Title: Director of Surgical, Cardiovascular and Respiratory Care Services
Company: Bayshore Medical Center, Hackensack Meridian Health
Location: Spotswood, New Jersey, United States
Karen Ranta Daly, DNP, director of surgical, cardiovascular and respiratory care services at Bayshore Medical Center, part of Hackensack Meridian Health, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Health Care Professionals for dedication, achievements, and leadership in nursing and administration.
Building on an extensive career in nursing, Dr. Ranta Daly has devoted more than 10 years to administration and leadership in the field. Her shift into this direction has been driven by an unwavering commitment to caring for people and a strong desire to give back. Dr. Ranta Daly’s journey into leadership began in 2013 when she became a nurse manager for noninvasive cardiology at CarePoint Health’s Bayonne Medical Center. Quickly establishing herself as a reliable team member, she was promoted to director of noninvasive cardiovascular services just two years later.
Staying within the CarePoint Health system, Dr. Ranta Daly joined Christ Hospital in 2017 as the assistant director of the cardiovascular service line. She transitioned to work with Hackensack Meridian Health in 2018, stepping into the position of director of patient care services at Riverview Medical Center.
Building on her administrative experiences up to this point, Dr. Ranta Daly has served as the director of surgical, cardiovascular and respiratory services at Hackensack Meridian Health’s Bayshore Medical Center since 2020. In this role, her duties include leading weekly safety meetings, helping to craft long-term strategies, implementing new technologies and changes in procedure, ensuring a high degree of quality in all services, and communicating with patients, both pre- and post-operation to track satisfaction and determine when there are concerns that must be addressed. Dr. Ranta Daly has been recognized as a leader in cardiac services in particular. She has strongly improved key metrics at Bayshore Medical Center, such as raising on-time start rates, preventing bottlenecks in surgery, and reducing the institution’s average surgical room turnaround time below the national benchmark of 30 minutes.
Dr. Ranta Daly’s career has been filled with memorable moments and noteworthy achievements. Among those, she is especially proud of her contributions to the creation of a cardiac imaging center at Bayonne Medical Center in 2014, as well as relocating those imaging operations to the main hospital a year later. A strong advocate for a proactive approach to cardiovascular health, Dr. Ranta Daly successfully applied for Bayshore Medical Center to begin allowing elective coronary interventions in 2020. She also implemented extensive protocols to safeguard hospital staff and patients without disrupting surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before venturing onto her vocational path, Dr. Ranta Daly set herself up for future success through her education, beginning with a diploma from The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences (formerly The Christ Hospital School of Nursing), where she graduated as valedictorian in 1989. In 1992, she graduated summa cum laude from New Jersey City University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Returning to the world of academia after establishing herself professionally, Dr. Ranta Daly obtained a Master of Science in Nursing on the executive leadership track from Chamberlain University in 2017. Subsequently, she earned a doctorate in nursing practice and executive nursing leadership from Monmouth University.
To commemorate her accomplishments, Dr. Ranta Daly has received accolades from her colleagues and professional affiliations. She was named health manager of the quarter by CarePoint Health in 2015. Dr. Ranta Daly was presented with the DAISY Nurse Leader Award by The DAISY Foundation in 2020. Under her guidance, Hackensack Meridian Health has won the Mosaic Award for Interprofessional Team-Based Care twice, in 2019 and 2024.
In addition to her successful career, Dr. Ranta Daly is a dedicated wife and a loving mother to three children. When she is not working, she finds joy in spending time with her family, reading books, exploring historical sites and participating in outdoor activities. Having completed her doctorate, Dr. Ranta Daly is eager to continue advancing in her career, with hopes of rising to the level of vice president of perioperative services or chief nursing officer. She is also considering broader leadership opportunities, such as overseeing a regional hospital. Wherever she ends up, Dr. Ranta Daly plans to maintain a focus on mentoring others in the nursing field. She aims to eventually find time to teach the next generation as an adjunct professor.
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