Nicole Harrison Joins TIRR Memorial Hermann as Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer

A nurse with more than 20 years of health care experience, Nicole Harrison, MBA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, has held leadership positions for more than 17 of those years. She joined TIRR Memorial Hermann last May as vice president and chief nursing officer, with responsibility for nursing quality and patient care at two freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospitals – TIRR Memorial Hermann and Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital-Katy – and the post-acute rehabilitation units within Memorial Hermann’s citywide network of hospitals.

Harrison joined the leadership team at TIRR Memorial Hermann after eight years of service at its acute-care sister hospital, Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, where she was associate vice president of the neuroscience service line, post-acute care and operations. She has worked in academic, community and post-acute care hospital settings.

“In acute care we focus on saving our patients’ lives, and we generally don’t have the opportunity to get to know them at a deeper level like we do in rehabilitation,” Harrison says. “Nurses are especially important in helping patients work through the emotional issues that come with catastrophic injury. We’re here with patients 24/7 to keep them comfortable and ensure that their physical needs are met so that they have the strength they need to move forward with therapy. The strong bond our nurses form with patients plays a key role in motivating them to do the work they need to do to return to the community.” Harrison received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Baylor University in Dallas, Texas, and her MBA from American InterContinental University. She holds a Nurse Executive Advanced Board Certification (NEA-BC) and is a member of the Association of Nurse Executives.