Overview
Susan Clark, DNP, RN, CNL, is Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer of Cleveland Clinic Martin Health, a community-based healthcare organization serving Florida’s Treasure Coast region at 13 locations, including three hospitals. Clark is a highly-motivated leader with a strong commitment to providing patient and family-centered care, improving patient outcomes and incorporating innovation and lean thinking into operational processes.
Clark has been a valued member of Martin Health since 1999. During her tenure with the organization, which joined the Cleveland Clinic health system in January 2019, Clark has held positions such as staff nurse, clinical nurse leader and director of inpatient and pulmonary services. Most recently, she served as Martin Health’s interim CNO and site administrator for Tradition Hospital and Martin Emergency Center at St. Lucie West.
Education
- DNP, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, 2015
- MSN, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, 2007
- BSN, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 1997
Certifications
- Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL), American Association of Colleges of Nursing
Contact Information
Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital
200 SE Hospital Avenue
Stuart, Florida 34995
772.223.5663
clarks24@ccf.org
Leadership
Clark is an engaged executive leader with more than 15 years of leadership experience. As chief nursing officer, she has led the integration of three hospitals, a free-standing ED, and multiple ambulatory clinics with the Cleveland Clinic system. Under her leadership, the hospital implemented the tiered huddle process and doubled its patient experience percentile ranks in five domains. During her tenure as director of inpatient and pulmonary services at Tradition Medical Center from 2013 to 2018, Clark was a key stakeholder in planning and opening the acute care hospital, operationalizing the inpatient units and leading a three-floor expansion of adult inpatient units. To hone her leadership skills, she attended the American Organization of Nurse Executive’s Emerging Nurse Leader Institute in Arizona in 2011. Clark’s reputation as a visionary leader earned her a spot in 2016 as adjunct faculty for the University of Central Florida, where she taught a practicum on Nursing Leadership and Management for six years.
Clinical Practice & Teaching
Clinical Practice
Clark’s clinical experience covers a variety of specialties, including critical care, medical/surgical, nephrology, urology, telemetry, pediatrics and wound, ostomy, and continence.
Teaching
From 2016-2021, Clark served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. She taught a practicum on Nursing Leadership and Management. As a leader at Cleveland Clinic Martin Health, she utilizes coaching and mentoring opportunities for succession planning and to engage team members in expanding their own accountability to nursing as a profession.
Research & Publications
Clark is committed to sharing her knowledge and experience with others through professional nursing publications. In 2017, she published a case study entitled “Comprehensive Quality Improvement Efforts for Unassisted Fall Reduction” with MedBio Publications. In 2008, she co-contributed a chapter to the second edition of the book “Career Fulfillment in Nephrology Nursing: Your Guide to Professional Development.” The chapter was entitled “Clinical Expertise: Achieving Practice Excellence. Impacting the Iron Triangle of Healthcare Through Clinical Leadership.”
Professional Involvement
- Member, American Organization for Nursing Leadership
- Member, AONE Early Career Professional Task Force, 2013
- Leader, AONE Early Career Professional Task Force Subgroup, 2013-2014
- Member, American College of Healthcare Executives
Honors & Awards
- Cleveland Clinic Nursing Excellence Award, Nursing Leadership, 2022
- Advanced ICU Care “I See You Care Award,” Advanced ICU, 2018
- Excellence in Leadership Nominee, Florida Organization of Nurse Executives, 2013
Under Clark’s leadership, Tradition Hospital achieved the following honor:
- Mission to Care Hospital Improvement Innovation Network Award of Excellence in Patient Safety, Florida Hospital Association, 2018
