As a healthcare leader, Kelly Mace draws upon her first profession: nursing. “Training as a nurse involves prioritization, time management, the skill to teach, and the ability to direct,” she says. “We learn how to advocate for our patients’ well-being and communicate across all disciplines.”
Mace has led several initiatives at CareMount to enhance patient care; currently, she is partnering on an initiative for on-line scheduling. “We are striving to meet the demands and the expectations of our patients and communities,” she says. “With on-line scheduling, we hope to lessen the amount of phone calls we receive — increasing satisfaction among patients and staff.”
How has your early career influenced your current one?
“Each and every year of nursing, whether in management or back at the bedside, I continue to learn and grow.”
Mace’s motto of “Work Smarter/Not Harder” supports CareMount’s culture of innovation; she encourages employees to share their suggestions to improve their workflow and efficiency. “My job is to remove the obstacles, clarify the vision, and then promote the success,” she says. “Employee engagement is high because the concept becomes addicting. You see your suggestion taken seriously, barriers start to come down, the change happens, and then you have the feeling of success and pride.”
The LaGrange resident, who grew up in Yorktown, says her biggest challenge and greatest achievement is the same: change. “I think it is normal to fear it especially when the culture is ‘It’s always been done this way.’ My greatest achievement is always going to be driving change. Working hard to remove the fear, remove the barrier, take down the walls, and lead my team to see that change is good, revitalizing, and always happening.”
