Boatright to take on RPMH administrator position

Sweetwater Reporter
Written by Amanda Moreno
Thursday, 16 April 2009

Donna Boatright will be the new Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital Administrator starting May 4. She is currently the Chief Nursing Officer at Rolling Plains.

"I had made my interest known for the Administrator position and at the last board meeting I was offered the position," Donna Boatright, soon to be Hospital Administrator, said.

According to Boatright, the main difference between her current position and her new position is the focus and responsibility.

"Right now, my main focus is on the nursing department. Once I get into my new position, I will be in charge of the entire hospital and its staff," Boatright said.

With any position and change of command comes obstacles, but according to Boatright, the only obstacle is going to be making sure that there is a smooth transition.

"I will have to make sure that I transition over smoothly and whoever fills my position will be able to come in and hit the ground running, with as little trouble as possible," Boatright said.

Boatright was born and raised in Sweetwater. She ventured off to further her education, but found her way back. She has been with Rolling Plains since 1977, and has been Chief Nursing Officer since 1980.
"It was a great opportunity, and the hospital is a great place to work at. It was just a natural progression to stay here," Boatright said. "I have had an excellent opportunity to have Mr. Kennedy as not only my boss, but my mentor."

According to Boatright, Kennedy gave her a great opportunity for growth by not only letting her work full time, but also to continue her education. She also said that he has given her the opportunity to meet challenges that she normally otherwise would not have had.

"I have always been interested in nursing and the sciences. Emergency care has always been an interest of mine, and I knew that it would be a great career to get into if I ever had to move. Then the challenge of leading an organization and making decisions, drew me into administration," Boatright said.

Boatright said that her top focus for her new position is to fill the two physician vacancies that they have at the moment. She said that she has been working on the recruiting part for a few months already.

"The main focus is going to have to be the effective recruiting and maintaining of the hospital staff. That is the most important part." Boatright said.

As for Boatright's position, of Chief Nursing Officer, it has been advertised since March 31, and she has three interviews lined up to start on April 27.

"We plan on filling the position as soon as possible, once we get the interviews done and go through the decision process," Boatright said.

Last Updated ( Monday, 20 April 2009 )