The sky's the limit, say five Hackensack Meridian bedside-to-C-suite executives

Five female leaders at Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health all started their careers tending to patients at the bedside. Today, they occupy top rungs in the health care leadership ladder.

The five nurses-to-execs are C-suite leaders throughout the HMH system. They have many things in common: compassion and dedication; the ability to see the high level view even when in the weeds in the hospital boardroom; and the fervent belief that with a nurse mindset, anything is possible.

• Patricia Carroll, MSN, today is president and chief health executive at Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, N.J., and Old Bridge (N.J.) Medical Center.
• Regina Foley, PhD, RN, is executive vice president and chief transformation officer and interim chief nursing officer at Hackensack Meridian.

• Lisa Iachetti, BSN, RN, is today president and chief hospital executive officer at North Bergen-N.J. Hackensack Meridian Palisades Medical Center.
• Caitlin Miller, BSN, RN, is the president and chief hospital executive of Bayshore Medical.
• Michele Morrison, RN, is president and chief hospital executive at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Stafford Township, N.J.

Selected comments from their interviews with Becker’s included these:

“I began to think more expansively about how the hospital was run and how all departments affected the patient and team member experience.”

“We want nurses to remain here for the duration of their career. We have a nursing leadership development program that's structured to cultivate the next generation of nursing leaders.”

“A nurse's expertise and vantage point is extremely important in helping a hospital run effectively. We are patient-focused, collaborative and compassionate.”

And simply, “Nurses make great leaders.”