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In 2008, Marie Moore began her career at Mercy as a nursing tech on the surgical telemetry floor. There, she worked as a nurse assistant at bedside, providing essential care to patients.

“Our ministry started in the 1800s by a woman who was really committed to serve,” says Moore. “I drew a lot of inspiration from that, not only as a nurse and now female executive, but as someone who has a strong passion for service.”

In Moore’s role as Chief Nursing Officer, she supports more than 2,500 nurses across Southwest Missouri. Nurses are the backbone of a health care system, and when she took the role a year ago, she had one goal: better support the workforce of critically important nurses, she says.

“Nurses are a presence and a constant support for patients, but we have to support our nurses,” she says. “Through innovation, technology and AI, we’re better able to support our nurses by ensuring our staffing is truly optimized for the best patient experience.”

In 2022, Mercy launched a pilot program at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, centered around an app: Mercy Works on Demand. The app provides full- and part-time co-workers the ability to easily pick up extra shifts on their schedule. So-called gig nursing helps meet staffing needs and provides a way for nurses to make additional income, on their own terms. A culture of exceptional care for others, as well as their own co-workers, is critical to recruiting, says Lindsay McHenry, clinical educator in the Mercy Nurse Residency Program.

“When Marie first took her role as CNO, our new nurse hire rate was extremely low,” says McHenry. “Instead of looking at it as a nationwide nursing shortage we cannot fix, Marie took bold steps forward with pushing recruitment in new ways. Almost one year later, our graduate nurse onboarding is booming and our applications have increased tremendously.”

The more nurses with a passion for high-quality, relationship-centered care, the healthier 417-land becomes—literally, says Moore.