An integral part of your healthcare experience

The ability to deliver excellence today, tomorrow and beyond

When Jennifer Woods came across an article on neonatal nursing during her teenage years, she knew what she read would impact the rest of her life. With a desire to become someone who dedicated their life to meaningful work focused on helping others, Jennifer had the passion but knew she needed the skill to back it up.

Today, Jennifer is the vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Baptist Health Hardin. What started with a desire to support those around her on their unique paths to healing has transformed into a career that centers on giving other nurses the resources and environment they need to be successful.

“I will always be a nurse at heart,” said Jennifer. “My current role allows for a ripple effect that impacts even more lives. Through nurse education and leadership, I am able to equip nurses throughout our entire hospital with the tools they need to provide patients with the best possible care, and together, our nurses are impacting hundreds of lives every single day.”

 Jennifer believes that to best assist their patients, nurses must embrace lifelong learning. Through continuously evolving technology and new techniques being regularly introduced, Jennifer feels it is essential for nurses to have the ability to gain new knowledge that can be used to have both an immediate and far-reaching impact.

“Nurses have the greatest exposure to patients and their needs, and through that, we have the responsibility to do the work necessary to best serve those in our care,” she said. “An investment in nurse education is so much more than a simple donation, it is an investment in people, both our patients and staff. What that investment can do throughout the lifetime of even one nurse is impossible to measure.”

Through the Sharon Wright Nurse Excellence Fund, individuals and organizations have an opportunity to support nurses at Baptist Health Hardin through funding for education for advanced professional growth and development, innovation to promote the best possible patient outcomes, and technologies that allow for the provision of the highest quality patient care.

“Each investment in nurse education is something we feel so deeply,” said Jennifer. “For others to believe in us and the work we do is invaluable. It helps us to achieve our personal goals, but it also helps us to touch others through our skills and abilities. When you support nurse excellence and education, you are helping to create opportunities for betterment that benefit our entire community. It is truly a gift that keeps giving, and may save many lives in the process.”