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Areas of Expertise
Among her colleagues, Shirley is consistently described as wise—they gush over her
knowledge and more than 45 years of experience, noting that "there's not too much that's
brand-new to her." And yet she'll tell you herself that there are plenty of things she
doesn't know, and she makes a point of never pretending to know what she doesn't. She
combines that humility with the authenticity that comes from having worked—digging
in, up-to-her-elbows worked—in a wide variety of health care organizations all over the
world. Together, those qualities help her make meaningful, lasting connections with
everyone at the organization, from the CEO to the medical staff to the managers and
front-line staff. "You have to resonate with people if you're going to help guide them
through major events like redesigning roles and processes, remodeling care delivery
systems, focusing on collaborative practice, teamwork and driving cultural change," says
Shirley.
Shirley earned her BS in Nursing/Education at Millersville University and her MEd at
Penn State in Health Education and Health Administration. Shirley has earned numerous
professional certifications and is a widely recognized expert in the field of health care
leadership. Shirley has held staff, leadership, consultant, educator, facilitator, public
health and research roles in both inpatient and outpatient settings, in roles as diverse as
AVP, CNO, CQIO, ADON, Director and House supervisor.
"I love this job," she says. "I get to help staff reignite their spirit, treat compassion fatigue,
help caregivers answer the question 'Who am I in this work, and what do I want to
accomplish?'" In almost every program she leads, she talks to someone who tells her that
they'd decided to leave health care, and were halfway out the door, until her program.
Following up with those people later, she finds them dedicated and thriving in their field.
When she's not working with clients in their locations, Shirley splits her time between
Pennsylvania and Florida.
Areas of Focus:
- Leadership at the Point of Care
- Relationships at the Point of Care
- Multidisciplinary organizational RBC implementation
- Re-Igniting the Spirit of Caring
- Leading an Empowered Organization
Selected Presentations/Publications:
- Driven to the Brink - White Paper 2004
- Leadership IQ - Training Course for Executives and Managers 1994-2004
- How to Redesign a Role - White Paper 2001
- IHI Conference - The Role of Nursing Leadership in Changing
Care Delivery Systems 1999
- Going Beyond the FTE-Presentation of Work Redesign for Nurse
Leaders-Pennsylvania Ohio Region 1998
- Development of a Stress Management Program for Hospital Administrators
1990
E-mail Shirley Ruch
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