Raising the Bar: Carol Williams
West Chicago resident and registered nurse Carol Williams is one of more than 250 West Chicagoans employed either full or part-time at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield.
She has been at the cutting-edge of her profession since the early 1990s when she began her career as a liaison between the IT department and the nursing staff. Her work with the hospital's computer systems during these years contributed greatly to staff efficiencies, patient documentation, and decision support.
Williams has seen tremendous advances in the computer applications that impact the quality of patient care, like the bar-code system used for dispensing medications, and has kept pace through training and hands-on learning. She recently earned a certification in informatics nursing after successfully completing the nationally recognized exam.
"It's a great feeling to receive the validation conferred by this credential." she said. "As a nurse, I get so much pleasure making a difference in a patient's day."
Today, certified informatics nurses routinely support staff in using automated applications in their daily assignments. They play an important interdisciplinary role that combines their passion for nursing with their love of technology. They bring a nursing perspective into the evaluation of innovative systems to achieve positive patient outcomes.
Carol and her husband Kent were drawn to West Chicago back in 1972 by the country atmosphere her wooded neighborhood provides. They raised two sons who attended Turner School and graduated from West Chicago Community High School.
Living only four miles door-to-door from her home to a hospital system which has been named as a "100 Top Hospital in the U.S." by Thomson Reuters for the last four consecutive years, has benefited her practically as well as professionally.
"When my children were young, it was great to be employed so close to home. We love our community of West Chicago, and I'm proud to also be a part of the community that is Central DuPage Hospital."