Wesley Medical Center’s chief nursing officer resigns

Kathy Neely, the chief nursing officer for Wesley Medical Center, is leaving the hospital at the end of June.

She has been with Wesley since March 2008.

“I want to do some different things,” Neely said. “I want to write, and I want to explore some different options. Life is filled with points where you have to take turns or forks in the road.”

Over the summer, she plans to work on a book about lessons she’s learned in leadership positions.

“People have told me for a long time, ‘You’re a great storyteller, you should tell your stories,’” she said.

The book’s target audience would be nurse leaders.

Neely said she’d like to stay in Wichita if another opportunity arises.

“Wichita has been good to me,” she said. “We’ll see what happens in the next chapter.”

Neely has served on advisory boards for the nursing programs at Wichita State, Wichita Area Technical College, Butler Community College and Newman University. She was also the 2012 Nurse Administrator of the Year for the Kansas State Nurses Association, she said.

During her time at Wesley, she helped increase the number of baccalaureate-prepared nurses and helped in the transition to all private patient rooms.

Prior to coming to Wichita, Neely served in several leadership positions at hospitals in Chicago, where she was born and raised.

Wesley officials say they are looking for a replacement for Neely.

This story was originally published May 9, 2014 at 10:56 AM with the headline "Wesley Medical Center’s chief nursing officer resigns."