St. David's HealthCare announces new chief nursing executive
Austin, Texas — St. David’s HealthCare has named Joyce Soule, D.N.P., R.N., N.E.A.-B.C., C.N.O.R., as the new chief nursing executive for St. David’s HealthCare and HCA Healthcare’s Central and West Texas Division. HCA Healthcare is St. David's HealthCare's national hospital operating partner. As chief nursing executive, Soule is responsible for the organization’s overall strategic direction of nursing practice and nursing operations. She assumed her new role on March 3 after the retirement of Susan Griffin, who served as chief nursing executive since 2022.
“Joyce brings a deep understanding of the importance of creating a strong nursing culture, as well as the clinical, regulatory, and financial elements that drive successful nursing operations,” David Huffstutler, president and chief executive officer of St. David’s HealthCare, said. “Her proven ability to develop nursing talent, enhance patient care, elevate employee engagement, and lead teams to excellence will be instrumental in strengthening the strong nursing culture across our facilities. We look forward to the contributions she will make in advancing key nursing initiatives within St. David’s HealthCare.”
Joyce brings more than 30 years of experience in nursing leadership and hospital operations to this role. For the past seven years, she has served as senior vice president and chief nursing executive at Medical City Dallas, a 1,000-bed complex comprised of several hospitals within the campus. In this role, she helped improve patient satisfaction scores, increase staff engagement and strengthen patient safety measures. She also led Medical City Dallas to earn its fifth accreditation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet® hospital, the highest and most prestigious distinction a healthcare organization can receive for nursing practice and quality patient care.
Previously in her career, Joyce served as chief nursing officer at several hospitals across the country, including Wesley Healthcare in Wichita, Kansas, and Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition, she was previously the vice president of surgical services for Medical City Dallas and Medical City Children’s Hospitals.
Soule earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice, a Master of Science in nursing healthcare administration, and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Graceland University in Independence, Missouri. Additionally, she is a certified perioperative nurse with an advanced nursing executive board certification.