Jackie Krason, MSN, RN, CRRN, CPHQ, Madonna’s director of quality and risk management, says she knew she wanted to be a nurse from a young age. She just didn’t know what she wanted her career to look like.
“I knew I wanted to serve others and help care for others,” Krason said. “And, at each pivot point in my life, it just happened that Madonna had an opportunity that I could pursue.”
Krason has been with Madonna for 17 years. Her journey started as a new graduate, working as a floor nurse in Madonna’s Specialty Hospital in Lincoln. When her husband’s job changed and she needed a new schedule to accommodate her children’s busy school and activity calendar, she began to look internally for her next opportunity.
“Madonna offered a weekend program at that time, which I took on and I worked on the acute rehabilitation unit then,” Krason said. “This worked really well. I did that for about a year until my husband’s role moved back to Lincoln, and then I looked for my next opportunity.”
That opportunity came through the quality and risk department. Krason applied for a quality analyst position, unsure of what the role would entail, but eager to learn more.
“After meeting the staff and learning a little bit more about quality, I decided it was worth pursuing and I could tell right away that was a group that was going to challenge me and there were going to be unlimited opportunities for self-growth,” Krason said.
Krason spent six years as a quality analyst before being promoted to quality and risk manager. After serving in that role for nearly a decade, in April 2019, she was promoted to director of quality and risk. She and her team helped navigate Madonna through the uncharted waters of the COVID-19 pandemic safely.
“That was very challenging,” Krason recalls. “I had a very committed team, though, who was willing to help lead through that, and other departments that collaborated with us as well. I think at some point it just moved so fast that you didn’t have time to stop, think and be scared; it was just continue acting and making the next decision.”
Each day in her current role is different, and that’s something Krason says she really enjoys about her job. She oversees safety and quality committees and looks for every opportunity to improve processes on units to provide the best care and the safest environment for both patients and employees.
Reflecting on her nearly two decades at Madonna, Krason said her managers and supervisors always pushed her to be her best and fostered her desire to learn new things.
“Any time I felt myself becoming stagnant or needing a new challenge, Madonna provided that opportunity, whether that was in a job change or a promotion or just a mentor directly challenging me to do better or learn a new skillset,” Krason said. “I’m an ongoing learner so that fulfills me, and Madonna has always stepped up and offered me those challenges or changes.”
Her advice to young nurses who are trying to decide what they want to do within their career is simple—be patient.
“Don’t despair if you don’t see the path laid out in front of you,” she said. “Take the opportunities for self-growth and development. Learn what skills you can and expand those within your current role. You’ll be ready when the opportunity presents.”
