Get to Know Your Hospital - Susan Oakes Ferrucci, DNP, MSN, RN, CNS

COOPERSTOWN — This week we spoke to Susan Oakes Ferrucci, DNP, MSN, RN, CNS, President and Chief Hospital Executive for Bassett’s Critical Access Hospitals which includes O’Connor, Cobleskill Regional, and Little Falls Hospitals.

Dr. Oakes Ferrucci grew up in Scarsdale, NY. She did her undergrad at Marymount University in Arlington, VA, her Master’s in Science inNursing at Russell Sage in Troy, NY and her Doctorate in Nursing Practice at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. She’s been in the field since 1982.

Dr. Oakes Ferrucci started working for George Washington University in a surgical stepdown unit in Washington DC, a high-risk labor and delivery hospital at Columbia Hospital for Women, also in Washington D.C. She moved to White Plains, NY and began working within surgical nursing. She lives in the Capital District and has worked in a number of fields within nursing and administration, including as Chief Nursing Officer and VP of Operations. She had worked in several hospitals in Schenectady, including Bellevue Women’s Hospital, Ellis, and St. Clare’s. 

She had the opportunity to come to Cobleskill Regional Hospital and became Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer 18 years ago. She “fell in love with the area.”

After President Eric Stein retired, Dr. Oakes Ferrucci became president of Bassett’s three Critical Access Hospitals.

“We’re blessed to have the highest-caliber physicians and practitioners,” she said.

One of the best parts of her position is that “I get to be a part of each of the communities,” she said. This includes the “unique culture and personality” of each of the hospitals. One thing in common is the desire to provide quality care for patients within the communities where they live, she added.

Dr. Oakes Ferrucci said that her favorite part of her job is the people she works with. She said that she “feels like the luckiest person in the world” to work with her colleagues. They make her smile every day, and each contributes well to the team.

“I’m driven to be with the patients and families we serve,” she said.

In particular, Dr. Oakes Ferrucci said that one of the elements that attracts her to both hospitals is how the communities care for one another. In Cobleskill, there was an elderly gentleman who appeared to have no family. The hospital was caring for him, and recognized that his son, who takes care of his mother and farm, came in at 10pm to care for his older father. She said that this man helped both of his elderly parents.

“That taught me something that was immeasurable,” she said. “When you look at an individual and think ‘there’s no family involved,’ you have to dig deeper and see what else is in their life.”

This demonstrates the “goodness of people” and care of residents of the local area..

She cited more examples of this at O’Connor in which the hospital “gives back to the community,” including filling backpacks for students heading back to school, hosting an annual trunk or treat, supporting Fair on the Square, making donations to the Heart of the Catskills animal shelter, participating in parades, and more. 

“They’re all driven by the staff,” she said. “They feel that it’s so important to give back to the community.” When there is a perceived need, the rest of the co-workers “rally around.”
“There’s so much pride taken in how we care for our patients,” she added. When anyone enters into O’Connor, all members of the staff help at every stage of their care.

“Everybody is all hands on deck,” she said. Many times, the families of those who were treated at the hospital come back to praise the work of the team.

“I think the best part is that we truly care about each other and have a good time and are driven by the same mission to care for our patients and do it well,” she said.

“It’s family, really.”

Dr. Oakes Ferrucci and the team are focused on recruitment to bring in the highest quality staff and practitioners.

The public should know that each hospital is blessed with highly-qualified staff that can respond to any emergency. Dr. Oakes Ferrucci also described the collaboration of care across the network, includingBassett Medical Center in Cooperstown and A.O. Fox Hospital in Oneonta.

“We’re blessed to be a part of Bassett Healthcare Network,” she said. “Being able to have partners is crucial, especially across rural communities.”