NICOLE SMITH
Maricopa,AZ
Summary
Healthcare executive, skilled in building and optimizing high acuity service lines through disciplined operations, financial stewardship, and cross-functional leadership. I excel at redesigning clinical programs to enhance scalability, efficiency, and quality, improving outcomes while reducing variation and costs. As a graduate of Cornell's Executive Master of Healthcare Administration program, I leverage advanced finance, strategy, and systems thinking to drive sustainable growth and operational excellence across complex healthcare environments.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Director of ECMO Services
St. Joseph's Hospital
01.2022 - Current
- Leads a large and complex multidisciplinary ECMO team composed of thoracic, trauma, and cardiac physicians, perfusion, ECMO specialists, nurses, and respiratory therapists. Responsible for continuously developing and re-structuring a safe, efficient, robust service line.
- Leads a high-performance team of 70+, driving continuous improvement in operational metrics.
- Oversees financial management to maximize performance.
- Guidance of the ECMO program in alignment with Common Spirits core mission, vision, and values.
- Enhanced patient survival by 21% through the implementation of a quality monitoring platform, including the development of peer review, benchmarking, and patient quality review.
- Develops and updated standards, policies, and workflows leading to improved operational efficiency and patient safety.
- Manages several complex projects simultaneously including developing a new delineation of privileges for the ECMO surgical procedure, market and regional strategy, complex ECMO transport team development, ELSO center of excellence application, and quality program initiatives.
- Leads marketing initiative for increased program growth and success.
- Reduced operational costs by 10% through strategic resource management and optimized contract billing.
ECMO Program Coordinator
St. Joseph's Hospital
01.2020 - 01.2022
- Managed the daily operations and coordination of a team of 50.
- Oversaw a team of over 50 medical professionals, coordinating efforts across multiple departments.
- Worked in a 24/7 role to assist in patient selection.
- Helped build new ECMO platforms in the facility including facilitating equipment capital purchase, training, and protocol development.
- Oversight of team efficiency during COVID-19 resulting in a survival rate 40% above the national average.
- Development of an internal educational structure saving 20k+ annually.
- Monitored vendor performance, ensuring adherence to contract/project requirements.
Cardiothoracic ICU Charge RN
St. Joseph's Hospital
01.2014 - 01.2020
- Supervised over 10 nurses per day with patient flow, safe delivery of care, and patient satisfaction of a complex surgical unit.
- Played a key role in supervision of nursing and ancillary staff.
- Exhibited excellent problem solving skills while ensuring safe, competent, and friendly care is delivered.
- Supervised over 10 nurses per day with patient flow, safe delivery of care, and patient satisfaction in a complex surgical unit.
Education
Executive Master in Healthcare Administration - Executive Master in Healthcare Administration
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY11-2025
Bachelor's Degree - Science and Nursing
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM01.2012
Skills
- Operations management
- Strategic management
- Team leadership
- Analytical approach
- Financial Management
- Marketing
- Revenue growth
- Complex problem solving
- Active listening
- Innovative thinking
- Collaboration
- Process optimization
- Policy development
- Strategic Planning
Accomplishments
ECMO Strategic Planning
Built and executed a comprehensive ECMO program structure, securing St. Joseph’s ELSO Center of Excellence Gold Accreditation (02/25), strengthening performance and brand.
Operational Efficiency
Applied lean six Sigma methodology to streamline ECMO, operational workflow, reducing process variation, shortening cycle times, and improving overall service line efficiency.
Market Structure Development
Designed a market white strategy to optimize patient referrals and transport capability, expanding critical care, access, and improving health equity for high acuity populations.
Cost Reduction Success
Reduced operational costs by 15% through strategic resource management, billing optimization, and improved workflow efficiency.
Innovation
Implemented new processes and technologies that improved service line efficiency by 30%.
Professional Leadership
Chairs the National CommonSpirit ECMO Council, uniting 22 ECMO programs across the system to standardize clinical practice, establish system-level guidelines, and elevate quality. Lead's national journal, clubs, best practice development, and alignment across multidisciplinary teams.
Chairs St. Joseph's ECMO Steering Committee, providing direct governance and strategic decision-making for the program. Ensuring consistent standards, cohesive collaboration, and high-reliability performance.
Survival Improvement
Increased ECMO survival by 21% through a comprehensive quality platform development, including structured M&M review, targeted performance improvement, benchmarking, and standardized clinical pathways.
Communication
Proven ability to mediate competing priorities, clarify expectations, and drive consensus among thoracic, cardiovascular, and trauma stakeholders by aligning goals, clarifying roles, and building a cohesive team structure that maximizes collaboration.
Operational Efficiency
Applied lean six Sigma methodology to streamline Ecmo, operational workflow, reducing process variation, shortening cycle times, and improving overall service line efficiency.
Certification
ACLS
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt in progress
Timeline
Director of ECMO Services
St. Joseph's Hospital
01.2022 - Current
ECMO Program Coordinator
St. Joseph's Hospital
01.2020 - 01.2022
Cardiothoracic ICU Charge RN
St. Joseph's Hospital
01.2014 - 01.2020
Executive Master in Healthcare Administration - Executive Master in Healthcare Administration
Cornell University
Bachelor's Degree - Science and Nursing
University of New Mexico