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Please welcome Theresa Rejrat, MA, RN, the new Vice President for Patient Care Services at The University Hospital.
A nurse and health care executive with nearly 30 years of experience, Ms. Rejrat has successfully led patient care services at several complex medical centers. Most recently, she served for eight years as Deputy Executive Director of Patient Care Services/Nursing at Bellevue Hospital in New York.
At Bellevue, Ms. Rejrat was charged with the strategic planning and daily operations for 40 patient care units, which included high volume areas such as Emergency Services, Critical Care, Perioperative Services/Sterile Processing, Cardiovascular Services, Endoscopic Services, Dialysis, Ambulatory Care, Respiratory Therapy, Chemotherapy, Infection Control, the Human Resource division for Patient Care Services and others.
With a combination of operational, labor relations and business know-how, Ms. Rejrat steered many service improvements and innovations at Bellevue. From successful quality improvement partnerships with nursing and physician staff, to reducing cycle times and reducing staff expenditure, to increasing staff loyalty through skill enhancement and mentorship projects, Ms. Rejrat was able to engage her staff and colleagues to improve patient care and steadily increase patient satisfaction scores. Also important to note: under her watch, patient care services/nursing passed three JCAHO accreditation surveys without a single nursing citation.
Ms. Rejrat plans to apply that same know-how at The University Hospital. She says that "it's an honor to contribute to the hospital's mission and join the ranks of those who have helped transform this hospital into such an essential community and healthcare resource."
With her excellent track record, the odds are that she will have a profoundly positive impact on the hospital. This is due partly to the fact that she seems to have found a staff support and development model that works - a model that does not only target staff nurses but also ancillary staff like technicians, patient transporters, admissions personnel and environmental services personnel. It's a holistic approach to staff development that empowers hospital workers and which consequently allows nurses and other direct patient caregivers to focus more intensely on their patients.
"I think that applying this integrated model of patient care - one that takes into account and aligns support and direct patient care staff - has been the hallmark of my career," says Ms. Rejrat.
Despite spending the bulk of her leadership years in New York, her experience is rooted in Northern New Jersey. That's part of the reason why she says she's looking forward to working and contributing to The University Hospital's mission. Born and raised in Northern New Jersey, a graduate from the Elizabeth General Hospital School of Nursing, which is now a part of the Trinitas Health System, and with a BSN from Seton Hall University in South Orange, Ms. Rejrat returns to Northern New Jersey better prepared to run patient care services than ever before.
Prior to Bellevue Hospital, she served in succeedingly prominent capacities at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, first as Director of The Patient Care Innovation Project and later as Acting Vice President of Patient Care Services. In addition to a BSN, Ms. Rejrat has an MA in Executive Leadership from Columbia University in New York and a PhD from the New York College of Health Professions.
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