Dr. Rhonda R. Foster is currently the Vice President of Patient Care Services/Chief Nursing Officer at Children's Hospital of Michigan (CHM). CHM is a member of the Detroit Medical Center and the only free-standing children's hospital in Michigan . Under Dr. Foster's leadership, CHM received its Magnet™ designation in 2008. A transformational leader, Dr. Foster with the support of her leadership team at CHM, reorganized the nursing division to redefine clinical and administrative roles and create a culture of teamwork and shared decision making. Some of the significant strategic initiatives to her credit include implementing an Electronic Medical Record system (Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE), nursing documentation and medication administration), development of a nursing residency program for new graduate nurses which yielded nearly a 40% reduction in turnover and many process improvement throughput initiatives. Additionally, Dr. Foster integrated evidence based practice and research into the culture of the organization.
Dr. Foster is a scholar and a practitioner. Over the course of her 30 year tenure in healthcare, she has held numerous nursing, teaching, and hospital administration positions that provided her with a wealth of knowledge that she brings to the ANCC. She is the classic example of the nurse executive who epitomizes a transformational leadership style. Her understanding of hospital operations and the needs of nursing and support staff make her an effective leader. She has presented nationally and internationally on healthcare quality and leadership topics and she has an extensive list of publications. Her areas of expertise are leadership, enhancing stakeholder involvement, and shared decision making in addition to clinical expertise of health care services for women and children.
Summary of Services
Completes mock site visits
Conducts readiness assessments
Develops customized workshops
Document review
Electronic document submission
Education
Dr. Foster received an Associate Degree in Applied Science (Nursing) from Michael J. Owens Technical College (Perrysburg, OH) and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Toledo (Toledo, OH). She also completed a Master of Science in Nursing Administration in Health Services from Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.) and a Master of Public Health Administration from the Northwest Consortium for Public Health (Bowling Green, OH). Dr. Foster earned her Doctorate of Education in Leadership Studies from Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH).
Certification
American Nurses Credentialing Center—Certified Nurse Executive, Advanced
Professional Memberships
American College of Health Care Executives
American Nurses Association
American Organization of Nurse Executives
National Association of Health Service Executives
Sigma Theta Tau International