Margaret Carroll, RN, has stepped down as chief nursing officer at Ascension Saint Joseph-Joliet (Ill.) after approximately eight months in the position.
A spokesperson for St. Louis-based Ascension confirmed Ms. Carroll's departure to Becker's Jan. 4 but declined to offer a reason for her exit.
The news comes as the hospital and its nurses' union are gridlocked in labor negotiations. The Illinois Nurses Association, which represents more than 500 nurses at the facility, has been in negotiations with the hospital since May. Nurses have gone on strike twice since August, and on Dec. 19, 80% voted to reject what Ascension called its "last, best and final offer."
The union said nurses rejected the latest contract proposal because of "proposed wages that are below market and mandates that nurses can be pressed into working on units outside of their specialty."
Ms. Carroll is not the first executive to leave Ascension Saint Joseph amid the conflict. The hospital's president, Chris Shride, resigned Nov. 30 — just over a week after nurses completed their second strike.
Janete Sheiner, PhD, MSN, RN, has been named to the interim post.