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Empowering Nurses, Elevating Care: Stacie Wood’s Journey in Healthcare Leadership
At Elevate Healthcare, Stacie Wood has the honor of championing nurses—and supporting physicians, clinicians, leaders, and allied health professionals—through training, education, and consulting that goes far beyond skills checklists. Her work focuses on transformation: ensuring that clinical knowledge translates into confident action, especially in the moments that matter most.
Elevate Healthcare’s programs are built not only to support the attainment of clinical skill, but also the practical application and emotional readiness needed at the bedside. Simulation is not just an educational tool—it is a powerful force that improves patient outcomes, fosters healthcare equity, and strengthens team morale.
“Nursing has been ranked the most trusted profession year after year in Gallup polls,” Stacie says. “At Elevate, we believe in honoring that trust—by supporting and empowering nursing students and nurses to deliver confidently, competently, and compassionately when patients and families need them most.”
As Chief Nursing Officer, Stacie leads with a belief that the responsibility of educators and leaders is not just to teach—but to translate knowledge into action. Elevate Healthcare’s education and consulting programs are designed to address the “know-do” gap in healthcare by emphasizing readiness, recognition, response—and respect. These, she says, are the foundations of safe, high-performing teams. When they’re strong, outcomes improve.
Through simulation, education, consulting, and strong clinical partnerships, Elevate helps nurses and healthcare teams move with competence and confidence in critical situations—ensuring that preparation turns into action, teamwork into trust, and knowledge into lifesaving care when it matters most.
One profound moment that exemplifies this came after a team completed a high-risk maternal simulation Stacie designed on anaphylactoid syndrome of pregnancy (AFE)—a rare and often catastrophic emergency. Just weeks later, the unthinkable happened. A mother, in the midst of delivering her baby, experienced full cardiopulmonary collapse and coagulopathy. Her airway was lost. Her pulse disappeared. Widespread hemorrhage ensued.
But the team did not panic. The room was transformed. Without hesitation, obstetrics nurses and doctors, anesthesia, and the code team came together—not as separate units, but as one. “We moved with urgency, unity, and purpose—because we had already faced that exact moment in simulation,” she recalls. “That day, we saved two lives—a mother and her baby. We kept a family unified and whole. Leading that moment was not about a position—it was about mission. And it reminded us why practice, preparation, and trust are everything.”
Stacie sees real-world impact across all of Elevate Healthcare’s initiatives. The Achieve program, in particular, was built to help close the gaps healthcare is struggling with—burnout, the nursing shortage, practice gaps, and the draining of experiential knowledge from the workforce.
Through clinical gap analysis, training needs assessments, tailored program development, and simulation center design, Elevate Healthcare is helping academic and clinical partners build sustainable solutions. From specialty simulations to strategic conferences that reconnect teams with their purpose, Elevate Healthcare is building bridges—not barriers—to help restore confidence, capability, and connection in care.
“We are not only addressing challenges—we are building solutions,” Stacie explains. “We’ve partnered with nursing schools and hospitals to design new simulation centers and expand clinical programs that directly target the nursing shortage and close practice gaps. We are building systems that are sustainable, scalable, and rooted in real-world readiness. We are transforming the future of nursing and healthcare, with trusted partnership.”
Stacie became a nurse to serve—to be present when it mattered most, to bring clarity in chaos, and to walk with people through both joy and heartbreak. She was inspired by the quiet strength of her grandmothers—one, a World War II nurse; the other, someone who cared for others with quiet grace.
“She embodied the ‘commit to sit’ philosophy,” Stacie says, “offering her time, knowledge, presence, and unwavering deep respect. They showed me what it means to care for people with courage and humility. They taught me that nursing is more than science. It is a presence. It is listening. It is seeing the person beyond the diagnosis.”
Mission and passion led her to Elevate Healthcare—to multiply impact, to help others step forward with clarity, compassion, and confidence, and to build something that will leave a legacy. “When you combine passion with mission, and vision with action, you do not just support healthcare—you transform it,” she says. “I am here to bring people and innovation together in service of a greater mission—outcomes—and leaving the world safer than when I found it.”
When asked to name the most rewarding moment of her career, Stacie doesn’t choose one. Instead, she reflects on a collection of moments that have shaped her journey and led her to where she is today.
The patient who tearfully said, “Thank you for saving my life.”
The mother who said, “Thank you for helping me feel safe.”
The nurse who said, “I remembered what we practiced—and I saved a life.”
The doctor who said, “We did it—together. I’m glad you were there.”
Being there when people are at their most vulnerable and knowing she made a difference—that is the reward. “I’ve felt the adrenaline of fighting to save a life, the weight of responsibility, and the absolute focus required in those high-stakes seconds,” she says. “I’ve also felt the deep satisfaction and relief that comes after—when a team debriefs, reflects, and grows stronger than they were before.”
“I carry the responsibility of leading people with compassion and purpose. Leadership is an honor, privilege, and commitment to help others reach their goals, create impact, and improve outcomes for those they serve. These moments are why I love my mission. Each one is part of something bigger—helping my colleagues, human beings, leaders, and healthcare teams around the world deliver safer, equitable, respectful care that doesn’t just meet expectations but elevates outcomes and transforms lives. It’s what drives me every day.”
If she could go back and speak to herself during her first week of nursing, she would say: “You won’t always feel ready—but you will always have a reason. When you find your ‘why,’ you will know your ‘how.’ Trust your heart. One day, you will be the calm in someone else’s storm and the mentor in their life.”
Simulation, she says, has shaped every part of how she leads, teaches, and cares. It has helped her understand team dynamics, systems, communication, preparedness, and safety across every specialty she’s worked in—from critical care, labor and delivery, NICU, pediatrics, and risk management.
“It’s allowed me to lead with both vision and humility—to see where breakdowns occur and build people up to respond. I have seen strength from practicing as a team with physicians, midwives, respiratory therapists, paramedics, and allied health professionals. Simulation reminds us that mistakes made in practice prevent tragedies in real life. And more than anything, it reminds us that excellence is not accidental—it is built together, through trust, respect, intention, and impact.”
During Nurses Week, Stacie offers this closing reflection:
“Behind every assessment, every emergency, every birth, every surgery, every recovery, or a family facing the unknown, there is a nurse. Often the one holding the moment together—caring, listening, supporting, and advocating. To every nurse, your work and your mission matter. Your presence is powerful. Your voice is needed. You are the calm, the courage, and the connection in healthcare. Thank you for showing up—for your patients, your teams, and this world. You are the reason we keep fighting for better, safer, more equitable care. For a safer, healthier, and more productive world.”