Staff Spotlight – Meet Kristen Ogden, RN

The compliance Team is pleased to welcome Kristen Ogden, RN, as Director of Quality Assurance to our Clinic Division.  Spanning over 15 years specializing in rural healthcare during her career, Kristen has held many titles including hospital nursing and clinic positions at Ozarks Community Hospital in Gravette, Arkansas.  Most recently, as Director of Clinic Quality and Accreditation with OCH, she had oversight of 12 Rural Health Clinics and Patient Centered Medical Homes in Southwest Missouri.

Kristen was raised in the small rural community of Walnut Grove, MO and understands the barriers to acquiring the necessary resources for healthcare. She recognizes the need for advancing access for these communities and is passionate about finding innovative solutions to the daily challenges faced by healthcare providers in the rural setting.

She is a graduate from Lester E. Cox College of Nursing in Springfield, Missouri. Her experience as a nurse leader in many small communities over the years has fueled her desire to improve quality care for the underserved, not just locally but across the country.

With a vivacious personality and passion to effect change, we are sure that Kristen will be a treasured asset to The Compliance Team and our clinics. To help you get to know her better, we have included a short interview below in her own words.

Please join us in welcoming Kristen to the team!

TCT: Tell us about your career – where you started and how you got the position you are in today.
Kristen:  For the last 15 years, I worked at Ozarks Community Hospital as a nurse and held many positions within the OR, ER, Med-surg unit, Education and Quality. I have enjoyed taking care of patients and learning how a hospital system functions. My most recent position was Director of Quality and Accreditation/Director of LTC.  I held this position for a little over 6 years. Within the last 2 years, I worked closely with Kate Hill and TCT for accreditation of our RHC’s and transitioning them to PCMH. In doing this, I found a passion for helping to improve quality, as well as staff satisfaction. Kate asked me to speak to a few other clinics about how TCT could help, and I quickly saw a new passion arise. I wanted to spread the word! I inquired about a position and was thrilled when given the opportunity to become their Director of Quality Improvement!

TCT:  Why did you choose to work for The Compliance Team?
Kristen:  I quickly learned that I really enjoyed helping providers and clinics improve their quality of care which impacted better outcomes for patients and healthier communities.  I knew TCT’s mission aligned with that!

TCT:  What has been the most rewarding part of your job – what is most gratifying to you?
Kristen:  Taking my previous experiences and sharing what I’ve learned to help other clinics.

TCT:  Did you have a mentor or individual that inspired you? If yes, who and how did they influence you?
Kristen:  Kate Hill has been a huge inspiration and mentor for me. The first time I heard her speak, I remember thinking to myself “I want to be just like her when I grow up”, I was 37 at the time. Ha! She has left an enormous footprint in the RHC community and I’m honored to get to learn from her.

TCT:  COVID has had a big impact on every business – what specifically has been the greatest challenge for you and how have you overcome it?
Kristen:  I have seen far too many people suffer and staff stretched beyond the point of return. With all of this, I truly believe the world stuck together while the people had to socially distance. Hospitals and clinics became creative and learned a lot of lessons. Lots of praying and long shifts helped us get through. And don’t forget the coffee!

TCT:  If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice – what would that be?
Kristen:  Stop saying you aren’t smart enough! Take the challenge and build on what you’ve learned. Cherish the present and the people who are in it because that is not permanent. Learn other languages and pay attention in American History class.  

TCT:  Anything specific about your experience working with TCT that you would like to include?
Kristen:  My greatest appreciation for TCT is that they understand real life struggles in the clinics. I have learned that Sandy and Kate are 2 of the strongest, smartest women I’ve encountered. I see that the team functions well and cares for one another like family. I feel that I have found my place.

TCT:  On a personal note, what would you like to share with our readers to about you and your family?
Kristen:  I am married to my dream man; Jeremy and we have 2 boys. Ryker is my bonus son, he’s 13 and lives in Iowa except when he comes to stay with us during breaks and holidays. Max is my spunky 5-year-old who will be 6 in July and starts kindergarten in August. These boys (big and small) are my whole world! I have 4 siblings and we are all very close. We lost our dad in 2004 and our mom in 2015 so we have held on tight to one another. 

TCT:  What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Any hobbies or activities you like to do?
Kristen:  We love to do anything outdoors. We have a camper that we don’t get to use nearly enough. We kayak, hike, tell ghost stories and silly jokes by the campfire. Max plays baseball, basketball, and football so we are at games and practices a lot.  My husband loves to coach his little teams.

TCT:  Tell us about some of your favorites:

Place to vacation?
Kristen:  We tend to gravitate towards the ocean. We just recently returned from Punta Cana and it was beautiful. I can’t say I have a favorite place because we haven’t been anywhere twice except locally. We make an annual trip to spend 4-5 days in Branson MO with the boys each year to enjoy the lake, shows, go-carts and Silver Dollar City. The boys think that is a vacation. It is only 45 minutes from home.

Food you love to eat?
Kristen:  I love all food, but if I had to choose something I wouldn’t want to live without, I’d say PICKLES!

Author and/or Actor/Actress?
Kristen:  Ryan Reynolds is my absolute favorite actor. I’m sure most of the ladies would agree! I like to read things that either help me grow professionally, spiritually or that helps me unwind. I love Agatha Christie. I visited her dinner theater in Atlanta, Georgia and it just deepened my attraction to her books.

Music – bands or singers etc.?
Kristen:  I listen to all music. I always joke that I was a musician in another life, but not in this one. No musical talent in this lifetime.

TCT:  Do you have a charitable organization that you volunteer at or support?
Kristen:  My husband has Multiple Sclerosis so we do a lot with fundraising through National MS Society.

TCT:  Most influential person that made you who you are today?
Kristen:  Definitely my Mama! She was an LPN in her youth and took some private home health jobs later in life. She helped take care of my grandparents as they aged and was very involved in my school, our church and our little town of Walnut Grove, MO. She was a well-known prayer warrior and lead the little “weight-watchers” club for the ladies at our church. She coordinated the town parades and festivals each year and our population would double for these events. She always gave the best hugs. Definitely my Mama!

TCT:  If you could have dinner with any 3 people – dead or alive – who would you choose?
Kristen:  My Mom, Dad and Willie Nelson. That would be a very entertaining dinner!