Mary Coffey
August 2021
Mary
Coffey
,
PhD, MPH, RN, NEA-BC
Clinical Excellence Team
VCU Health
Richmond
,
VA
United States
Mary has worn many hats, held numerous roles, and supported so many people throughout her thirty-four-year tenure at VCU.
In the summer of 1986, Mary Coffey started her career as a new graduate nurse at the Medical College of Virginia in the Surgery Trauma Intensive Care Unit. She later moved on to Main 9 Central, where she quickly grew into leadership and management. Mary designed, opened, and managed the Gumenick Suites on Main 9 East and one of the first pre-operative anesthesia care units (Main 9 West). She led MCV’s initiative on primary nursing care into relationship-based care.
In the late 1990s Mary helped to refine the professional advancement program and integrated its core principles into the annual performance review process. In 2002, Mary extended her leadership into Ambulatory where she managed the telehealth/telemedicine clinic, security care clinic, and surgery clinics. She participated in the design, development, and management of comprehensive care for clinic patients in the opening of the Critical Care Hospital.
In 2008, she led the development of a peer support group for burn survivors, engaging previously injured burn patients, clinicians, inpatient, and ambulatory team members across disciplines and locations to establish VCUHS as the 80th SOAR (Survivors Offering Assistance in Recovery) program in the United States for burn patients.
In 2009, Mary led the VCUHS nurses in the coordinated and celebrated development of the health system’s Professional Practice Model. This unique and complex work included the history of VCU’s segregated St. Phillip hospital and the sensitive subject of care discrimination from Richmond’s past. Mary believed that we should acknowledge the negative from our past, respect the legacy of the quality care delivered by individuals who demonstrated exceptional service despite adversity as we prepare care systems for the future.
In 2016, Mary assumed leadership responsibilities as the Director of Nursing for the MCVP Community Clinics, Surgery Clinics, and Orthopedic Clinics. Mary co-presented the organization’s Professional Practice Model, based on the core values of caring, knowledge, leadership, and collaboration at the 2017 national Magnet Conference. Mary is an extraordinary role model when it comes to learning and professional growth and development. Mary obtained her master’s degree in Public Health (MPH) from the VCU School of Medicine, and a PhD in Nursing from VCU school of Nursing.
In addition, Mary holds a professional certification as a Nurse Executive-Advanced. Over her tenure at VCUHS, Mary was recognized several times during the National Week of the Nurse, was selected by her senior leaders to participate in a yearlong Leadership Academy, was a Grace Harris scholar, and was selected to the first cohort of the Langston Quality Scholars Program. There she was chosen to be in the inaugural cohort as an Affiliate Scholar in the redesigned Langston Center for Innovation in Quality and Safety. Nurse scientist, manager, director, educator, mentor, coach, caregiver, leader, decision-maker, colleague, peer, historian, optimist, resource, scholar, truth-seeker, advocate, professional, confidant, and friend. Mary has worn many hats, held numerous roles, and supported so many people throughout her thirty-four-year tenure at VCU. She takes great pride in ensuring that anyone and everyone that she met was successful and that she honestly and wholeheartedly had fun every day.
Mary has helped shape a generation of bedside and nursing leaders alike. Her unwavering dedication to the profession of nursing and mentoring the future of nursing have been an inspiration to countless nurses. Many nurses who have learned from Mary know her influence has inspired them to perform well beyond their perceived abilities. It is clear that Mary’s transformational leadership, a culture of compassion, and extraordinary service to her profession and her nursing colleagues that she is an ideal candidate to receive the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award.
In the late 1990s Mary helped to refine the professional advancement program and integrated its core principles into the annual performance review process. In 2002, Mary extended her leadership into Ambulatory where she managed the telehealth/telemedicine clinic, security care clinic, and surgery clinics. She participated in the design, development, and management of comprehensive care for clinic patients in the opening of the Critical Care Hospital.
In 2008, she led the development of a peer support group for burn survivors, engaging previously injured burn patients, clinicians, inpatient, and ambulatory team members across disciplines and locations to establish VCUHS as the 80th SOAR (Survivors Offering Assistance in Recovery) program in the United States for burn patients.
In 2009, Mary led the VCUHS nurses in the coordinated and celebrated development of the health system’s Professional Practice Model. This unique and complex work included the history of VCU’s segregated St. Phillip hospital and the sensitive subject of care discrimination from Richmond’s past. Mary believed that we should acknowledge the negative from our past, respect the legacy of the quality care delivered by individuals who demonstrated exceptional service despite adversity as we prepare care systems for the future.
In 2016, Mary assumed leadership responsibilities as the Director of Nursing for the MCVP Community Clinics, Surgery Clinics, and Orthopedic Clinics. Mary co-presented the organization’s Professional Practice Model, based on the core values of caring, knowledge, leadership, and collaboration at the 2017 national Magnet Conference. Mary is an extraordinary role model when it comes to learning and professional growth and development. Mary obtained her master’s degree in Public Health (MPH) from the VCU School of Medicine, and a PhD in Nursing from VCU school of Nursing.
In addition, Mary holds a professional certification as a Nurse Executive-Advanced. Over her tenure at VCUHS, Mary was recognized several times during the National Week of the Nurse, was selected by her senior leaders to participate in a yearlong Leadership Academy, was a Grace Harris scholar, and was selected to the first cohort of the Langston Quality Scholars Program. There she was chosen to be in the inaugural cohort as an Affiliate Scholar in the redesigned Langston Center for Innovation in Quality and Safety. Nurse scientist, manager, director, educator, mentor, coach, caregiver, leader, decision-maker, colleague, peer, historian, optimist, resource, scholar, truth-seeker, advocate, professional, confidant, and friend. Mary has worn many hats, held numerous roles, and supported so many people throughout her thirty-four-year tenure at VCU. She takes great pride in ensuring that anyone and everyone that she met was successful and that she honestly and wholeheartedly had fun every day.
Mary has helped shape a generation of bedside and nursing leaders alike. Her unwavering dedication to the profession of nursing and mentoring the future of nursing have been an inspiration to countless nurses. Many nurses who have learned from Mary know her influence has inspired them to perform well beyond their perceived abilities. It is clear that Mary’s transformational leadership, a culture of compassion, and extraordinary service to her profession and her nursing colleagues that she is an ideal candidate to receive the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award.