Anne Christine Ward
Pittsburgh
Summary
Professional, compassionate nurse with over 30 years of experience in a variety of roles. Combines the art and science of nursing with a strong focus on relationship building and high-impact communication skills.
Overview
37
37
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Director, Org. Dev., Nursing Education & Research
UPMC Mercy
03.2024 - Current
- Develops high-performing teams by providing mentorship, guidance, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Enhances team collaboration through regular communication, goal setting, and performance evaluations.
- Establishes a culture of continuous improvement by fostering open communication channels and empowering employees to voice their ideas.
- Cultivates a positive work environment that fostered employee engagement, increased retention rates, and boosted overall team morale.
- Manages budgets effectively to ensure optimal use of resources while maintaining financial stability.
- Improves project efficiency with strategic planning, resource allocation, and time management practices.
- Optimizes staff performance by designing comprehensive training programs tailored to individual needs.
Advanced Clinical Education Specialist
UPMC Mercy
01.2020 - Current
- Responsible for onboarding and clinical education support for the surgical service line staff
- Responsible for supporting Nursing and Nursing support staff’s educational needs.
Part-Time Faculty
Duquesne University
01.2012 - Current
- Responsible for the clinical education of junior nursing students in a medical/surgical setting and application in the nursing laboratory.
Adjunct Professor
Colorado Technical University
08.2020 - 12.2020
- Responsible for the online instruction of Epidemiology to Health Administration students
Acting Nursing Section Head
Royal Commission Hospital, KSA, Medical/Surgical/Extended Care Unit
08.2019 - 02.2020
- Responsible for the operations of the Male Medical Surgical Unit, Female Medical Surgical Unit, Extended Care Unit.
Nursing Section Head
Royal Commission Hospital, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ED/Ambulatory
01.2018 - 01.2020
- Responsible for operations of the ED, Ambulatory Care, Renal Dialysis, and HBO/Radiology
- Responsible for Hospital’s COVID-19 response.
Part-Time Faculty
Waynesburg University
01.2013 - 01.2018
- Responsible for classroom instruction to RN to BSN students on healthcare policy, quality and patient safety.
Unit Director
UPMC Presbyterian Unit 5G Neurological/Neurosurgical/Trauma
01.2008 - 01.2018
- Responsible for the day-to-day operations of the unit; Responsible for staff development, unit budget, quality and patient safety initiatives
- Responsible for educating staff, implementing protocols and practices, and monitoring care of trauma, neurosurgical, and stroke population to ensure best practice
- Responsible for maintaining the requirements for the Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Certification and Level 1 Trauma Center
- Chairperson of the UPMC Presbyterian CAUTI Champion Committee with a goal to reduce urinary catheter device utilization and hospital acquired infections
- International Travel: Responsible for conducting Joint Commission International tracers and mock survey rounds at UPMC international hospitals in Palermo, Italy and Changsha, China.
Adjunct Professor
University of Pittsburgh
01.2008 - 01.2010
- Responsible for the clinical education of sophomore and senior students in a medical/surgical setting and the nursing laboratory application of skills.
Clinician
UPMC Presbyterian Unit 5G Neurological/Neurosurgical/Trauma
01.2005 - 01.2008
- Responsible for the complete care of neurosurgical, neurological and trauma patients on a monitored Step-down Unit
- Responsible for development and presentation of staff education and patient education.
Patient Safety Officer
UPMC South Side/UPMC Monroeville Surgery Center
01.2002 - 01.2005
- Appointed the Patient Safety Officer, in response to the Pennsylvania Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error Act (“Mcare)
- Responsible for the creation of, and reviewing, evaluating and refining the Patient Safety Program
- Served as a member of the Patient Safety Committee
- Responsible for overseeing the Hospital’s system for internal reporting of Reportable Patient Events and Infrastructure Failures
- Fostered a culture of proactive risk assessment and analysis.
Senior Risk Management Specialist
UPMC Health System
01.1993 - 01.2000
- Managed potential and actual claims
- Analyzed clinical data to determine areas of potential liability
- Developed corrective actions with the assistance of clinical teams.
Staff Nurse III
UPMC Presbyterian
01.1988 - 01.1993
Education
Masters of Science Degree in Professional Leadership - Health Service Education
Carlow College (now Carlow University)
01.1997
Bachelors of Science Degree in Nursing -
Carlow College
01.1993
Associate Degree in Nursing -
Community College of Allegheny County
01.1988
Skills
- Leadership
- Critical Thinking
- Education
- Mentorship
- Infection Control
- International Experience
- Quality Improvement
- Patient Safety
- Evidence Based Practice
Certification
- Nurse Executive Board Certification (NE-BC)
- RN License, RN-297883-L
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
- Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)
Affiliations
- Pennsylvania Organization for Nurse Leaders
- Southwestern Pennsylvania Organization for Nurse Leaders
- National Patient Safety Foundation
- Greater Pittsburgh Chapter: Association for Nurse Professional Development (GPC-ANPD)
Professionalqualificationspresentations
- Skillful in Medical Electronic Documentation, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint
- Participant in the Donald D. Wolff, Jr. Center for Quality Improvement and Innovation
- Poster Presentation at the American Organization for Nurse Executives (AONE)
- Presenter at UPMC Health System Grand Rounds, “Keeping Patients Safe through Proper Alarm Management: Simple Solutions for a Complex Problem”
- Poster Presentation at Southwestern Pennsylvania Organization of Nurse Leaders, Building Teamwork is Satisfying to Both Patients and Staff
- Presenter at Prince Sultan Military Medical City International Nurses’ Day Conference, “Leaders and Lollipops: Effective Onboarding and Precepting. Emotional Intelligence.
- Balanced Scorecard Strategic Planning Certification
Awards
- Nominated for the Cameo of Caring Award, Advanced Practice, Manager
- Nominated for the Transformational Leadership Award at UPMC Health System
- First place award for Patient Satisfaction at the UPMC Quality Fair. “Decreasing Alarm Fatigue Using Default Settings on Cardiac Monitoring Systems”
- Second place award for Patient Safety at the UPMC Quality Fair, “Improving Nurse Competency through Proper Monitor Management.”
- First place award for Patient Safety and Quality at the Annual SWPONL Conference, “Deep Dive into Catheter Associated UTI and Device Utilization. What’s the Issue?”
Publications
- Simple Solutions for Improving Patient Safety in Cardiac Monitoring-Eight Critical Elements to Monitor Alarm Competency, Hileman, Kate, Ward, Anne, 2013
- Risk Management Pro-Actives, Healthcare Facilities Risk Management Forms, Checklists, and Guidelines Manual, Anne Ward
Timeline
Director, Org. Dev., Nursing Education & Research
UPMC Mercy
03.2024 - Current
Adjunct Professor
Colorado Technical University
08.2020 - 12.2020
Advanced Clinical Education Specialist
UPMC Mercy
01.2020 - Current
Acting Nursing Section Head
Royal Commission Hospital, KSA, Medical/Surgical/Extended Care Unit
08.2019 - 02.2020
Nursing Section Head
Royal Commission Hospital, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ED/Ambulatory
01.2018 - 01.2020
Part-Time Faculty
Waynesburg University
01.2013 - 01.2018
Part-Time Faculty
Duquesne University
01.2012 - Current
Unit Director
UPMC Presbyterian Unit 5G Neurological/Neurosurgical/Trauma
01.2008 - 01.2018
Adjunct Professor
University of Pittsburgh
01.2008 - 01.2010
Clinician
UPMC Presbyterian Unit 5G Neurological/Neurosurgical/Trauma
01.2005 - 01.2008
Patient Safety Officer
UPMC South Side/UPMC Monroeville Surgery Center
01.2002 - 01.2005
Senior Risk Management Specialist
UPMC Health System
01.1993 - 01.2000
Staff Nurse III
UPMC Presbyterian
01.1988 - 01.1993
Bachelors of Science Degree in Nursing -
Carlow College
Associate Degree in Nursing -
Community College of Allegheny County
Masters of Science Degree in Professional Leadership - Health Service Education
Carlow College (now Carlow University)
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