From watching her mother excel as a nurse, Jacqueline Ann Ward was inspired at a young age to pursue the field of nursing in her own right. Notably, she went on to hold numerous positions in nursing at medical institutions, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers throughout the course of her more than 40-year career until the time of her retirement in 2008. Eminently qualified, Ms. Ward bears extensive certification as an adult living facility administrator, nursing home administrator preceptor, and legal nurse consultant.
Before spearheading her retirement, Ms. Ward served as a legal nurse consultant from 2007 to 2008. She had been an administrator for Tandem Health Care and an executive director for Beneva Park Club, both in Sarasota, Florida, between 2005 and 2007. She gained earlier administrative experience while working for Sun Terrace Rehabilitation Center in Sun City Center, the Center for Long Term Care in Venice, and Long Term Care in Sarasota between 1999 and 2000, and had also been the director of nursing and support services consultant at the latter.
In the 1990s, Ms. Ward also offered her expertise as an educator, serving for one year as an adjunct member of the clinical nursing faculty at Manatee Community College, now known as the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. In addition, she excelled as the director of the skilled unit and special projects at Bon Secours-Venice Hospital in Venice from 1995 to 1997 and as executive director and vice president of the Life Counseling Center in Osprey from 1994 to 1995. In the decade prior, from 1984 to 1994, Ms. Ward flourished at Venice Memorial Hospital, serving as vice president of operations and vice president of nursing.
Building off even earlier experiences outside of Florida, Ms. Ward was the director of nursing at H.D. Cobb Memorial Hospital and a clinical instructor at Chattahoochee Valley Community College in Phenix City, Alabama, in the early 1980s. In Charleston, West Virginia, she was a staff nurse, unit manager and assistant director of nursing of the general division at Charleston Area Medical Center from 1971 to 1982. Between 1966 and 1971, she worked as a staff nurse at Rocky Mountain Osteopathic Hospital in Denver, Colorado; Bexar County Hospitals and Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio, Texas; Memorial Hospital in Charleston, West Virginia; and West Virginia University Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia.
In a career suffused with highlights, Ms. Ward is most proud to have become the vice president of nursing at Venice Memorial Hospital, representing a culmination of her years of hard work in the field. In accounting for her standout success, she credits her singular dedication and drive to exceed the expectations of others. Furthermore, Ms. Ward’s triumphs were also inspired by her desire to help those in need. She believes the perfect recipe for success is hard work and good intentions. Additionally, she credits relationships with great administrators for her success, citing them as instrumental in her progression by writing letters of recommendation and offering general guidance on appropriate steps to become the best nurse she could be.
To prepare for her vocation, Ms. Ward earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh in 1966 and a Master of Arts in counseling and guidance from Marshall University, formerly known as the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies, in 1976. She went on to achieve a Master of Business Administration from Columbus State University, formerly known as Columbus College, in 1983 and an Associate of Science in health services management and nursing home administration from St. Petersburg College in 1997.
A distinguished Marquis listee, Ms. Ward has been featured in numerous editions of Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Nursing, Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, Who’s Who in the South and Southwest, Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who of American Women and Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders in America. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, woodworking and home projects. She currently resides in Sarasota, Florida.