Director of Nursing/Clinical Administrator Okyanos Center for Regenerative Medicine – February 2012
About Gretchen Dezelick
Gretchen Dezelick, RN, LHCRM, CASC was the Director of Nursing and Clinical Administrator at Okyanos Center of Regenerative Medicine. Based in Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas. Okyanos brought a new option, standard of care and quality of life to patients with chronic diseases, utilizing an EU-approved cell processing devices. Okyanos closed its doors to business in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas.
- More than 35 years nursing experience in acute hospital critical care, peri-operative and ambulatory surgery center bedside and administrative positions
- Certifications have included CCRN (Critical Care Registered Nurse), CNOR (Certified Peri-Operative Nurse), LHCRM (Licensed Healthcare Risk Management) and current CASC (Certified Ambulatory Surgery Center Administrator)
- Experienced in US hospital (JCAHO), US ambulatory surgery center (AAAHC) and Bahamas National Stem Cell Committee (NSEC) Standards of Practice and Accreditation Surveys
Gretchen Dezelick, RN, BSN, CNOR, LHCRM, CASC earned her diploma nursing degree from St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She spent the first 12 years of her career in bedside and administrative positions in a combined 30- bed medical and surgical intensive care unit at Lancaster General Hospital specializing in coronary care and open -heart surgery. She then relocated to Florence, South Carolina to take a position as Director of Nursing for a 15- bed surgical intensive care unit at McLeod Regional
Medical Center in Florence, South Carolina that specialized in open heart surgery and neurosurgical specialties. After 4 years in South Carolina, Gretchen relocated to Sarasota, Florida where she worked in open heart recovery and as a circulating nurse in a 6- room cardiac catheterization lab. In 2002, Gretchen left the large non-profit hospital systems to move to Tampa, Florida where she accepted a position as an operating room circulating nurse in an ambulatory surgery center, Laser Spine Institute. She quickly advanced from circulating nurse to the ambulatory surgery center’s Director of Nursing and on into Ambulatory Surgery Center Administration as the Patient Safety Officer and Licensed Health Care Risk Manager. In 2012, Okyanos Center for Regenerative Medicine recruited Gretchen to assist in the program development and to oversee the clinical operations of their new stem cell therapy surgery center in Freeport, Grand Bahama.
Experience
Director of Nursing Okyanos Heart Institute
As the Director of Nursing and Nursing Administrator at Okyanos Heart Institute, Gretchen is responsible for the delivery of care for all patients. She is responsible for developing effective systems, ensuring high safety and quality assessment and improvement standards, and representing the clinical staff as a member of the senior leadership team. This position requires excellent management and leadership skills, a thorough knowledge of critical care and operating room nursing, and expertise in healthcare licensure, accreditation and standards of practice.
Clinical Administrator/Director of Nursing Okyanos Operating Company, Ltd
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Responsible for planning, organizing, and managing a 12,500 square foot ambulatory surgery center specializing in stem cell therapies in Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas. Also responsible for the patient safety, quality assessment/performance improvement, and risk management activities of the facility.
Director of Nursing/Risk Manager Laser Spine Institute
Prior to her position at Okyanos Heart Institute, Gretchen was the Risk Manager and Patient Safety Officer for Laser Spine Institute. While at LSI she was responsible for ensuring compliance with standards of practice to meet regulatory and accreditation requirements for licensure of three ambulatory surgery centers. Duties included the oversight of clinical practice, risk management, performance improvement and patient safety programs. Before being promoted to that position, she was Director of Nursing at Laser Spine Institute, managing and directing a staff of 30 employees including registered nurses (RNs), surgical technicians and medical assistant
RN-Critical Care
University Community Hospital
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Tampa FL
RN Open Heart Recovery and Cath Lab
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System
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Sarasota, Florida
Director of Nursing Surgical Intensive Care Unit
McLeod Regional Medical Center
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Florence, South Carolina
RN Critical Care to Asst. Director of Nursing
Lancaster General Hospital
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Lancaster, Pennsylvania