JEAN B. RUIZ, RN, MA, CCRN, CNE
Clinical Nurse Specialist, Critical Care
Capital Health System
Trenton, New Jersey
Jean B. Ruiz is a clinical nurse specialist in critical care, a role which requires practice, education, leadership, collaboration and consultation within the Capital Health System (CHS) organization. Although Ms. Ruiz’s usual responsibilities involve new graduate and staff orientation, as well as planning and implementing required competency programs, she also acts as a role model for excellence in critical care nursing practice and has recently received the Excellence in Nursing Practice Award from Capital Health System. She is often called upon by staff nurses for input on complex care questions and issues, and facilitates staff independence and confidence in their own knowledge, skills, and abilities while encouraging multidisciplinary collaboration to provide quality patient care.
Ms. Ruiz represents nursing in hospital committees and policy formulation. She contributes to organizational initiatives and clinical projects, participating in problem and practice issues analysis to suggest change strategies for improved practice and optimal outcomes. Since Jean writes or gives input to the formulation of hospital policies and procedures, she frames the guidelines for nursing practice and other aspects of patient services (i.e. radiology and laboratory services). In addition to teaching in orientation and critical care courses, Ms. Ruiz collaborates with other hospital educators to implement and teach in the Telemetry and Critical Care Internship Program and acts as a mentor to nurses employed for their first year at Cathedral Health. She actively participates in the research committee, educators group and medical committees such as the trauma, critical care and pharmacy committee.
In addition to Jean’s normal activities, she provides support to foreign nurses recruited to work at CHS and actively participates in many professional organizations. She is a member of the National League for Nursing and serves as a NLN ambassador, communicating news and issues to faculty and others. She is also the current Informatics chair and Education committee member of AACN-SEPA chapter and publisher of the chapter newsletter online.
Ms. Ruiz models continuous learning as a doctoral student and a student of online education and instruction. She conducts research at the unit level, products evaluation studies, implements evidence-based practice in association with hospital policies and procedures, participates in quality based initiatives at local and state levels, and speaks at local and national conferences. Jean loves and is dedicated to nursing, kind and compassionate in her interactions as well as resilient and persistent in encouraging evidence-based practice and quality outcomes.