Samaritan Welcomes New Chief Nursing Officer
Published on: July 28, 2021
Watertown, NY – Samaritan Medical Center is pleased to announce that Jacqueline Dawe, RN-BC, MN, CNOR, has been selected as its next Chief Nursing Officer & Vice President of Clinical Services. She brings more than 25 years of nursing experience to the role, including many years in management-level positions.
Dawe comes to Samaritan from Oneida Healthcare, where she served as Vice President of Clinical Services and Chief Nursing Officer since 2017. Here, she was responsible for upwards of 170 staff members in various specialties, including pharmacy, emergency medicine, medical/surgical, obstetrics, intensive care, pediatrics, and more. Prior to this role, she spent 17 years in the LRGHealthcare System in New Hampshire, beginning as a Staff Nurse in the Intensive Care Unit and departing as Senior Director of LRGHealthcare’s Franklin Regional Hospital. She also served as the health system’s Chief Nursing Officer from 2014 to 2016, managing more than 350 staff members.
“We are pleased to welcome Jacqueline to Samaritan’s administration and senior leadership team,” said Tom Carman, President and CEO of Samaritan Medical Center. “Her extensive nursing leadership background and track record of improving patient care will serve us well. We look forward to her guidance and insight as we continue to foster a patient- and resident-centric model of healthcare in our facilities.”
“I am thrilled to be part of the Samaritan team and build on the incredible work already being done by our nursing and patient care staff,” said Dawe. “I have worked in other healthcare systems and I see a lot of past success and potential at Samaritan, hence my decision to join this team. Specifically, I see a lot of opportunity to improve patient experience in the Emergency Department. Since this department interacts with nearly 50,000 patients a year, it is considered by many to be the ‘front door’ of our hospital and thus a high priority for improved efficiency and customer service here at Samaritan. To achieve this vision, goals include improving customer service for our patients and family members, and optimizing Emergency Department flow to reduce overcrowding and ultimately increase safe, quality, and timely care. These goals will take time and perseverance to achieve, and I truly believe we have the resources we need to be successful.”
Dawe holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix and a Masters of Nursing from Memorial University of Newfoundland. She is Board Certified in Staff Development and is a Certified Perioperative Nurse. She began her employment at Samaritan on Monday, June 28, 2021.
Dawe replaces Kimberly Thibert, who served as Chief Nursing Officer from March 2015 until her retirement in June 2021.