Spotlighting the Career of CAPT Chiara Rodriguez
Biography Contributed by: CAPT Amy ValderramaThis Nursing Spotlight is brought to you by CAPT Amy Valderrama, CDR Nichole Vetter, LCDR Allison Gallen, and LT Alyssa Givens
CAPT Chiara Rodriguez began her nursing career specializing in neonatal intensive care, mater-nal/child health, and pediatrics. She learned about the USPHS after hearing about a local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center in California, which was hiring bilingual nurses at the time. She commissioned into the USPHS in 2006 and has been working for ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC) ever since. She is currently detailed to IHSC in San Diego, CA, as the Chief of the IHSC Investigations Unit (IIU). The role of IHSC is to provide direct patient care to approximately 34,000 detainees on a daily basis. Although her position is considered a headquarters position, she’s able to work remotely. Her favorite aspect of her job is the ability to impact change on a national level. She states, “I’ve worked at the local level but with this job I get to impact nationally, which is really rewarding to see.”
CAPT Rodriguez completed her undergraduate studies at West Texas A & M University in 1998. Determined to broaden her education, she completed a master’s degree in Kinesiology at the University of Texas at El Paso, TX in 2016.
CAPT Rodriguez’s first USPHS assignment for IHSC was as a staff nurse at the El Paso Service Processing Center in El Paso, TX. In 2010, she became a field medical coordinator (FMC) for the ICE El Paso area of responsibility (AOR) and later transitioned to the San Diego AOR. In 2012, with the hopes and aspirations of obtaining a more diverse and non-traditional role, she transferred to the role of Compliance Investigation Specialist with the IHSC Medical Quality Management Unit.
In the summer of 2016, CAPT Rodriguez transitioned to the role of Chief of IIU, where she played an integral role in the creation of IIU, the first stand-alone, investigations unit within IHSC, and was instrumental in the development of the investigations automated database to aid in tracking and data analysis. Her current responsibilities include conducting mortality and significant morbidity reviews, investigating allegations of inappropriate healthcare, employee misconduct, high profile/risk incidents, conducting risk analyses of IHSC processes and tort claims, gathering and analyzing medical complaint data to better inform IHSC leadership’s management decisions, and providing supervisory oversight of five investigators, who are stationed remotely
throughout the U.S. In addition to her daily assignments, she is involved in numerous collateral duties that have led to the expansion and success of the IIU under her supervision. Her background in nursing has been valuable for the work that she does in the IIU: “As nurses, we are investigators. Every day we are identifying problems, searching for interventions to rectify the issue, and determining what tools (i.e., plan of care) you need to do to fix the problem.”
CAPT Rodriguez was deployed to the 2017 58th Presidential Inauguration which she stated was “a rewarding experience outside of her traditional work setting. I was proud to work alongside other PHS officers and other Uniformed Services members.”
CAPT Rodriguez joined the USPHS because of the unique opportunities and experiences of officers, and explains that, “For me, it was more than providing care at a local facility or institution, but rather how the care provided could have a national impact. Since commissioning on active duty, I enjoy the tight knit community of Corps officers. Even though we are spread out at various duty stations, meeting up for deployments, seminars and trainings, or community activities, is like a family reunion.” Since 2011, CAPT Rodriguez has been serving as a Nursing Professional Advisory Committee (NPAC) Mentor and she was assigned in 2017 to serve as the Region IV Regional Mentor Coordinator. She provides oversight to 11 mentors and 56 mentees.
When asked what advice she would give to new USPHS officers, CAPT Rodriguez responded, “Career development is ongoing, year-round. I understand that it’s challenging to meet your professional requirements, but don’t lose focus on your career development and officership. Be actively engaged in PHS opportunities. Make sure to reach out to your senior officers for mentorship. Throughout my career, I have been exposed to strong leadership that has proven invaluable in my career development and progression.”
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