Strengthening and Inspiring Professional Role Competency

Dr. Maria W. O’Rourke: President & CEO

Maria O’Rourke, RN, DNSc, FAAN, FAAHC 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. Throughout 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.

David A. Moore: Vice President, Business Development & Operations

David Moore joined Role-Based Practice Solutions, formerly 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.  David’s organizational and management skills serve him well as he directs the company’s operations. He also manages current contracts and licenses for clients who use the company’s education, consulting services and online software.

Before joining Maria W. O’Rourke, Inc., David worked at Genentech, Inc. in southern 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.  David holds an MBA from University of San Francisco.

Sean E. McNeal, RN, MSN, CNS, CNRN, Director, Education & Professional Development

Sean E. McNeal joined Role-Based Practice Solutions in the fall of 2011 as the Director of Education & Professional Development. He is a devoted healthcare practitioner and passionate educator having worked in a variety of clinical settings ranging from critical care staff nurse in cardiovascular, neurologic, and medical/surgical critical care to nursing academia, leadership and management. He has served in a variety of roles in the practice setting including critical care clinical nurse specialist, nursing project coordinator, and Director of Education & Organizational Development for health care organizations in Northern California and Utah. His work in the clinical setting has been largely focused on systems improvement and education, including Core Measures alignment, increased compliance and integration of nursing workload/acuity management systems, competency validation processes, HCAPHS literacy amongst health care workers and providers, and various other clinical improvement projects. In 2010, he was selected by VHA as a Patient Safety Fellow where he developed and implemented a strategy to reduce the incidence of central line associated blood stream infections in the medical ICU. This strategy was delivered through nursing education and enhanced communication using Role-Based Practice Solutions Analysis of the Decision-Making Process and Patient Handover Audit as an instrument to measure and evaluate the quality of nursing communication at the bedside. As a result, the organization reduced central line infections and improved the efficacy of communication between nurses, nurses and physicians, and nurses and patients.

Sean earned his Masters of Science degree in Nursing at San Francisco State University, where he trained as a clinical nurse specialist in critical care and as an academic nurse educator. He has taught for a number of accredited schools of nursing, including San Francisco State University, University of Utah, University of San Francisco, Dominican University, Contra Costa College, Los Medanos College and College of Marin.