A day in the life of Mercy's chief nursing officer

Time in the operating room. Overseeing a team of 12,000 nurses. Administrative work. Family time. This is just a glimpse into the day-to-day life of Mercy's chief nursing officer. 

The Chesterfield, Mo.-based health system's Senior Vice President and CNO Betty Jo Rocchio, DNP, RN, CRNA, recently spoke to Johnson & Johnson about her responsibilities as a nursing leader, and the routine that enables her to travel across four states to Mercy's more than 40 hospitals.

Here's a glimpse into what Dr. Rocchio's work week looks like: 

A 5 a.m. wake up call to fit in exercise and morning travel time: "I still run for 25 to 45 minutes early in the morning, five days a week. For me, exercise brings mental clarity. I shut my phone off, focus on my breathing and get into the zone. It's when I do some of my best thinking about life and the things that affect me as a woman, as a mother and as a nurse," she told J&J in a May 31 blog post. 

Monday mornings, Dr. Rocchio usually takes the one-hour flight from her home in Columbus, Ohio, to St. Louis, and stays through Thursday. She uses that time to catch up on reading, "usually medical journals," she said. On Fridays, she works from home to have "a full weekend with my husband and kids."

"I try not to do anything on weekends that isn't related to family," Dr. Rocchio said. 

Workday mornings: Mondays and Tuesdays are typically spent in administrative meetings at the corporate office. The other days are spent visiting one of the system's hospitals. "Twice a month, I start those hospital visits with a Mercywide meeting, where I'm in the room with the local nurse leadership team and, simultaneously, on video conference with every chief nursing officer across the entire Mercy system," Dr. Rocchio said. In those meetings, nurse executives talk quality, safety and more. Lunch is usually spent collaboratively with the Mercy team, and that in-person time is what sparked the idea for the system's gig nursing platform: Mercy Works on Demand 

Afternoon and evening: This time is typically spent rounding with hospital nurses with other business leaders. "We look at things not just through a nursing lens; we also focus on how we can get better at taking care of patients in a broader way," Dr. Rocchio said. Weekday evenings usually involve team dinners with other nurse leaders. 

The rest of the night is reserved for connecting with family and winding down to rest — with a short email check. 

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