Editor’s Note: McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care are profiling the McKnight’s 2024 Women of Distinction honorees daily from July 1 to Aug. 13. For additional McKnight’s Women of Distinction content, visit this page.
Jacqueline Vance adds a keen sense of humor to her deep passion for elder care and mentoring. Perhaps that’s what has helped her make such a difference for so many during her long and rich career.
Vance is a geriatric clinical nurse specialist and senior director of innovation and education at Mission Health Communities. She also was a founding advisory member of the National Transitions of Care Coalition, where she has advocated on behalf of the nation’s seniors since 2006, including working to pass the Medicare Transitional Care Act. Reducing unplanned transitions for residents has been a passion of hers for many years, as an advocate and as a clinician. Her methods have proven effective. Since she started work at Mission Health, unplanned hospitalizations dropped from 28% to 13% on average.
Vance’s drive to mentor others in the healthcare sector proved vital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks in part to the hundreds of licensed practical nurses she helped train and the clinical education she pursued in Mission Health facilities, those facilities kept resident mortality rates far below the national average and were able to treat most residents in place.
Her commitment to continued learning is evidenced by the long list of educational achievements one can list behind her name — RNC, BSN, IP-BC, CDP, RLMS Level III. Beyond personal achievement, though, colleagues testify to her dedication to empowering women of all backgrounds to have their voices heard in the healthcare sector.
More about Vance:
- Vance won an APEX Award for the “The Real Nurse Jackie” column that she writes for McKnight’s Long-Term Care News.
- Nursing isn’t her only passion. She also moonlights as a standup comedian.
- In her spare time, Vance also supports Children Incorporated and the Mary & Martha House, organizations focused on supporting women and children in poverty and abusive situations.
The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care. Healthcare Services Group was the Platinum sponsor of this year’s McKnight’s Women of Distinction Awards and Forum. PointClickCare was the Gold sponsor, and PharMerica was the Silver sponsor. Other sponsors included Curana Health, DirecTV for Business, Easyshifts, Hireology, Reliant Rehabilitation, ShiftKey and Sentrics.
Visit this web page to see lists of honorees from 2024 and previous years.
