Margarita Baggett Elected President of Association of California Nurse Leaders

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Margarita Baggett, MSN, BSN, RN, chief nursing officer (CNO) and interim chief operating officer (COO) for UC San Diego Health System has been elected President of the Association of California Nurse Leaders (ACNL), a prestigious statewide organization that advances the art and profession of nursing.

“I am deeply honored to accept the position of president of the Association of California Nurse Leaders,” said Baggett, who recently led UC San Diego Health System to MAGNET® designation. “My goal is to promote innovation in patient safety and quality of care, identify emerging nurse leaders who have a passion for advocacy, and to strategically appoint these leaders to community, regional, and state committees.” 

As CNO of UC San Diego Health System, Baggett provides leadership of the nursing staff and is responsible for planning, organizing, and directing all functions of Nursing Services, Pharmacy Services, Care Coordination and Volunteer Services. As interim COO, Baggett’s responsibilities include the day-to-day operations for a staff of more than 5,600 along with key participation in strategic planning for growth.

“UC San Diego Health System is proud of Margarita and supports her in this influential role,” said Paul Viviano, chief executive officer, UC San Diego Health System. “Margarita is a highly accomplished nurse leader who has had a transformative effect on nursing and patient care in San Diego. We know she will make an equal impact statewide.”

In 2009, under Baggett’s leadership, nurses surveyed by Nursing Professionals magazine gave UC San Diego Medical Center top ratings in job satisfaction.  UC San Diego Health System was one of only 10 hospitals in the entire state of California to make the highly competitive “Top 100 Hospitals to Work For” list.

Baggett has extensive experience in quality management, service excellence, patient throughput, staff recruitment and retention, and regulatory affairs. Before coming to UC San Diego Health System, she had more than 27 years of progressively responsible experience in the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in Manhasset, N.Y., where she served as deputy executive director, nurse executive, and associate executive director for Patient Care Services and Care Coordination.

A graduate of the Johnson & Johnson Wharton Fellows Program in Management for Nurse Executives, Baggett earned her Master of Science from Adelphi University and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Molloy College, both in New York. She is currently an active member of the California Institute for Nursing & Health Care, and Nursing Spectrum/NurseWeek Advisory Board Southern California. She is a presenter at national nursing conferences and has been published in the journal Nursing Management.

ACNL is a non-profit professional nursing organization that shapes the future of health care by developing California nurse leaders through mentoring, coaching, and education opportunities; promoting quality and patient safety; advancing professional practice; and providing a consistent advocacy message for health policy. More can be learned at: http://www.acnl.org/