Natural leadership and inspiration skills have earned Sara Mosher ‘01 the admiration of her peers – along with a number of awards in the nursing field.
Mosher points right back to Linfield as one of the reasons for her success. “Nursing School was not easy, but they (the professors) taught me how to work really hard,” she said. “They truly wanted me to succeed and even after a long day of lectures, they would still find time to meet with me to make sure I understood the content and felt confident going into a test.”
Mosher, manager of care coordination with the St. Charles Health System in Bend, is passionate about improving the patient and family experience. From being a bedside nurse, to a clinical coordinator and now practicing in management, she focuses on the patient experience and leads by example.
“My passion and focus has been to improve the patient experience,” she said. “What an honor it is, as a nurse, to be with the family on a journey that is terrifying and scary and emotional. Every single day I go to work it’s an honor to walk alongside families.”
That is what prompted her to start her own business, Patient+Family Care, partnering with organizations to blend technology and medical care with a focus on patient and family support.
She began working with hospitals in individual and ICU department to help them reevaluate their family center practices and show them how to build on the great things were already doing for families by bringing in new ideas and different perspectives. She has worked with staffs across the country.
Although healthcare as a whole is changing rapidly, she reminds nurses – particularly young nurses starting out in the field to never forget why they went into the field. “Even though there’s so much change, the heart of nursing hasn’t changed,” she said. “I still see people walk in every day with the intention of helping someone else. It’s knowing that for one moment in time, you’ve made a different in someone’s life.”
Mosher is the recipient of the 2015 Lloydena V. Grimes Award for Excellence in Nursing from the Linfield-Good Samaritan School of Nursing.
She was also named the 2014 Oregon Community Health Nurse of the Year and was one of the 2014-15 National Association of Professional Women VIP Women of the Year. She was the 2011 Oregon Pediatric Nurse of the Year and received a 2012 Leading Practice Award, both presented by March of Dimes.
Mosher, who earned a master’s in health/health care administration/management from the University of Phoenix, is an active mentor and has served as a clinical preceptor for several Linfield nursing students. She is a sought-after national speaker. She has volunteered for the March of Dimes for 17 years, serving as head volunteer and member of the community board for Central Oregon. She was recently elected as a member of the Central Oregon Ronald McDonald House Charities Board of Directors as well.
Mosher is the 25th recipient of the Lloydena Grimes Award, established in 1991.
