Role-Based Practice Solutions is a health care consulting firm dedicated to transforming the practice culture. Started in 1990 through the vision and passion of Dr. Maria W. O’Rourke, the company has been dedicated to improving the standard of care and patient outcomes by investing in the development of the professional role. Through the use of evidence-based models and tools, we partner with organizations to produce a role competent workforce capable of leading the way to safe and effective healthcare.
Leadership Team
Dr. Maria W. O’Rourke: President & CEO
Dr. O’Rourke is a nationally known expert on the use of the professional role within an interdisciplinary team with special expertise in the use of the role of the registered nurse. She was instrumental in rewriting the California Nursing Practice Act in 1974, and published the first paper on its implementation, which served to guide the profession in the appropriate use of the professional RN. Through out her career she has provided service and education with quality learning programs, which send a clear and consistent message about the professional RN role and the expectations for the performance. Her “Back to Basics” approach about role based accountability paints a clear picture of the pivotal decision making role the professional role plays in the delivery of quality patient care, and sets the stage for building strong role relationships within the clinical team.
She received her BS in Nursing from Boston University, and her MS and Doctor of Nursing Science from the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. O’Rourke was selected in 1977 as an NLN Robert Wood Johnson Fellow in Public Policy, elected as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 1985, awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award for Boston University School of Nursing in 1986, and certified as a healthcare consultant by American Association of Healthcare Consultants in 2000. Through her dedication and extensive work, she has garnered several nominations for prestigious honors, such as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO) John M. Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality, and the Association of California Nurse Leaders (ACNL) Best Practice in Clinical Practice Award. She has held a variety of roles in service and education including Clinical Nurse Specialist, Director of Staff Development and Research, UCSF Faculty, UCSF Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs at SFGH and Vice President of Patient Care Services.
Kathy Douglas: Chief Operating Officer
Kathy Douglas, RN, MHA, brings over 20 years of healthcare experience into her role as Chief Operating Officer of Role-Based Practice Solutions. Previously Ms. Douglas was CNO of Concerro, Inc. offering technology solutions that support excellence in healthcare staffing and workforce management, CEO of Montclaire Technologies, a web services and marketing company and Executive Vice President of Oceania, one of the early pioneering EMR companies. For the past 9 years Kathy has devoted her time to understanding and designing solutions for optimizing the efficiency and effectiveness of the healthcare workforce.
She is a frequent speaker on topics related to staffing, author of many published articles and has a column on staffing in Nursing Economics. Kathy was the organizer of a 2008 event that defined Excellence in Staffing, the supporting best practices and an evidence-based model for staffing and author of the booklet Excellence and Evidence in Staffing; Essential Links to Staffing Strategies, Design and Solutions for Healthcare. Ms. Douglas is currently President of the not-for-profit Institute for Staffing Excellence and Innovation and President and CEO of The Sedona Group, providing strategic and operational consulting. Her clinical background is in Intensive Care Nursing, during which time she has taught ICU Nursing as a volunteer in India. She holds a Masters degree from The University of San Francisco in Health Administration and is a graduate of Stanford Business School’s Executive Program.
Ann White: Vice President of Practice & Performance
Ann White RN, MSN, CLNC, joins Role-Based Practice Solutions, with over 30 years of experience working with organizations to support development in Nursing Management Operations, Systems and Process, Performance Improvement, Quality, Patient Safety and support to organizations on the Magnet Journey. Previously, Mrs. White was VP of Quality and Patient Safety for Kaiser Medical Center Santa Clara, and CEO of Medical Legal Consultants, a nationally operated consulting firm. She was a recipient of the Who’s Who of Executives and Professionals Award in 2007.
Throughout her career in healthcare, ranging from staff nurse and nursing management to senior executive her strengths in system evaluation and processes and effecting sustainable change has brought valuable contributions to the organizations she has worked with as well as her service work in the community for health education. She holds a Masters of Science in Nursing degree from St. Mary’s College/Samuel Merritt College.
David A. Moore: Director of Finance
David Moore joined Role-Based Practice Solutions, formally Maria W. O’Rourke Inc., in 2006. His key focus is to develop strategic alliances and partnerships with individuals and organizations whose interests and values are compatible with our company’s mission. Dave’s organizational and management skills serve him well as he directs the company’s operations in an effective and efficient manner. He also manages current contracts and licenses for clients’ who use the Company’s education, consulting services and online software.
Dave received a Bachelor’s of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Davis emphasizing in Medical Microbiology. His entrepreneurial spirit was evident, when upon graduation, he moved to Lake Tahoe, CA. to manage a wakeboarding and waterskiing business. Before joining Maria W. O’Rourke, Inc., Dave worked at Genentech, Inc in South San Francisco, Ca, in the Clinical Operations Group of the Medical Affairs Department where he helped implement and coordinate the Rituxan Immunology Investigator-Sponsored Trial Program (Grant Program). After six great years with Genentech, he moved to concentrate on completing his MBA focusing on Entrepreneurial Management. Since his completion of the program in 2007, he and a business partner successfully raised funds to invest in a private placement offered by a solar development company. Dave lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter.
