Meet Susan Ventura. As the new Associate Chief Nursing Officer and Site Administrator at Tobey Hospital she is responsible for your satisfaction.

"As site leader, I am here to help guide and provide support to solve problems," she explained. "We are currently working on improving patient satisfaction."

Ventura was brought in to succeed retiring Vice President of Southcoast Hospital Group, Elaine Meredith. Although hospital restructuring gave her a different title, Ventura’s role is similar: to oversee the daily operations of the hospital’s staff and foster communication among departments.

Meredith retired in December and Ventura had shadowed Meredith since July.

"She was my mentor," Ventura explained. "She is extremely wise about the history [of the hospital]. She worked at Tobey for 20 years! I was very touched by her leadership."

Ventura said "collaboration" was her biggest take away from her time with Meredith. Ventura noted Tobey Hospital's unique "family atmosphere."

"Many of the staff have lived here their whole lives," she said. "It's their hospital. They are taking care of their family, their neighbors. There is a sense of commitment among the staff."

Ventura has long been a part of the Southcoast Hospital family. Before coming to Tobey, she was promoted from her job as director of critical care to director of surgical services at St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford.

A life-long Taunton resident, Ventura became a registered nurse at the now-defunct Fall River Diploma School of Nursing. She went on to get her bachelors degree in nursing from Bridgewater State University, and her masters degree in management from Northeastern University.

"My very first job in high school was at a hospital. I was a secretary," she said. "I was so impressed with the work the hospital did. I knew this was what I wanted to pursue."

Before assuming an administrative role, Ventura spent 20 years as a critical care nurse at Morton Hospital in Taunton and Caritas Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton.

"I've always enjoyed supporting other leaders," she said about making the transition to management. "I like to help them improve their services."

Ventura said she jumped at the opportunity to work at Tobey and take on the challenges the hospital faces from an administrative standpoint.

She is currently working with Tobey's nurses, physicians, and department heads to devise ways to make services more efficient and improve patients' experience at Tobey.

"We are all really here for the patients."