Nurses of Note 2024: The Associate Chief Nursing Officer

PerfectServe’s Nurses of Note awards program honors those who help us define what it means to be a nurse. They’re selected from a large group of nominees and stand out for their diligence, passion, leadership, and devotion to caring for others.

For the fourth year of the program, PerfectServe is highlighting nurses who have gone a step beyond the rest in their careers. Though we believe all nurses make extraordinary contributions, these honorees stood out to us for their steadfast dedication to the field of nursing, helping to paint a picture of the difference they make for their patients and communities every single day.

In-depth profiles of select winners will be published each month for the rest of the year, so make sure to bookmark our blog to learn more about their stories!

The Associate Chief Nursing Officer (Manchester, NH) – Jennifer Torosian

Jennifer Torosian, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, CENP, has served as the Associate Chief Nursing Officer at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, NH, for more than 15 years. She says no two days are alike, but her regular duties involve overseeing the Department of Education, where she leads professional education programs and nursing research projects. She also monitors inpatient wound care, inpatient diabetes, acute therapy, the nurse float pool, and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) program.

But those are just some of her daily projects and tasks. Jennifer is also a member of the CMC Board Quality Committee and leads several nursing committees, including the Evidence-Based Practice, Falls Prevention, Mobility, Nursing Senate, and Adult Medicine Value Analysis Committees. And those aren’t even all of them!

“Nurses need a ‘voice’ and some authority over our practice to advocate and promote quality patient care,” Jennifer said. “Being a leader on these committees also helps mentor other nurses to inspire and motivate change.”

Recently, Jennifer was heavily involved in implementing a nursing professional recognition program with nearly 200 RNs participating. This project aims to replace the typical “clinical ladder” with a program that offers a more equitable and systematic approach to recognizing clinical excellence. This provides a pathway for bedside RNs to participate in activities that promote their professional growth and development while rewarding them for achieving organizational and nursing strategy goals.

Another of her recent projects revolved around implementing a mobility tech position to increase patient ambulation and patient independence. This involved providing LNAs with specialized training to ambulate patients at least once a day with a preferred goal of three times a day. It also implemented a standardized approach to assessing, monitoring, and documenting patient mobility care. 
 
“This allows all care team members to speak the same language regarding patient mobility and highlights its importance to holistic patient care so that mobility is prioritized the same as other patient care tasks,” Jennifer said. “Currently, mobility is often a task that takes a back seat and is sometimes overlooked given the myriad of other tasks the RNs need to complete during a typical shift.” 
 
Nurses like Jennifer work to better the lives of patients and nurses alike, and it’s people like her leading the charge in ensuring decision-makers hear and listen to the voices of nurses. If she could say one thing to decision-makers today, she would like them to know that the physical and mental demands of being a nurse are sometimes underappreciated.  
 
“I would advocate for anything that makes nursing and staff workflow lean and less burdensome to enhance the quality of care we provide and the face-time we have with patients,” she said. 
 
In that, Jennifer hopes AI or other technology solutions might be used to facilitate better communication across the care team, specifically for nurses. She wants these technologies to give nurses access to point-of-care and patient information in a faster, more seamless manner. She even suggests the use of AI for early warning signs for patient health monitoring or having a system that sends triggered alerts to nurse phones or other wearable devices.  
 
No matter what the future of nursing holds, Jennifer is sure to remain a leader in her space and encourage other nurses to continue learning and growing in their careers. Her nominator said it best:
 
“Jennifer consistently demonstrates strong leadership skills and transformational qualities. She has made evidence-based practice a bedrock of her daily responsibilities, making data-driven decisions with supporting evidence as needed. Every day, she goes above and beyond for staff, patients, and their families. Whether it’s to provide service recovery or an outstanding patient experience, no task is left uncompleted.”

Thank You 

Jennifer, your 15 years of devotion to the practice of nursing is inspirational, and it reminds us that there’s never a limit for growth and learning in our careers. We’re grateful for what you do for patients and your fellow nurses each day, and we thank you for sharing your nursing story with us. Congratulations on being a 2024 Nurse of Note!

Q&A  

To learn more about Jennifer’s life as a nurse, we asked her a few additional questions:  

Why did you choose to become a nurse?  

I volunteered at nursing homes with our Girl Scout troop in grade school and danced with our dance company to entertain the residents. I worked as a candy striper as a junior volunteer in our local community hospital. I enjoyed trying to make others feel better, and I liked doing things for them. Once I graduated, I wanted to be a nurse or a teacher. The great thing about nursing is you can be a nurse and teacher in many different capacities. And as nurses we are always teaching our patients! 

What is the biggest lesson you learned while serving as a nurse throughout the pandemic? 

The biggest thing I learned was that flexibility and agility as a nurse leader are the keys to success. From a patient care perspective, I learned the importance of having family as a support system at the patient’s bedside. Having family support plays a huge role in holistic care, and partnering with a nurse can impact the overall quality of care and health of a patient and their quality of life. 

What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self about working in the healthcare industry? 

It’s hard to pick just one piece of advice. There have been so many lessons learned over the years, and I learn something new in my practice every day. With that being said, I would say find your “mentor,” the person who can be your confidant and give you honest feedback—both positive and negative!

What do you do to relax after a stressful day?  

I try my best to balance work and life, work out, spend time with children and family. I also like to travel, play golf, and (last but definitely not least) enjoy some retail therapy! 

What’s your favorite part of being a nurse?  

The profound impact that we’re able to have on patients and families during their most vulnerable moments in life, birth, and death. I am honored to be their support person, to share in their grief when they receive a poor prognosis or rejoice with them when they receive news of being cured or can return to their homes with their families.

Make sure to follow our blog as we publish profiles about more of our amazing Nurses of Note honorees throughout the year!

For more about Nurses of Note 2024, check out the full list of winners.