MINNEAPOLIS, May 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ABILITY® Network announced that Kathy Douglas, RN, MHA, was awarded the prestigious Pioneering Spirit Award from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). She was recognized at the 2017 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition, on May 22.
Douglas, a former critical care nurse, is chief clinical officer at ShiftHound, which is now part of ABILITY Network, a leading healthcare information technology company. She was recognized for her conceptual and directorial work with the documentary, “NURSES, If Florence Could See Us Now,” released in 2013. More than 120 nurses across the United States were interviewed for the film, which provided a close-up look at the profession and the many different roles nurses play.
Douglas began her career as a critical care nurse where she gained a deep, first-hand understanding of the challenges nurses face. As co-founder of the film production company Wise Women Circles, she helped elevate understanding of the nurse experience, gaining national recognition. Her interest and experience in helping to solve challenges that nurses face led to an interest in how technology can help. Today she bridges her unique insight to help translate complex processes into easy-to-use software tools that simplify and support daily operations.
Douglas helped develop several pioneering technology applications beginning with early work on the EMR and use of structured data. She went on to focus on empowering the healthcare workforce in managing their own schedules and then leading a project to design the next generation of healthcare workforce management tools. As part of the management team of ABILITY’s ShiftHound product line, Kathy helps lead the product direction for the company’s workforce management solutions.
“Kathy’s depth of knowledge and commitment to the nursing profession informs all the work she does, helping ensure that the applications we create truly support the work nurses do every day,” said Ian Chaplin, co-founder and president of ShiftHound. “This award is recognition of Kathy’s lifetime commitment to the profession, helping simplify the complex administrative and clinical challenges nurses face.”
The Pioneering Spirit Award is one of the Visionary Leadership Awards which recognizes significant contributions that influence high-acuity and critical care nursing and relate to the AACN’s mission, vision and values.
“Through her documentary, Kathy transformed more than 120 candid interviews into a platform for nurses to use our bold voices to increase public awareness and understanding of our profession,” said AACN President Clareen Wiencek, RN, PhD, ACNP, ACHPN. “Individually and collectively, nurses’ voices matter because it enables all of us to provide human-centered care that transforms our patients.”
About ABILITY Network
ABILITY Network is a leading information technology company helping providers and payers simplify the administrative and clinical complexities of healthcare through innovative applications and data analytics. ABILITY is headquartered in Minneapolis, with principal offices in Boston and Tampa.
ShiftHound, a leader in cloud-based SaaS healthcare workforce management solutions, was acquired by ABILITY Network in April 2017.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
Founded in 1969 and based in Aliso Viejo, California, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. AACN represents the interests of more than half a million acute and critical care nurses and has more than 200 chapters throughout the United States. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution.