Ellen Pitcher, RN, MSN, MBA CNAA
Vice President Patient Services/Chief Nursing Officer
Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano


Ellen Pitcher, RN, MSN, MBA CNAA, Vice President Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer of Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano chose to become a nurse when she was in high school.  She had two aunts who were in the profession as her inspiration.  “The profession offers a diversity of roles and career paths,” states Pitcher.  “The most important aspect is the impact you have on patients and their families. We are privileged to help patients and their families through their sacred journey during their road to recovery. Over the course of one’s career you care for patients and their families that you will never forget; these are the treasured memories which validates why we do what we do.”

Ellen’s greatest rewards in nursing are “When I meet with patients, families and physicians and they shared with me the great experience they have had at Baylor Plano. We are blessed with an awesome clinical staff that is focused on the patient. We work closely with a number of nursing schools in the area and seeing the student grow professionally and become successful as a professional nurse is gratifying.”

For Ellen, the biggest challenges in nursing are “Planning for the future of healthcare delivery. This is a very competitive and complex business with multiple competing priorities. We must maintain the delicate balance of staying focused on what is best for the patient, and our staff as they deliver the care.”
Ellen’s biggest personal challenge was “Opening Baylor Plano in five and half months. We brought together an incredible team of leaders and staff to face the challenge. We had planned to open the hospital on December 1st at midnight. We all met in the lobby of the hospital about an hour before do to Blessing of the Hands ceremony. We had physicians, security guards, and the clinical staff standing side by side during this event. It was an experience I will not forget and was the culmination of incredibly long hours by hundreds of people to be at that moment in time. “

Ellen remembers as one of her favorite nursing success stories, a young man she cared for early in her career who had suffered a brain injury.  “It was a great experience working with him and his family over the course of several months and watching his improvement. It was a joyous moment when he walked out of his hospital room to go home. “

Ellen was also involved in the process of building the David E. Bloxom Tower at Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth. “It was a great team effort in ensuring we met the needs of the patients, staff and physicians as we brought that building on line. We had a wonderful experience in working together to make it happen. We applied for the ICU Design award after completion, which is a national award and won. It was a great tribute to the dedication of that team.”

Being selected as a Great 100 nurse was a once in a lifetime experience and an incredible honor for Ellen.  “To be selected by your peers for the work that you are passionate about…and the event at the Meyerson is unforgettable. We come together to celebrate the profession of nursing and the contributions of those selected across the metroplex in a variety of roles.”