Nurse Residency Program #teamMHSflorida

Nursing Programs Leadership #teamMHSflorida

Meet Our Team

The Residency program is managed by Anthony G. Gonzalez, Director of the Nurse Residency Program.

The RN Fellowship program is managed by Valarie Grumme, PhD, RN, CCRN-K, Director of the RN Fellowship Program.

These programs are supported by a team of accomplished CNOs, Directors of Education, and Clinical Nurse Educators at each Memorial hospital location.

Nurse Residency Overview

RN Fellowship Overview

Systemwide Nursing Leaders

Anthony G. Gonzalez

Director, Nurse Residency Program

Anthony began his healthcare career as a Transporter at a small community hospital in Coral Gables, Florida while working his way through nursing school and has since gone on to attain his master’s in nursing education at the University of Miami. He has logged over 25 years of experience in various areas of nursing ranging from adult med/surg/tele, IMCU to critical care which includes more than 15 years of experience in nursing education.

Anthony has championed several best practice initiatives including but not limited to development / implementation of several critical care protocols and clinical competency guidelines in the ICU. During his time as a Clinical Nurse Educator, he was able to observe new graduates and see that additional training, support and resource allocation were essential components for their professional growth and development. He was then able to create a structured, customizable orientation process designed to aid new nurse graduates in their transition from direct observation to independent practice. Through these efforts, he received honors for his work in developing the Pilot Program at Memorial Hospital Pembroke which led to the development of Memorial Healthcare System’s Nurse Residency Program that to this date has resulted in the overall year one new nurse graduate retention of 93% as compared to the national average of 74%.

Dr. Valarie Grumme

DIRECTOR, RN FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Dr. Valarie Grumme, PhD, RN, CCRN-K is the Director of the RN Fellowship Program and the MHS Simulation Center at Memorial Healthcare System. She has held progressively complex leadership roles in both nursing and education in the organization since 2000. She is an active participant in many professional activities in MHS and the affiliated community. Her extensive experience in both academia and practice provides her with opportunities to increase nursing knowledge and professional practice to enhance patient care. Her research interests include understanding the transplant journey from multiple perspectives, the phenomenon of nursing presence, nurturing empowerment and self-efficacy in nurse leaders and professional development programs to enhance nurses transitioning to practice. A nationally certified (CCRN-K) critical care nurse since 1995, Valarie has a PhD in Nursing from Florida Atlantic University and is a published author and lecturer. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member at FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and is an invited peer reviewer for several nursing journals.

Facility CNOs

Jineal Shinn
Chief Nursing Officer
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital

Jineal’s career at Memorial spans over 20 years, beginning with a roles as Nurse Clinician at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. She advanced into a leadership role as the Nurse Manager for the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit and the Pediatric Rehabilitation Unit, and was subsequently promoted to Director of Nursing at the hospital. In 2016, she was appointed the Chief Nursing Officer of Memorial Regional Hospital South and Memorial Rehabilitation Institute. And in May 2019, Jineal was appointed to her current position of Chief Nursing Officer of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. Jineal has dedicated her life to nursing, a profession that provides daily inspiration to make a difference in the lives of the people she has the privilege to serve. She is known for her strong critical thinking skills and ability to create a collaborative work environment. Jineal holds a BSN from Barry University and MSN from Florida Atlantic University.

Denise V. Reynolds
Chief Nursing Officer
Memorial Hospital West

Denise began her nursing career in the United States Navy Nurse Corps, stationed at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. During her first tour of duty, she was deployed to the Middle East in support of “Operation Desert Shield/Storm” as an officer aboard the USNS Comfort, where she trained in Burn ICU and Casualty Receiving (ER). After leaving military service, Denise continued to practice in varied critical care settings, including PACU, ICU/CCU and Emergency Care. Her tenure of 20 years with Memorial Healthcare System began in 1998. Denise has since served in various roles within three of Memorial facilities being promoted through several levels of clinical leadership. She has been CNO at Memorial Hospital West since 2016. Denise earned her BSN from the University of Vermont, and also has a master’s in Nursing Administration from Barry University.

David C. Starnes
Chief Nursing Officer
Memorial Hospital Pembroke

David Starnes joined the staff at Memorial Hospital Pembroke as its Chief Nursing Officer in 2019. Previously, he had been the Director of Emergency Services at Memorial Regional Hospital (MRH), for the past six years. During his tenure at MRH, Starnes was responsible for building the only ER-based Observation Unit at any Memorial hospital and also implemented a split flow emergency care unit, internal behavioral health unit, and a system-wide Medication Assisted Therapy Telehealth program. Under his leadership, the Emergency Department at Memorial Regional Hospital recorded more than 110,000 visits during its most recent fiscal year, including a publicly reported “left without being seen” rate of under 1%.

Starnes has been contributing to the success of the Memorial Healthcare System for nearly two decades, serving in a variety of roles during that time. In addition to his leadership role with emergency services, David has also been Emergency Room Director at Memorial Hospital Miramar, Nurse Manager, Clinical Manager and a Registered Trauma Nurse. He attended the RN to BSN program at Nova Southeastern University and is currently working on his Masters in Healthcare Administration in Davie. Starnes is also an active member of the Broward Emergency Medical Services Council.

Shelly Delfin
Chief Nursing Officer
Memorial Regional Hospital South

Shelly has served in her current role as CNO for Memorial Regional Hospital South, Memorial Rehabilitation Institute and the Post-Acute Network since 2019. Prior to that, she was the CNO at Memorial Pembroke, with accountability for all inpatient, ambulatory, 24/7 Care Center and procedural settings as well as patient care services for key service lines. She leads the Collaboration and Best Practice imperative for Memorial Healthcare Systems Nursing Strategic Plan. Implementation of clinical and nursing best practices and promotion of system clinical processes are the key drivers behind her team. Prior to becoming CNO, Shelly was Director of Nursing Services at Memorial Hospital Pembroke. Her responsibilities included clinical, operational and financial leadership for Nursing, Laboratory, Imaging and Pharmacy Services. In this role, she was also key in the development of Nursing Quality councils and implementation of an observation unit. Prior to Memorial Hospital Pembroke, Shelly served for 17 years in a variety of nursing leadership roles here at Memorial. Shelly received both her BSN and MSN in Nursing-Advanced Practice from Florida International University. She is a yellow belt in LEAN processes, Just Culture certified, and has received several honors and awards such as the Outstanding Nurse Leader Award from South Florida Office of Nurse Executives and presently serves on the Board of Directors for the South Florida Nursing Consortium.

Leslie Pollart
Chief Nursing Officer
Memorial Regional Hospital

Leslie has over 20 years of nursing leadership experience working for complex healthcare systems. Her background includes Critical Care, Oncology and Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation. She has worked at Memorial Healthcare System since 2007, leading patient safety and quality of care initiatives. Leslie has conducted multiple national presentations in an effort to share best practices and advance the nursing practice. She received her BSN from Florida Atlantic University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. Leslie’s passion for nursing and education has also led her to become an adjunct professor at the Broward College School of Nursing.

Alberto Garcia
Chief Nursing Officer
Memorial Hospital Miramar

Alberto has over 20 years of nursing leadership experience working for complex healthcare systems. His background includes Critical Care, Emergency, and Transplantation Medicine. He recently joined Memorial Healthcare System in late 2019 as the CNO of Memorial Hospital Miramar. He received his BSN from Florida International University and a Master’s degree from the University of California in San Francisco. His extensive experience in both academic and community medical centers provide the foundation to enhance patient care and evidence based practice. Alberto is a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives and is passionate about new nurses and the nurse residency program.

Directors of Education

Daisy Garcia
Director of Education
Memorial Hospital West

Daisy began her career as a staff nurse in the Medical/Surgical, Pre-op and Post Anesthesia Care Units. She is a native Floridian and first-generation college graduate. Daisy has 24 years of clinical experience and a passion for supporting and continuing a legacy of developing all new and tenured employees wanting to achieve their full potential. She has 20 years of dedicated service to Memorial Hospital West actively involved in supporting the clinical education goals of Memorial Hospital West and the System. Prior to her current position, Daisy served as the Clinical Manager for the Surgical Services department, MHS Credentialed Epic trainer, and Clinical Specialist for the Surgical Services department. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Broward College, and her Master’s Degree in Nursing Education from Aspen University.

Verna Fermin
Director of Education
Memorial Hospital Pembroke

Early in her career, Verna discovered a passion for education while working on a Med/Surg/Oncology unit. Physicians identified her as possessing many educator qualities. Soon after, she joined a community health center as a Nurse Clinician and became a Certified Diabetes Educator, with an emphasis on underserved populations. Verna then moved to Florida and joined the Memorial Hospital West Telemetry/Stroke unit, where she precepted new nurses, educated patients and served on hospital wide committees for 10 years. In 2014, she became a Clinical Nurse Specialist for Memorial Hospital Pembroke and subsequently advanced to her current role as the Director of Education. Verna has a BSN from the University of Massachusetts, as well as masters in Nursing Education.

Colleen Quinn
Director of Education
Memorial Regional Hospital

Colleen has been a Registered Nurse for over 45 years and has been involved with the Memorial Healthcare System in a variety of internal and external roles for over 25 years. Most recently, she was appointed the Director of Education in February of 2023. Prior to that she was the Director of Nursing for Behavioral Health from 2018 to 2021. Before joining Memorial, Colleen served as a Professor and Associate Dean at Broward College. Her passion is education, and she is especially interested in understanding the needs of new nurse graduates and assisting them in bridging the gap between academia and bedside. She began her nursing career after receiving her Associate Degree from Trocaire College in Buffalo, New York, a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, her Master’s Degree in Nursing from Florida Atlantic University, and a Doctorate Degree in Education from Florida International University.

Vickie Babol
Director of Education
Memorial Hospital Miramar

Vickie began her career as a critical care nurse at Philippine General Hospital, subsequently moving to Florida and enjoying 20 years of bedside nursing success. She has worked in diverse RN roles (including the ED), as an ARNP in Telemetry and Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and as Director of Clinical Care before moving to her current role at Memorial. She received her MSN ARNP from Florida International University and is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society. Vickie also teaches BLS, ACLS and Critical Care/ED classes.

Lauren Oates
Director of Education
Memorial Regional Hospital South and Memorial Rehabilitation Institute

Lauren brings her many years of nursing and leadership service to the Memorial Family. Her background and experience include multiple roles in the acute care setting as well as academia. Lauren’s most recent role was operationalizing a corporate-designed Nurse Residency Program for 14 hospitals. Lauren’s passion for her healthcare career started as a “candy striper” volunteer. She worked her way through many roles while advancing her career through education. Lauren started her first RN position after receiving her AAS from Rockland Community College in NY. Lauren pursued her BSN immediately at Dominican College in NY. After working for years and raising her family here in the Southeast Florida area, Lauren finally achieved her dream of attaining her MSN at Barry University so that she could fully immerse herself in Education and Leadership. Lauren will never forget the mentors who helped guide her career. She is excited to continue to “pay-it-forward” as she helps guide others to achieve their dreams!

Memorial Healthcare System is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity.