Spencer D. Dickens Jr.
Fayetteville
Summary
Dedicated nursing leader with over 30 years of experience excelling in a complex and multi-stakeholder healthcare environment. Proven transformational leader who inspires teams, develops future leaders, and drives organizational excellence. Known for building high-trust environments, mentoring professionals, and leading complex healthcare and military operations with vision, integrity, and mission focus. Skilled in quality management, staff and patient satisfaction, data analysis, detecting emerging trends, identifying, and evaluating multiple courses of action. Implements daily operational principles aligned with High Reliable Organization (HRO) and Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence (ICARE) tenets. Remarkable talent for building teams and solving complex problems. personnel management, financial stewardship, and operational constraints to achieve organizational objectives. Holds an active Secret security clearance. Active Secret Clearance.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Chief Nurse Executive Community Living Center (CLC) and Geriatric Extended Services (GEC)
Fayetteville VA Coastal Healthcare System
Fayetteville
02.2018 - Current
- Chief Nurse Executive for 52-bed Long-term Care unit providing high quality safe care in a home-like environment. Inclusive of hospice, short stay continuum rehabilitation, and short stay skilled care; serving a population of more than 70,000 veterans.
- Delivered exceptional Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) services as part of GEC, overseeing community nursing homes that provided care for local veterans.
- Developed and implemented mitigating strategies to improve CLC Compare SAIL metrics by greater than a 50% increase. Action plan resulting in Long-term Care Institute rating from a two-star to four-star facility survey in less than 18 months.
- Led the facility Falls Prevention Program and developed strategies to decrease the falls rate by more than 40%. Implemented the only VISN6 Falls Reduction Observation Group (FROG), achieving the lowest fall rate recorded for FY20.
- Created the only dedicated restorative nursing program in VISN6 to improve Veteran metrics by more than 70% and overall increased functionality and quality of life.
- Provided executive leadership and direct supervision for in-patient and outpatient Behavioral Health Services as Interim Chief Nurse Behavioral Health.
- Collaborated with VISN6 GEC Lead as Nurse Consultant, providing expertise for VISN CLC subject matter expert during LTCI mock surveys.
- Championed HRO initiatives, facilitating training classes to achieve over 75% staff completion of HRO 101 and 102 programs.
Chief Nurse for CLC/GEC
Carl Vinson VAMC
Dublin
01.2025 - 05.2025
- Demonstrated transformative leadership and managed complex, cross-disciplinary programs supporting the organization's health care mission.
- Oversaw nursing operations ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations.
- Managed staffing schedules to maintain optimal nurse-to-patient ratios.
- Developed and implemented nursing protocols for patient care standards.
Chief Nurse
Patient Transfer Operations Center
04.2021 - 03.2023
- Opportunity to establish a robust transfer center set up within 90 days to meet national guidelines and OIG requirements.
- Coordinated patient flow and care across healthcare system, enhancing continuity and efficiency.
- Collaborated with 38 facilities to ensure safe, timely care delivery, resulting in optimal patient outcomes.
- Led the establishment of an education and training platform for nurses, providers, and support staff to promote transparency, communication, and safe patient flow during facility transfers.
- Participated in VHA Flow Coordination Center Implementation pilot program, contributing to strategic maturation assessment and improvement initiatives.
Interim Chief Nurse
Office of Community Care (OCC)
08.2020 - 12.2020
- Redesigned consult scheduling process, managing 250-300 consults per day, reducing backlog by over 10,000 consults.
- Implemented consultation workflow process, addressing backlog of over 17,000 veteran consults.
- Developed training and orientation process for OCC team members, including nurses and support staff.
Deputy Commander for Quality and Safety
Eisenhower Army Medical Center
Fort Gordon
05.2016 - 12.2017
- Principal Advisor to Director on issues related to planning and execution of all quality, accreditation, and safety programs for 3,200 team members.
- Led strategic planning and execution of high reliability organization's action plan to achieve zero preventable harm.
- Optimized the Patient Safety Reporting system and harmonized patient safety with occupational safety to promote an enterprise-wide culture of safety.
- Coordinated briefings with Executive Leadership team to address challenges, enhancing access to care and elevating patient satisfaction.
- Developed plan to allocate personnel and resources, streamlining credentialing and privileging process, reducing staff workload by 30%.
Director, Nursing Administration
Eisenhower Army Medical Center
Fort Gordon
07.2014 - 05.2016
- Oversaw operational management and supervision of 900+ military and civilian nursing personnel in 99-bed regional medical center, ensuring delivery of high-quality, safe care across health continuum.
- Managed nursing administration operation budget exceeding $500K, ensuring seamless daily clinical service operations.
- Senior nurse clinician developed nursing policies and guided implementation of patient care delivery and daily clinical operations according to Joint Commission standards and Higher Headquarters policies and regulations.
- Acted as Senior Nurse Executive for Joint Commission survey, achieving a low number of direct organizational findings.
- Mentored five Nursing Supervisors and 25+ Nurse Managers across six care lines (Family Medicine, Surgery, Inpatient, Critical Care, Behavioral Health, and Orthopedic Surgery), enhancing leadership capabilities and clinical operations.
Clinical Nurse Manager
Pope, Clark, and Robinson Health Clinics
Fort Bragg
08.2011 - 07.2014
- Developed action plan to capture nursing workload for 20,000 soldiers and established first Soldier Centered Medical Home model for Fort Bragg, achieving over 40% increase in RVU production and improving HEDIS metrics by 40%.
- Coordinated staff training and established National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Level III Patient Centered Medical Home, serving over 38,000 beneficiaries.
- Analyzed workflow and time-motion data to ensure optimal patient centered care and increased RVU productivity by 25%.
- Led development and supervision of 20 clinical staff to enhance Department of Defense-wide Tri-Service Workflow Electronic Medical Record, impacting over 100 providers and 350 clinical staff.
- Served as project manager and lead clinical consultant for Forces Command Plans and Development.
Director, Critical Care/Emergency Nursing Course
Madigan Army Medical Center
Tacoma
07.2007 - 08.2011
- Annually 80 Army Nurse Corps Officers and International Military Students trained at 245 bed tertiary Level II Trauma Center.
- Coordinated 16 continuing education offerings with local American Association of Critical Nursing chapter, enhancing professional development for over 150 nurses.
- Implemented Exam ViewTM academic software to administer and grade exams, served as benchmark for future courses, reduced exam construct workload by 50% and attrition rate by 15%.
- Developed strategies for reorganizing curriculum with online textbooks, saving $75,000 for Army Medical enterprise.
- Managed operating budget exceeding $350K to align resources with mission requirements and support production goals.
Education
Master of Science - Nursing
Armstrong Atlantic State University
Savannah, GABachelor of Science - Nursing
Virginia Commonwealth University-Medical College of Virginia School of Nursing
Richmond, VAPre-Nursing -
Longwood College
Farmville, VASkills
- HRO Advisor
- Budget Management
- Strategic Planning
- Project Managing
- Lean Process
- Troubleshooting
- Change Agent
- Just Culture
- Conflict Resolution
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Servant Leader
- Resilient
- Innovative Thinker
- Coachable
Certification
- Army Medical Department Officer Advance Course
- Combined Arms Service Course
- Basic Health Administration Course
- Lean Training Completion
- Administrative Investigation Board Course - 2023
- JOINT DOD VHA Patient Safety Course - Completed 2016
- Army Medical Department Executive Skills Course - Complete 2017
- Uniformed Services University Med-Xcellence Course - Completed 2017
- DOD LEAN Training Course - Completed 2017
References
Available upon request
Credentials
- MSN
- ACHE
- Alumnus CCRN
- COL (Ret)
Military Service
United States Army, 07/01/92, 12/31/17, Colonel, 29 years 4 months
Timeline
Chief Nurse for CLC/GEC
Carl Vinson VAMC
01.2025 - 05.2025
Chief Nurse
Patient Transfer Operations Center
04.2021 - 03.2023
Interim Chief Nurse
Office of Community Care (OCC)
08.2020 - 12.2020
Chief Nurse Executive Community Living Center (CLC) and Geriatric Extended Services (GEC)
Fayetteville VA Coastal Healthcare System
02.2018 - Current
Deputy Commander for Quality and Safety
Eisenhower Army Medical Center
05.2016 - 12.2017
Director, Nursing Administration
Eisenhower Army Medical Center
07.2014 - 05.2016
Clinical Nurse Manager
Pope, Clark, and Robinson Health Clinics
08.2011 - 07.2014
Director, Critical Care/Emergency Nursing Course
Madigan Army Medical Center
07.2007 - 08.2011
Master of Science - Nursing
Armstrong Atlantic State University
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
Virginia Commonwealth University-Medical College of Virginia School of Nursing
Pre-Nursing -
Longwood College