Over the past several years, Jean Doerge has played a key role in growing this recognition of extraordinary nurses and the care and caring they provide. I've had the pleasure to be present at some of our local award ceremonies, and in these ceremonies (which never fail to make me tear up as I hear amazing stories of caregivers making a difference) I'm reminded once again of Jean's commitment to patients and caregivers, and to excellence in the practice of nursing.
Jean's commitment to excellence started long ago. She was a National Merit Scholar in high school and holds multiple degrees:
A Bachelor of Arts in Geography
A Bachelor of Science in Nursing
A Master of Science in Community Health Nursing
A Master's in Business Administration
She has held certification in case management, and she is a Brown Belt in Six Sigma. In her nursing career, she has served as an emergency department manager, case manager, public health nurse, vice president of patient care, project leader, quality outcomes manager, vice president for quality and performance improvement, vice president quality and chief nurse executive.
For the last four and a half years, Jean consistently brought deep knowledge and experience, commitment, caring, and compassion to her position as Chief Nursing Officer at Swedish Edmonds and Mill Creek. Jean has done so much to move this campus forward, and I wanted to share just a few that come to my mind:
Created the service operations center, improving hospital flow and throughput.
Opened additional inpatient beds on 6W.
Strengthened the nursing shared leadership structure.
Advocated for improvements to caregiver breakrooms.
Advocated for the care of patients in our community through support of our behavioral health programs.
Participated on the board of the Training Fund and is a past Co-Chair.
Played a key role in the reduction of C-Diff infections in the hospital.
Led the process for the development of the new Cath and IR labs that opened on the campus in 2016.
Mentored and supported our leaders.
Helped build our Patient and Family Advisory Council.
Participated in initiatives with community partners to support the most vulnerable in our communities.
Recognized amazing nurses through support of the Swedish MVP programs and the DAISY Award.
During Jean's time here, we have seen improved quality, expanded and renewed workspace, and successful completion of so many projects and initiatives. We are lucky that Jean will continue to reside here in Edmonds and will continue her connections to the community.

Note: This is Jean's 2nd DAISY Award!