Message from the CNE

A Message from the Kishwaukee Hospital and Valley West Hospital Chief Nursing Executive

Northwestern Medicine is a healthcare organization that is focused on an unending quest to be “Better.” For Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital and Northwestern Medicine Valley West Hospital, Better means a never-ending quest to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of the care we provide to our patients, their families and the communities we serve through interprofessional teamwork.

The remarkable dedication and professionalism of our nurses embodies Northwestern Medicine’s core values of Excellence, Integrity, Teamwork and always placing the patient first. These values are the platform for providing relationship-based care as we meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of each patient and their family, placing them at the center of everything we do.

One way our nurses live their pledge to be Better is through our Journey to Magnet Excellence® and our nursing practice model, Interprofessional Relationship-Based Care. On June 2, 2024, we submitted our second Magnet® redesignation application was submitted to the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The inspiring examples of nursing professional practice illustrated in our Magnet document demonstrate our dedication to evidence-based practice, interprofessional collaboration, patient advocacy, innovation, research and community service.

The Kishwaukee Hospital and Valley West Hospital Nursing Professional Governance Councils will help frame our FY25-30 Nursing Strategic Roadmap. At the core of our goals and tactics is a quest to achieve exemplary patient outcomes through evidence-based practice standards, innovation and research. Funding our mission and reinvesting in the enterprise includes creating a superior work environment that supports academic growth and specialty certification.

Our nurses have a tremendous role in caring for the health of our community and being advocates for health equity across the continuum of care. It is an exciting time to be a nurse, and we look forward to helping enact change. If you are seeking a place where your ideas and expertise can help change the face of patient care, you should talk with us about becoming a Northwestern Medicine nurse. We invite you to learn more about the nursing opportunities at Northwestern Medicine.

Northwestern Medicine sincerely thanks our nurses for the outstanding work they do every day. It is an honor and privilege to work among them.

Kim Czaruk, MSN, RN, C-ONQS
Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive
Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital
Northwestern Medicine Valley West Hospital