Sequim Gazette staff

Gretchen Souza, RN, and Brandi-Ann Harris, RN, MSN, ARNP and clinical nurse specialist, recently joined Olympic Medical Center’s education department to enhance staff learning initiatives.

Souza and Harris will share the clinical educator role, working to facilitate educational programs for staff, coordinate orientation of new nursing staff and provide continuing education, competency assessment and training at OMC.

In addition, they will manage the ongoing implementation of HealthStream, an online learning center designed to track staff education and help employees meet their annual training requirements.

They also will focus on Joint Commission readiness. Souza will continue working part time in her current position as supervisor of the hospital’s medical/surgical/pediatric unit and Harris will work exclusively in the education department.

Souza graduated from Washington State University College of Nursing and holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She is a six-year employee at OMC and has 18 years of experience in acute, ambulatory and long-term care.

Souza started as a staff nurse in the medical/surgical/pediatric unit and then moved into the charge nurse position. She became clinical supervisor of the unit in 2008.

Harris graduated from Colorado State University and holds bachelor’s degrees in biology and Spanish.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., and her master’s degree in nursing from the University of California, San Francisco. She has been an intensive care unit nurse at OMC since August 2010.