Kristy L. Wormack
Severn
Summary
Dynamic healthcare operations and nursing leader with over 20 years of acute care, perioperative, and patient flow leadership experience across complex academic medical center and federal healthcare systems. Proven expertise in optimizing patient throughput, improving operational efficiency, enhancing multidisciplinary care coordination, and leading performance improvement initiatives across procedural, inpatient, and ambulatory settings. Skilled in driving data-informed strategies to improve capacity management, reduce barriers to care, streamline admissions and discharges, and enhance patient experience. Experienced collaborating with executive leadership, physicians, analytics teams, and interdisciplinary stakeholders to improve throughput, operational performance, and organizational outcomes.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Perioperative Services Nurse Manager
DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center
01.2023 - Current
- Provide operational leadership for perioperative and procedural services including PACU, Same Day Surgery, Interventional Radiology, Radiation Oncology, Pre-Testing, and related clinical departments.
- Direct daily operational oversight of patient flow across multiple perioperative and procedural areas to support timely admissions, transfers, procedural throughput, and discharge readiness.
- Collaborate with physicians, nursing leadership, anesthesia, radiology, transport services, and ancillary departments to resolve barriers impacting patient throughput and operational efficiency.
- Lead process improvement initiatives focused on reducing delays, improving care coordination, and optimizing resource utilization across procedural services.
- Utilize operational metrics, staffing data, and workflow analysis to identify throughput challenges and implement sustainable solutions.
- Partner with executive and operational leaders to improve patient access, departmental performance, and care delivery outcomes.
- Managed unit fiscal operations, staffing methodology, position planning, and resource allocation to support operational efficiency and patient care demands.
- Directed multidisciplinary development of Standard Operating Procedures for anesthesia-supported MRI and regional anesthesia workflows.
- Led implementation of Innovian anesthesia charting system including workflow integration, user training, testing, and post-implementation optimization.
- Strengthened safety culture and accountability by increasing staff engagement and improving safety reporting participation by 30%.
- Conduct performance management, leadership coaching, staff development, and mentoring aligned with organizational goals and specialty excellence.
Nurse Clinician III / PACU Charge Nurse
Johns Hopkins Hospital
01.2020 - 01.2023
- Co-managed operations for a high-volume 42-bed PACU supporting surgical and procedural services within a major academic medical center.
- Coordinated patient throughput and bed flow from operating rooms and procedural areas to inpatient units and ICU settings.
- Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to address capacity constraints, discharge delays, and workflow inefficiencies affecting patient movement.
- Served on the Electronic Handoff Committee and co-led implementation of an electronic handoff system that improved communication and patient transfer processes.
- Led orientation redesign, preceptor development, education planning, and competency management initiatives.
Clinical Nurse II
University of Maryland Medical Center PACU
01.2012 - 01.2020
- Served as charge nurse within a 44-bed PACU supporting high-volume perioperative and procedural services.
- Coordinated daily patient flow operations between OR, Interventional Radiology, EP Labs, inpatient units, and procedural services.
- Assisted with staffing coordination, resource management, and operational workflow planning during high-capacity periods.
- Served as Unit Safety Officer and led initiatives focused on safety compliance, staff education, and process improvement.
Education
Doctorate of Nursing Practice - Nursing Leadership And Management
University of Maryland School of Nursing
Baltimore, MD05-2026
Master of Science in Nursing Education - Nursing Leadership And Management
University of Maryland School of Nursing
Baltimore, MD12-2022
Bachelor of Science in Nursing - Nursing
Hampton University
Hampton05-2005
Skills
- Patient Throughput & Capacity Management
- Hospital Operations & Care Coordination
- Patient Flow Optimization
- Admissions, Discharge & Transfer Operations
- Performance Improvement & Process Redesign
- Executive-Level Engagement & Communication
- Data Analytics & KPI Performance Monitoring
- Length of Stay & Throughput Management
- Regulatory & Accreditation Compliance
- Strategic Planning & Operational Leadership
- Budget Oversight & Resource Allocation
- Interdisciplinary Team Leadership
- Staff Development & Change Management
- Clinical Informatics & Workflow Optimization
- Evidence-Based Practice Implementation
Affiliations
- Sigma Theta Tau International
- American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses (ASPAN)
- Chesapeake Bay Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses
Certification
- Registered Nurse — Maryland
- Registered Nurse — District of Columbia
- Certified PeriAnesthesia Nurse (CPAN)
- CPR Certification (Current)
Timeline
Perioperative Services Nurse Manager
DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center
01.2023 - Current
Nurse Clinician III / PACU Charge Nurse
Johns Hopkins Hospital
01.2020 - 01.2023
Clinical Nurse II
University of Maryland Medical Center PACU
01.2012 - 01.2020
Doctorate of Nursing Practice - Nursing Leadership And Management
University of Maryland School of Nursing
Master of Science in Nursing Education - Nursing Leadership And Management
University of Maryland School of Nursing
Bachelor of Science in Nursing - Nursing
Hampton University
Publications & Presentations
- Wormack, K. et al. Best Practices in Supporting Inpatient Communication With Technology During Visitor Restrictions: An Integrative Review. (2025).
- Contributing Author, Perianesthesia Nursing Core Curriculum: Preprocedure, Phase I and Phase II PACU Nursing (2026 Edition).
- Contributing Author, ASPAN Perianesthesia Performance and Focused Assessment (APPFA) Manual (2027 Edition).
- SHINE eHandoff Poster Presentation — Johns Hopkins Medicine (2023).
Additional Professional Experience & Leadership Development
Completed a two-semester leadership practicum with the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) under the Practice Transition Accreditation Program Senior Director, focusing on nursing leadership, accreditation standards, transition-to-practice programs, and organizational performance improvement initiatives.