interactions with Riverside’s Chief Nursing Officer, Nancy Littlefield, and the Administrator of Walter Reed, Ester Desimini, were unlike others I’d had before,” Hurley said. “They were full of integrity and that told me that if this is how this organization functions, then it was the right place for me. I knew I wanted to work alongside these ladies.”
Hurley said she is looking forward to continuing to get to know the Middle Peninsula community and ensuring the voice of nurses is heard.
“Nurses are often the most prevalent at a hospital, but often the most quiet,” Hurley said. “My focus has been, and my philosophy is, we need to bring nurses’ voices to the table.”
When hospitals are measured on their quality of care, Hurley said, many of the measures analyzed are part of the jobs nurses perform each day.
“My hope is to continue to engage the nursing workforce to be full partners in what we do moving forward,” Hurley said. “I plan to also focus on recruitment and retention, as this is an area I have a lot of passion for.”
Already, Hurley said, she has found the nursing team at Walter Reed excited about the care they provide in the community and of the recent expansion and renovations of the hospital.
“Ultimately, everything we do is about patient care,” Hurley said, “and I’m thrilled to be part of such a great care team.”