Nursing at Tufts Medical Center
At Tufts Medical Center, nurses are central to how exceptional care is delivered. Our nursing team combines clinical expertise, compassion and leadership to support patients and families across every stage of care.
Nurses Rachel DiRaimo and Bridget Endicott walking laps with critical care unit patient at Tufts Medical Center.

Overview

Exceptional healthcare depends on an outstanding team of clinicians and nurses, who are central to everything we do at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Our nurses bring clinical expertise, critical thinking, compassion and leadership to every patient's experience, helping guide patients and families through some of life's most important moments.

At Tufts Medical Center, nursing is grounded in purpose, expertise, and a shared responsibility to advance patient care. Our nurses bring skill, curiosity, and compassion to every setting, caring for diverse populations across New England while contributing to the academic and research mission of a leading medical center.

Nurses at Tufts Medical Center play a central role in shaping care delivery and outcomes. From direct patient care to leading quality, safety, and innovation initiatives, nurses are trusted partners whose knowledge and leadership influence how care is designed and delivered. This commitment to excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement is reflected in our Magnet® designation and in the everyday impact our nurses have on patients, families, and the future of healthcare.

At Tufts Medical Center, our nurses work side by side with physicians and colleagues to provide continuity of care that supports better outcomes for patients and families. Whether someone is expecting a baby, undergoing surgery, managing a chronic condition or recovering after hospitalization, nurses build trusted relationships, identify individual needs and advocate for health at every stage of care. 

Across specialties throughout the medical center, nurses deliver evidence-based care that puts patients and families first. They help shape quality, safety and innovation initiatives across the organization, and their knowledge and leadership continue to improve how care is delivered. Our Magnet® recognition reflects this commitment to excellence, collaboration and continuous improvement.

What makes our nurses unique is not only their clinical skill, but also the environment in which they practice. As part of a major academic medical center, Tufts Medical Center nurses draw on multidisciplinary expertise, advanced resources and a strong culture of professional growth while delivering the compassionate, patient-centered care people value in a close-knit setting.

Our Nursing Approach

Our mission is to deliver exceptional patient-centered care through clinical excellence, compassion, collaboration and continuous improvement, advancing the health and well-being of every patient and family we serve.

Vision: To be a nationally recognized leader in nursing practice, education and innovation where nurses are empowered, valued and inspired to provide extraordinary care and help shape the future of healthcare.

Our nurses are partners and leaders within the healthcare team, helping ensure care is coordinated, compassionate and responsive to each patient’s needs. Their work is guided by teamwork, shared leadership, accountability and a spirit of inquiry that supports evidence-based practice and nursing research. This approach strengthens quality, patient experience and outcomes while fostering empowerment and participation across the nursing community.

  • A Magnet® culture anchored in excellence, inquiry and professional autonomy
  • A strong shared governance structure that elevates the nurse's voice in clinical practice, quality and operations
  • A collaborative interdisciplinary environment where nurses are trusted partners in every aspect of patient care and organizational strategy
  • Commitment to academic and professional advancement through robust residency programs, specialty certifications and partnerships with schools of nursing
  • Leadership in innovation, quality and safety, driving initiatives that improve outcomes and elevate the patient and family experience
  • A culture of compassion and connection where relationships, dignity and humanity guide every interaction
Tufts Medical Center Nurses
Tufts Medical Center Nurses

By the numbers

  • More than 2,000 nurses across inpatient, ambulatory, perioperative, emergency and specialty care
  • 90.5% nurse retention rate; 91% retention among nurse residents
  • Hundreds of nurse-led quality initiatives implemented each year
  • High rate of specialty certification among clinical nurses
  • Robust shared governance councils shaping practice standards and innovation
  • Ongoing support for degrees, certifications and continuing education

How we practice

Patient- and family-centered care is the foundation for how nursing care is designed and delivered at Tufts Medical Center. Nurses partner closely with patients, families and interprofessional colleagues to create care plans that are respectful, responsive and grounded in each person’s needs, goals and experience. Nurses honor the individuality of every patient and family, recognizing the importance of personal values, cultural beliefs, social context and lived experiences so care is inclusive and responsive to what matters most to each person. Shared governance and shared decision making help ensure that the perspectives and expertise of care teams continue to strengthen practice across Patient Care Services.

Quality and safety are central to nursing practice at Tufts Medical Center. Our nurses help build a fair and just culture by learning from mistakes, closely examining the factors that affect performance and supporting accountability in an environment focused on improvement rather than blame. We routinely review performance and share what we learn, reflecting a strong commitment to transparency, reliability and continuous improvement.

Nursing care at Tufts Medical Center extends across the healthcare continuum. Nurses help patients and families manage medications, understand their health, participate in shared decision-making and build confidence in caring for themselves at home. Guided by evidence-based practice, inquiry and the SLIP Professional Practice Model, Scholarship, Leadership, Innovation and Practice, our nurses support autonomy, resilience, successful recovery and self-care at the bedside and beyond.
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FAQs
What does patient- and family-centered care mean at Tufts Medical Center?

Patient and family-centered care is the foundation of nursing practice at Tufts Medical Center. We partner closely with patients and families to understand their goals, respect their perspectives and deliver care that is responsive to their needs. Through shared governance and shared decision making across Patient Care Services, nurses and care teams help shape how care is delivered, strengthening collaboration and supporting better outcomes.
How do nurses at Tufts Medical Center support quality and safety?

Quality and safety are central to everything we do. Nurses at Tufts Medical Center help build a fair and just culture by learning from mistakes, examining the factors that affect performance and supporting accountability in an environment focused on improvement rather than blame. We routinely review outcomes, share what we learn and use that insight to strengthen reliability, transparency and excellence in patient care.
How do Tufts Medical Center nurses support patients across the healthcare continuum?

Nursing care at Tufts Medical Center extends beyond a hospital stay. Our nurses help patients and families manage medications, understand their health and build confidence in caring for themselves at home. With experienced nurses providing care across settings and specialties, patients can count on guidance, education and support throughout the full continuum of care.

Nurse Executive Team
Therese Hudson-Jinks, DNP, RN, NEA-BC

Chief Nursing Officer
Chief Experience Officer, Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services

Terry has spent her entire career serving the patients, families and community of Tufts Medical Center and in 2018, served as interim co-president and CEO. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, she is driven to execute the vision of providing excellence in patient and family care, clinical knowledge, development and innovation in practices. Together with executives and clinical leaders, she collaborates in the design, and evaluation of patient care and services.  She has clinical and operational oversight over Nursing Services, key departments within Patient Care Services and as the Chief Experience Officer, is accountable for driving patient and family focused care. 

Terry is a long-standing member of the Tufts Medical Center leadership team, and is an advocate for highly reliable systems, ensuring safe patient care delivery. She is an active voice for patient safety and the role of nursing. A board member on the MA Coalition - Prevent Medical Errors, and Massachusetts Health and Hospitals Association, MHA, Terry is a past president (2017-2020) of the Organization of Nursing Leaders and is the recipient of the Organization of Nurse Leadership - 2020 Mary B. Conceison Award for Excellence in Nursing Leadership. 

Terry received her BSN in Nursing and a B.S. in Biology from Simmons College, and a Masters in Nursing Administration from Salem State College. Currently, she is a candidate within the Executive Leadership Doctorate Nursing Practice Program at Duke University.
Diane Peterson, MSN, RN, FNP-BC

Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Critical Care and Cardiovascular Center Inpatient, Ambulatory and Procedural Labs

Diane obtained a Master's in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts, Boston as a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner. She has more than 15 years of progressive nursing leadership experience and has held many roles during her 25 years at Tufts Medical Center serving our patients and families. Diane specializes in the recruitment and retention of high performing teams, the building of collaborative interprofessional relationships, and the achievement of high-quality outcomes in areas of care delivery, staff engagement, and patient satisfaction. Diane is passionate about fostering a culture of patient safety and together with interprofessional teams, she has supported the growth of Critical Care and the Cardiovascular Center.
Julie Sherman, MSN, RN

Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Cancer Center, and Medical Surgical

Julie has been a nurse and leader at Tufts Medical Center since 1990. She earned her Master’s in Nursing from Chamberlain University. Her interests are Lean Methodology in Healthcare, improving patient experience, advancing nurse leaders and staff engagement.
Rhodora Reynado MSN, MBA, MSE, RN

Director, Finance Operations

Rhodora has been a member of the Nurse Executive team at Tufts Medical Center since 2009. She previously held positions at Boston Medical Center and Detroit Medical Center. She is experienced in providing leadership and expertise on finance, staffing and scheduling, data analytics, and information management to Patient Care Services.

Rhodora has developed and managed productivity monitoring systems as well as budget development and monitoring tools. She has received advanced degrees in Business Administration and Industrial Systems Engineering from the University of Michigan, and her Master of Science In Nursing from Wayne State University.
Melissa Culkins, MSN, RN

Associate Chief Nursing Officer at Tufts Medical Center with a focus on patient flow, capacity management, and case management operations. Clinical background is in acute care nursing, with progressive leadership experience supporting interdisciplinary care coordination, discharge planning and operational efficiency across the organization.
Amy Lund MSN, RN, NE-BC, PCCN

Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Magnet Program Director
Mary Jo Pedulla, MS, RN, NE-BC

Executive Director, OB/GYN/NICU Services
Kathleen Coughlin, MSN, ANP-BC, BMTCN

Executive Director of Ambulatory Nursing
Portrait of nurse Nadia Foureau standing at a computer station in the infusion center at Tufts Medical Center.

Are you one of us?

The acuity and case diversity of patients at Tufts Medical Center allows nurses the opportunity to grow and challenge themselves throughout their career.