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Ric Cuming, EdD, MSN, RN
Chief Nurse Executive and President of ChristianaCare HomeHealth
Expertise & Research Interests
- Operations Management
- Nursing Policy
- Strategy
- Leadership
- Nursing Procedures
Education
- PhD, Adult Education and Human Resource Development with a Minor in Advanced Nursing Administration, Florida International University
- MSc, Science in Nursing, University of Miami
- BSc, Science in Nursing, University of Ottawa
Ric Cuming, EdD, MSN, RN
Chief Nurse Executive and President of ChristianaCare HomeHealth
Richard G. Cuming, EdD, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, is the Chief Nurse Executive and president of HomeHealth at ChristianaCare. In this position, Cuming supports ChristianaCare’s goals of optimal health, exceptional experience and organizational vitality in service to our community. He leads ChristianaCare’s Magnet-designated nursing staff in setting strategic imperatives, advises leadership on best practices in nursing, establishes nursing policies and procedures, oversees nursing education and research and creates a collaborative environment to ensure evidence-based care practices in both the acute care and home health settings. A highly experienced and nationally respected nurse leader, Ric has more than 35 years of health care experience.
Cuming was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing in 2016. American Academy of Nursing Fellows are recognized among the most respected nursing leaders in education, management, practice and research.
On January 11, 2021, Cuming administered the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to then President-elect Joe Biden.
Multimedia
of 09
Experience
Downloadable Images and Links
Media Appearances
‘Moxi' the Robot Helps Nurses at Hospital in Delaware
2022-05-25 , NBC10
In the age of technology, robots are slowly starting to take over the role of human tasks. NBC10’s Tim Furlong gets an inside look at “Moxi,” one of two robots helping nurses at ChristianaCare in Delaware.
'Would you mind vaccinating President-elect Biden?' UOttawa graduate gets shot at presidential moment
2021-05-27 , CTV News Ottawa
A University of Ottawa alumnus got his shot at fame when he administered the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to U.S. President Joe Biden.
Ric Cuming is now the chief nurse executive at ChristianaCare Health System in Wilmington, Delaware. On January 11, 2021, he vaccinated the then President-elect. "The first thing he said to me was thank you so much for being here. What do you say to that? It was absolutely my pleasure," said Cuming.
Ottawa Faculty of Health Sciences alumnus vaccinates President Joe Biden against COVID-19
2021-05-13 , The Faculty of Health Sciences
When U.S. president Joe Biden received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine just before his inauguration, all cameras were on him. You’re probably familiar with the scene in the above photo. But the person we’re really interested in now is just off to the side. He’s the one who administered the second dose to Biden, Ottawa nursing alumnus Ric Cuming (BScN ’89).
These ChristianaCare Nurses Got Their Shot at Fame
2021-05-11 , Delaware Today Magazine
“She said, ‘The president-elect and the first lady are going to be coming to ChristianaCare for their vaccines and we would like for you to give them their vaccines.’ Then I went into operations mode,” Mase said, preparing where and how she’d administer the shots. “I was just honored that our senior leadership trusted me enough at being steady enough to administer the vaccine to both the president and the first lady.”
Meet the nurse from Montreal who vaccinated Joe Biden
2021-04-23 , Global News
When Ric Cuming showed up for work in early January, he was clad in navy blue scrubs and wearing a face shield, ignoring a heavy throng of reporters and ready to administer a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The chief executive nurse of ChristianaCare Christiana Hospital was tasked with giving the booster shot to then-president-elect Joe Biden in the midst of the pandemic that has killed millions. “You never really do know what to expect in life,” the former Montrealer said.
John Abbott College nursing program graduate vaccinates Joe Biden
2021-04-15 , Montreal Gazette
When Richard (Ric) Cuming was growing up in Montreal, he never dreamt he’d one day meet the President of the United States — let alone inject him with a potentially life-saving vaccine during a global pandemic.
Abbott Grad with President Joe Biden
2021-04-07 , John Abbott College
The privilege of administering President Biden’s second COVID vaccine was a highlight of my nursing career. That photo captures a special moment between patient and nurse. The moment when, after a devastating year in our human history, hope is restored as the potential for on-going health is secured. Being a Canadian immigrant to the United States, the magnitude of the moment was amplified – Here I was, a guy from Montreal, vaccinating the next leader of the free world. I often think back to my time at John Abbott fondly. I’ve never been more deeply grateful for the education and training that I received there, which gave me the confidence as a nurse to fully participate in this moment in history. Go Islanders!
This former Montrealer administered the presidential dose!
2023-02-03 , iHeartRADIO
Former Montrealer Ric Cuming joins Weekends with Ken to talk about his experience of administering president Joe Biden's second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
FIU alumnus Ric Cuming EdD '09 currently the chief nurse executive at ChristianaCare, vaccinated President Joe Biden with the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in January.
2023-02-03 , CIAOPS - Campaign-archive
"I often think back to my time at Florida International University with warm memories. I’ve never been more deeply grateful for the advanced education and leadership skills that I received there, which gave me the confidence as a nurse to fully participate in this moment in history. Go Panthers!" -- Ric Cuming.
Giving It Their Best Shot
2023-02-03 , University of Miami
“The privilege of administering President Biden’s second COVID vaccine was a highlight of my nursing career. That photo captures a special moment between patient and nurse—that moment when, after a devastating year in our human history, hope is restored as the potential for ongoing health is secured. … The advanced education in clinical practice and leadership skills I received at the University of Miami gave me the confidence as a nurse to fully participate in this moment in history. Go ’Canes!”
—Ric Cuming, M.S.N. ’95, chief nurse executive aDelaware-based ChristianaCare
Christiana Care’s VR Therapy wins 2018 Magnet Award
2018-11-16 , Technical.ly / Delaware
“This high-tech, positive distraction improves patients’ experience and gives our exceptional nurses an opportunity to demonstrate our system’s value of serving together with love,” said Ric Cuming, Christiana Care’s chief nurse executive, in a statement. “We are thankful and humbled to receive the ANCC Magnet Prize in recognition of our efforts to improve patient care and outcomes.”
Selected Papers and Publications
Improving Compliance With Occupational Safety and Health Administration Standards
Health care facilities can be dangerous places. The mission of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is to improve the safety of the American workplace by developing and implementing standards that prevent occupational injury, illness, and death.
The Synergy Model and the Role of Clinical Nurse Specialists in a Multihospital System
The role of clinical nurse specialists was formalized in the 1950s; the goal was to prepare inpatient, bedside nurses who would serve acutely ill patients via consultation and direct care. Clinical nurse specialists were to be expert clinicians, consultants, educators, and researchers. In the early stages of practice development, the focus was the specific needs of the assigned unit or floor. Organizational restructuring led to the elimination of many positions for clinical nurse specialists, with a shift of some of the nurses’ responsibilities to others (ie, managers) or the abandonment of some of the traditional roles. Recently, a reversal occurred in this trend, evidenced by a steady growth in the demand for these advanced practice nurses by organizations seeking to improve patients’ outcomes while remaining fiscally responsible. This demand led to changes in role expectations and expanded the responsibilities of clinical nurse specialists to a system-wide or organization-wide level.
Reducing the hazards of exposure to cornstarch glove powder
Latex allergy has received considerable attention during the past decade. The occurrence of latex allergy in health care workers is higher than in the general population. Latex gloves are the most frequent form of exposure that health care workers have to natural rubber latex; therefore, the relationship between gloves and latex allergies has been well studied. Scientific evidence supports the link between glove powder and the occurrence of latex allergies, as well as the development of postoperative complications in surgical patients. This article describes how a multihospital system, which is the seventh largest not-for-profit health care corporation in the nation and includes 35 ORs, successfully eliminated powdered gloves from the environment.
External Service and Affiliations
- American Nurses Credentialing Center: Advanced Nurse Executive
- Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses Foundation: Board of Trustees
- PAWS for People: Chair of the Board of Directors
- DAISY Foundation: Board Member
- American Nurses Association: Member
- American Organization of Nurse Leaders: Member
Selected Honors and Awards
- American Academy of Nursing, Inducted
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Executive, Nurse Fellowship Program
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Ric Cuming, EdD, MSN, RN
Chief Nurse Executive and President of ChristianaCare HomeHealth
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