SUMMIT COUNTY — When Jodee Trainor, RN, MSN, was promoted to chief nursing officer at St. Anthony Summit Medical Center, she knew it was an exciting move. A longtime goal was fulfilled.

“I was at bedside for most of my career,” Trainor said. “An administrative position is nice — the planning aspects, the behind-the-scene work and developing staff.”

After 36 years in nursing, she still loves it. Her career, which has spanned Colorado, Pennsylvania and Florida, includes hands-on floor work and her own consulting business.

“A nurse is a pivotal point for all patient care,” Trainor said. “These are very bright, educated people. I don’t know if people understand how complex patient care is. It’s a role that’s very complicated that requires a lot of academic preparation.”

Though Trainor took over the position when former chief nursing officer Brook Richardson left in October 2008, she officially accepted her new title April 6.

And Trainor’s new job at St. Anthony keeps her busy.

Her mornings start with a nursing leadership team meeting, and then she makes her rounds on patients and staff. Her days are regularly booked with a variety of appointments and strategies to complete a plethora of daily tasks.

“Anything related to care of patients is a priority,” she said. “We focus to do the right thing for patients at the right time, and that we’re serving them.”

A look at Jodee Trainor

Trainor has been with Centura Health and the St. Anthony Hospital system since 1983, when she began working as a charge nurse for Flight For Life at St. Anthony Central. In 1990, she was promoted into the administrative director role for Flight For Life and Ground Medical Transport Services.

For the following eight years she managed several areas, including the expansion of helicopter operations into Summit County and developing a partnership with The Children’s Hospital for neonatal air and ground critical care transportation.

From 1998 to 2006, Trainor held nursing administration roles at Centura Health Urgent Care at Aurora Healthcare Plaza and Chanson Plaza, St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center and Parker Adventist Hospital.

Though must of her time is focused on work, Trainor enjoys a blend of recreation activities in her time off — swimming, hiking, snow shoeing and ice skating to name a few.

She also enjoys reading mysteries or anything new.

“I have a book club with my sisters,” she said. “We like to share books.”

Trainor, who was born and raised in Denver, doesn’t have to travel far to see her siblings. She has four sisters and a brother who live throughout Colorado.

Though she commutes from her home in Parker, Trainor is preparing to purchase a second home in the county, where she’ll live during the work week. It’s a move that’s well-worth it, she said.

After spending decades in the health-care field, Trainor still looks forward to the challenge of nursing, and she’s enthusiastically taking on all aspects of her new post.

“It’s quite an achievement to be a nurse and to be able to do this well,” Trainor said. “Summit Medical Center has some fine nurses. I’m proud to work with them.”

Caitlin Row can be reached

at (970) 668-4633 or

at crow@summitdaily.com.