Kim Hitchings, MSN, RN, NEA-BC

hitchings-webKim S. Hitchings, MSN, RN, NEA-BC is the manager of the Center for Professional Excellence, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, PA. In this role, she works closely with the senior vice president, Patient Care Services and other managers in a staff-assistive role to coordinate specific programs and to assist with designated special projects. In particular, Kim facilitated the implementation of and assures the ongoing maturation of a shared governance model throughout the organization. She has been the primary investigator or team member for multiple nursing and interdisciplinary research studies, inclusive of shared decision-making and other  programmatic/administrative and clinical topics.

Kim serves as director for the Network’s Friends of Nursing Program, a philanthropic foundation established for the recognition and promotion of nursing. For 10 years, she coordinated all clinical services quality assurance and improvement activities. She currently serves as the Magnet Program director and in this role, was primary author for the original and redesignation Magnet applications and standard compliance evidence; she coordinated the associated site visits and on an ongoing basis, authors all Magnet interim monitoring reports.

Kim was awarded a diploma from the Reading Hospital School of Nursing, Reading, PA, a baccalaureate degree in nursing from Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA, and a masters degree in nursing administration from Villanova University, Villanova, PA. She is board-certified as a nurse executive, advanced, by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (NEA-BC).

Kim has been a professional nurse for more than 40 years and during that time has been a medical surgical and critical care staff nurse, clinical educator, nursing education director, consultant in staff development, and manager for professional development and outcome studies. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, the American Nurses Association, and the Pennsylvania Nurses Association.

She has published extensively in professional texts and journals and has completed multiple paper and poster presentations at regional, national, and international meetings. Kim has expertise in many areas, including shared governance, staff development, performance improvement, precepting and mentorship, Magnet Hospital designation, patient-centered care, and project management.