October 30, 2025
Noon to 1 p.m.
This webinar series occurs on the last Thursday of every month from noon to 1 p.m. ET
The SOAR Framework, which focuses on strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results, offers a practical pathway to strategic planning. In this session, leaders from Summa Health will share how they developed a three-year nursing strategic plan using SOAR, outlining the structured, system-wide approach applied during the process. Attendees will gain insights into the tools, frameworks and theories that guided planning, and leave with practical strategies to apply SOAR to align teams, foster engagement and achieve measurable outcomes in nursing practice.
Speakers:
Penelope Gorsuch, DNP, RN, EBP(CH), NEA-BC, FACHE, senior vice president and chief nurse executive, Summa Health
Dr. Gorsuch has more than 36 years of practice as an acute care nurse practitioner and critical care clinical nurse specialist, and 26 years in progressive leadership roles. She has built cultures of inquiry to advance high-quality, value-based care across nationally ranked federal and civilian health systems. As senior vice president and chief nurse executive at Summa Health, she directs professional practice and quality standards and serves as an assistant professor at The Ohio State University College of Nursing. A retired U.S. Air Force nurse leader, she is recognized for her expertise in strategic planning and evidence-based practice implementation. She created The Center for Clinical Inquiry™ at Summa Health, an infrastructure that promotes and supports change implementation.
Karrie Boss, DNP, APRN, ACCNS-AG, CCRN, EBP-C, system director evidence-based practice, Summa Health
Dr. Boss leads the strategic and operational goals of Summa Health’s Center for Clinical Inquiry. She oversees the development, implementation and sustainment of systems and processes that support clinical staff in providing coordinated, evidence-based care. With more than 24 years of nursing experience and 6 years as an acute care clinical nurse specialist, her professional background includes critical and intensive care, trauma, emergency nursing, stroke and evidence-based practice leadership.
Learning objectives:
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Describe the components of a SOAR assessment and the strategies to obtain and collate staff feedback used to develop strategic goals.
- Define the structural components necessary to create and execute a strategic plan with measurable outcomes.
The "Soaring into Strategy: Unleashing the Potential with the SOAR Framework” webinar has been approved for 1.25 nursing contact hours.
To receive credit:
- All participants, regardless of discipline, are required to log attendance using the link that will be provided at the end of the presentation. To receive a nursing CE certificate, participants must also complete the full evaluation.
CE certificates will only be issued to those who meet both requirements.
References:
Kotter, J. P., (2014). Accelerate: Building strategic agility for a faster-moving world. Harvard Business Review Press. Boston, MA.
SOAR Analysis Framework. https://soaranalysis.com
Wei, H. (2022). The development of an evidence-informed convergent care theory: Working together to achieve optimal health outcomes. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 9(1), 11-25 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2021.12.009