Monica Nijoka’s history with Baton Rouge General dates back nearly 45 years, when she was an up-and-coming student nurse here in 1975. After graduating from nursing school, Nijoka officially came on board in 1977, working her way up to Vice President of Patient Care Services by 1999.
After serving as The NeuroMedical Center’s CNO for nine years, Nijoka returned to BRG in 2016. As CNO at BRG, she has decreased nursing turnover by 50 percent and led the hospital to four consecutive LSNA Hospital of the Year awards. She helped create an ACE Unit (Acute Care of the Elderly) last year, and BRG is only hospital in the area with this type of unit, which provides care for specialized care for patients over the age of 65.
Nijoka was also instrumental in BRG’s affiliation with the William Carey School of Nursing, which brings a four-year Bachelor of Nursing degree to BRG.
In 2005, she spent two years consulting for hospitals across the country, helping them prepare for Joint Commission Surveys. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits over 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. After Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, Nijoka was appointed Chief Nursing Officer by the Department of Health and Hospitals for evacuee patients at a makeshift hospital in an abandoned Kmart in Baton Rouge.
Educational Background
Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, Southeastern Louisiana University
Masters of Science in Heath Services Administration, University of Saint Francis, Joliet, Illinois
Awards and Recognitions
Louisiana State Nursing Association (LSNA) Nurse Administrator of the Year
Southeastern Louisiana University Alumni of the Year and Distinguished Alumni of the Year
Louisiana Association of Post Anesthesia Nurses Original Founding Member Honor
Woman of Achievement by the Zonta Club
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt