Nursing at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital

Dr. Alquietta Brown, chief nursing officer

Inova Mount Vernon Hospital
Welcome from Alquietta Brown, Chief Nursing Officer

At Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, our mission, vision, and values guide everything we do. They are not simply statements—they are lived each day through the compassion, professionalism, and leadership of our nurses. Our nursing teams exemplify Inova’s commitment to providing world-class healthcare — every time, every touch — to every individual and every community we are privileged to serve.

Our nurses deliver care with kindness and empathy while serving as leaders across the continuum of care. Their dedication to excellence, collaboration, and innovation drives high-quality outcomes for our patients and strengthens the health of our community.

Since earning Magnet® designation in 2022, Inova Mount Vernon Hospital has reaffirmed its commitment to nursing excellence, patient safety, and professional practice. As a Magnet organization, we ensure that nurses are actively engaged in data-driven decision-making and have a meaningful voice at all levels of the organization. Our nursing leaders value the insights and contributions of every nurse, fostering an environment where professional growth and practice advancement are fully supported.

Through a strong shared governance structure and participative decision-making, our nurses are empowered to practice at the highest level while thriving in a healthy, supportive work environment.

It is both a privilege and an honor to serve the nurses and team members of Inova Mount Vernon Hospital. I remain deeply committed to standing alongside them as they continue to lead, inspire, and deliver exceptional care to our community.

Alquietta Brown, PhD, MHSA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC
Chief Nursing Officer, Inova Mount Vernon Hospital

professional practice model graphic Nurses at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital are teachers, servant leaders, facilitators, consultants, change agents, coaches, researchers, clinical experts, and motivators. As one team, we inspire and empower our nurses to perform at the highest level of professionalism and to achieve and validate skills and confidence through engagement and feedback.

We have our finger on the pulse of nursing inside and outside our organization, bringing new ideas and approaches that elevate nursing practice.

Our team orients, mentors, encourages, and guides transition to nursing practice at all levels at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, including:

New graduate nurses
Nurses changing specialty
New-hire proficient nurses
New nurse leaders
APRN transition to practice

Inova Nursing Aspiration

Inova nurses aim to be the most trusted nurses in the nation.

Nursing Annual Report

nursing report cover Download the Inova 2024 Nursing Annual Report for updated statistics, innovation highlights and more from around Inova Health System.

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Advancing Excellence and Growth in Nursing

Teaching

Kathy Flannery, MSN, RN, CEN,CPEN, TCRN, NPD-BC, ED Clinical Educator and Kristan Horgan, MS, BS, BSN,RN, CPAN, Perianesthesia Clinical Educator collaborate to bring critical emergency management education to the PACU nurses. This collaboration enhanced the knowledge and skill level of the nursing team.

Presenting

Daniel Ampomah, PhD, MSN, RN, NE-BC and Jame Dixon, BSN,RN, CRRN present their poster – Rehabilitation Nursing Fellowship Program Retains Nurses at the 2024 ANCC Magnet Conference. This work focused on providing new nurses in the acuter rehab specialty with the right tools for them to succeed. In 2025 one of IMVH’s Acute Rehab Unit’s had zero turnover.

Deserving

In 2023, Dawnielle Feucht, BSN, RN-BC, SCRN received the Rising Star award from American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN) for her work on improving outcomes for stroke patients. Dawnielle’s passion and knowledge around all things stroke helped IMVH achieve certification as a Primary Stroke center in 2024.

Giving

IMVH nurses provide community education on mental health issues, heart failure, and stroke at the local farmers market throughout the summer and fall. This is an ongoing event with IMVH nurses participating each year.

Nurses learning advanced problem solving

Learning and Growth

IMVH nurses learn about best practices and creative approaches to problem solving at the 2023 ANCC National Magnet Conference in Chicago. Pictured- Nicole Wasson, MSN, RN, CNOR, FNP-BC, Michelle Cortez, MSN-NI, RN, CMSRN, and Cassie Palas, MSN, RN-BC.

Advancing Patient Care

Leslie Woodward, BSN, RN, WOCN, a long time passionate, caring wound care nurse at IMVH saw the need for much patient education around ostomy care especially once the patient was discharged. Working closely with the outpatient wound clinic, Leslie has set up an ostomy clinic to provide specialized care for patients with ostomies. She provides education, wound management, supplies and support to this population.

“Dr. Eric Desman and nurses Meredith and Mary made this scary experience I am going through manageable and treated me with the upmost care.” – Inova Wound Healing Center

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“IMVH is comfortable for me. I live in Maryland, but WILL cross the bridge in a minute to go to IMVH. I trust the care I receive whether it's for surgery, ER visits, labs, tests, etc.” – Surgical Service

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“I was amazed at the consistent level of expertise at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital. Thank you, IMVH for a wonderful, qualitative, life-saving experience. Keep up the good work!” – ER, Lab and Rehab

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“Inova Mount Vernon Hospital is the best hospital I have ever been to and I was very impressed. Everyone knows their job and does it well.” – Surgical Services

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“Younji really helped me through my detox. She was a great support while I was here even when she was not my nurse.” – Inpatient behavioral Health

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“Nurse Jalloh was simply outstanding. She went the extra mile in making sure I was treated with respect and dignity. Florence Nightingale would be proud.” – Medical-Surgical

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Making a difference

Meet a few of the Inova Mount Vernon Hospital nurses impacting the lives of our patients and healthcare.

Samantha Krauss, RN

Nurse Samantha K Samantha joined IMVH in 2024 and is an emerging leader on the Acute Care Unit. She is widely recognized for her exceptional customer service skills and is consistently the most frequently mentioned nurse in patient satisfaction surveys.

In October 2025, Samantha received a DAISY Award for the compassion and empathy she showed while caring for a patient recovering from a stroke with speech difficulties. The patient appreciated how Samantha always took the time to listen to his stories, offer encouragement, celebrate his perseverance and treat him like a precious gift. Through her presence and support, she helped restore his confidence and demonstrated that healing extends far beyond medicine.

Vibeke Bakhshi-Azar, BSN, RN, SCRN, CHFN, GERO-BC

Nurse Vibeke B Vibeke brings incredible passion and commitment to her role in supporting heart failure patients and is highly respected by the entire healthcare team. Serving as their “eyes and ears,” she helps this vulnerable patient population navigate the healthcare continuum—from admission through discharge—ensuring they understand their education, appointments, medications and follow‑up needs. She also ensures they have the resources to care for themselves, preventing readmission and disease progression.

Vibeke’s devotion and empathy are evident in every action she takes. On several occasions, she has even transported patients to their discharge appointments when they had no other options. Her compassion and advocacy make a life-changing difference for the patients she serves.