Cypress Cove Director of Nursing Receives Nurse Administrator of the Year Award

Congratulations to Kim Scott, Cypress Cove’s Director of Nursing, recipient of the Florida Health Care Association’s (FHCA) Nurse Administrator of the Year Award! She was honored at FHCA’s annual Excellence in Long Term Care Nursing Awards program during conference at The Don CeSar Hotel in St. Pete Beach on June 3, 2022.

Let us introduce you to OUR Kim Scott…

There are those employees that administration officials of healthcare facilities realize from day one of their hiring that you have been blessed with a dynamic team leader. Kimberly (Kim) Scott, Director of Nursing, is among those exceptional few who has assumed critical healthcare roles within our life plan community, Cypress Cove.

Immediately upon her arrival in August of 2012, the U.S. Air Force veteran who served four years in Operation Desert Storm as an Inventory Control Specialist made it well known that she was willing and able to perform and learn most any job and responsibility tossed her way. She accomplished and met those challenges then as she does now with a professional attitude.

Kim was schooling for her LPN certification when she first stepped through the doors of Cypress Cove. She had then and continues now to have an insatiable appetite for learning.

And learn she has. In her previous role as MDS Coordinator, she wore multiple hats, including such responsibilities as working the floor in the community’s skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility and serving on occasion as the community’s Interim Director of Nursing.

During the fall of 2016, the mother of four and grandmother of four (she normally corrects one at this juncture by injecting her three dogs and a husband into this domestic equation) was quietly, but diligently, working her way through an Associate of Science degree in nursing program. At the time, Cypress Cove had just begun an employee scholarship program. Kim applied and was selected as one the first recipients.

The reward, she says, was “the help that I needed.” She graduated in 2018 and almost immediately accepted a new educational goal – a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She is now seeking her Master of Science in nursing education and is on track to finish this year.

Meanwhile, with a quiet demeanor, she maintains laser focused on helping her fellow workers and ensuring that the best practices in resident and well-being are provided throughout our three healthcare communities. Under Kim’s leadership, The Lodge, Cypress Cove’s 64-bed skilled nursing community, has maintained a five-star rating with exceptional clinical outcomes. Kim currently oversees 25 nurses comprised of LPNs, RNs, RN supervisors, an MDS coordinator, and a transitions of care manager, and also supervises an activities director and 40 CNAs.

In February 2020 when Kim accepted the position as Director of Nursing, the COVID-19 virus was beginning its march across the United States. She trained under her predecessor for a month before taking on a role filled with new demands and changing rules and regulations. Her role broadened dramatically during this pandemic, but she took it all in stride.

With a passion for teaching the next generation of healthcare professionals, Kim maintains the schedule of students for three local practical nursing programs, six CNA programs and three registered nursing programs, sometimes scheduling 80 or more students a week. “I love to have students at our campus, and I take pride in teaching new nurses about policy and regulations to ensure they are performing at their best,” she said during a recent interview about Cypress Cove’s student programs.

One of the many successful initiatives Kim has implemented is a student intern program for RNs, LPNs and CNAs. New graduates are paired with a mentor until they pass their state exams and learn how to become a nurse or CNA, all while getting paid and reimbursed by Cypress Cove, ensuring nursing retention is at its best and the nurses feel comfortable and confident with their skills.

Additional successful initiatives she has led or been a part of include creating and implementing a new data-rich, campus-wide incident report portal and the creation of a student self-service vaccine portal, so students can upload proof of vaccination. Speaking of vaccination, due to Kim’s tireless efforts, all team members in The Lodge except for five, who are properly exempted, were vaccinated and boosted by the mandated deadline, with no termination issues. Kim administers the COVID vaccination and testing program on campus, and also collaborated with a local pharmacy to create a vaccination program for staff and their family members to get vaccinated at their convenience.

Another major initiative Kim has led within the last year was working with the medical team on campus (staffed by our sister company, Cypress at Home) to expand technology-based services. The team was able to budget and select an EKG machine and bladder scanner, which are used frequently to keep residents in the comfort of their homes instead of sending to the hospital. In several instances, atrial fibrillation has been detected and residents scheduled for follow up care with a cardiologist.

With all her responsibilities and studies, Kim obtained and maintains Director of Nursing Services certification from the American Association of Post-acute Care in Nursing (AAPACN) and also maintains her MDS resident assessment coordinator skills and certification, as she still serves as back up when needed, because she enjoys it.

We believe Kim is a superwoman, inspiring those around her with an infectious passion. And she does all this during long, stressful days before heading home to enjoy her family and study for her next academic achievement.

You can see why we nominated Kim for FHCA’s Nurse Administrator Award, and why she was selected. Congratulations, Kim!