Anna Herbst MSN RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, GERO-BC is the Director Nursing Outcomes Improvement at the Inova Fairfax Medical Campus in Falls Church, Virginia. She serves over 3500 nurses, overseeing the onboarding of new nurses as well as the ongoing professional development and clinical competence needs of existing staff. She also implemented and now site coordinates the AACN/Vizient New Graduate Nurse Residency Program. A 37 year veteran of nursing, Anna and her teams have transitioned thousands of nurses into practice. To do so she has had to stay involved in all facets of the nursing professional role including performance improvement teams, active nursing research, evidence translation, shared governance sponsorship, and active member of professional organization. She helped design Inova’s Professional Practice and Care Delivery Models based on Jean Watson’s human caring work. She is a Healing Touch Apprentice and a Watson Caritas Coach. Anna is the executive sponsor of IFMC Shared Governance and the ADVANCE Nursing Promotion Ladder, supports the ANCC Magnet Journey to Excellence, and oversees nursing recognition programs.

Anna completed a Bachelor of Science of Nursing with a psychology minor at Villanova University in 1986. She earned a Master of Science in Nursing Advanced Clinical concentration in geriatrics and a post graduate Nursing Education Certificate in 2007 from George Mason University where she received the Graduate Award for Excellence in Clinical Practice.  She is board certified in Gerontological Nursing, Nursing Professional Development. Anna is published in the Journal Holistic Nursing, Holistic Nursing Practice, International Journal of Human Caring, Journal of Nursing Care Quality, and the Journal for Nurses in Staff Development.