We are excited to introduce our newest Great Plains QIN team members; Carrie Sorenson, PharmD, Carolyne Tufte, LPN, Stephanie Hanson, RN, BSN and Susan Wilcox, RN.
These four individuals will serve as Quality Improvement Advisors and will support healthcare partners and community-based efforts to improve care in the Dakotas. They each bring a diverse skill set, a wealth of industry knowledge and patient care experiences. We are fortunate to add them to our team and expand our capacity to serve our communities. The past few weeks we have introduced each team member; this week, we get to learn a bit more about Susan.
Susan Wilcox, RN | Quality Improvement Advisor
What I love the most about quality improvement is the opportunity to network with my peers and share experiences and knowledge to develop best practices. As a Quality Improvement Advisor, I am most excited to be helping others provide the best care possible.
I previously worked for the State of South Dakota. I started in a direct care position at the South Dakota Development Center in Redfield and was offered the opportunity to attend Presentation College in Aberdeen where I earned my Associates degree in Nursing. I worked as a Medical/Behavioral Case Manager in Redfield until 2007 when I transferred to the Veterans Home in Hot Springs. I was the assistant director of nursing until 2017 and the director of nursing until my retirement in June of 2022. I worked for the State of South Dakota for a total of 42 years. I also have experience working with Alzheimer’s disease and worked in 4 different units including the one at the Veterans home.
I retired for 6 weeks and then started with the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care and Great Plains QIN. I was part of the Great Plains QIN nursing home listserv; I utilized and shared many of the services provided by GPQIN over the years. COVID greatly impacted long-term care. I had always been an active participant in the Great Plains QIN group, but even more during the COVID pandemic as lives were at stake. My team and I developed the attitude that we were all in this together and I felt obligated to share what I had learned during this time.
I have a daughter Jen (also a nurse); she lives in Tulare and works at the clinic in Redfield. We get to have lunch together almost every day. She has a daughter Ashlyn (age 22) and Jessyn (age 6) and a son, Eastin who is 12. Her husband, Dustin, works for Wilbur Elis. My son Ian lives in Exeter, New Hampshire and has a daughter, Margo (age 1). His wife, Corinne, is a social worker and is studying for her NH license.
I love to be creative, whether it is cooking, gardening, any type of art/craft project, especially when we do it as a family. My husband and I are currently remodeling my parents home in Redfield. Traveling is also a passion of mine, whether it’s in my own backyard or across the ocean.
We are fortunate to have a solid team of qualified and committed individuals on our Great Plains QIN team. Visit the Who We Are page of our website for a list of team members and their contact information. (please note; we are in the process of adding our newest team members).