DHSc, RN, CTN-A
Sandy Lovering is an experienced nurse executive, nurse theorist, transcultural nursing specialist and researcher with 40+ years of international nursing experience in Canada, United States, New Zealand and the Middle East. As CNO, she led the first hospital to achieve Magnet® Designation and Redesignation in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Region. She has a wealth of experience in strategic planning, leading interdisciplinary teams, application of the Magnet® program in an international context, development of professional governance models for culturally diverse teams, leading culturally diverse teams and implementing culturally congruent nursing care as a nurse executive in large tertiary care institutions in New Zealand and Saudi Arabia for 30+ years. As CNO, Sandy led a team of 1200 nurses from over 40 countries at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center (Gen Org) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to become the first hospital in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region to achieve Magnet Designation in 2013 and Re-Designation in 2018. Under her leadership, KFSH&RC-J received the coveted NDNQI Award for Outstanding Quality Outcomes (Teaching hospitals) in 2013. Sandy received the prestigious Princess Muna Al Hussein Award from the American Nurse Credentialing Center in 2015 in recognition of her international leadership and success in raising the standards and image of nursing in the Middle East. Dr. Lovering is the nurse theorist for the Crescent of Care nursing model (COCM©) based on her doctorate research on Arab Muslim nurses’ caring models. The COCM© nursing model has been implemented at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center in Jeddah and several hospitals in the Gulf region. Sandy is a certified Transcultural Nurse – Advanced since 1998 and designated a Transcultural Nursing Scholar by the Transcultural Nursing Society in 2018. As a recognized expert in the field of transcultural nursing, she has multiple publications and research focusing on transcultural nursing and administrative practice within the Middle East and Arab Muslim populations. Sandy has an extensive resume of national and international conference presentations (keynote and abstract presentations) on transcultural nursing within the Middle East context, nursing leadership, Magnet® Recognition in an international context, transcultural nursing ethics, patient safety and quality. She has spoken at several ICN Congresses, STTI conferences, Transcultural Nursing Society conferences as well as a keynote speaker at several Middle East and Asia conferences. Sandy holds a Doctorate in Health Sciences (The University of Sydney, Australia), a Master’s in Business Studies and Health Management (Massey University, New Zealand), a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (The University of British Columbia, Canada) and a Diploma in Nursing (Mohawk College, Canada).