Our Leadership: Tara Spruill, MSN, CPN, RN, NE-BC

Tara Spruill, MSN, CPN, RN, NE-BC, is the Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) of Nemours Children’s in North Florida. The role has a dual-reporting relationship to Michael J. Erhard, MD, MBA, President, North Florida Region, and our EVP, Enterprise Chief Nursing Executive and Patient Operations Officer, Dr. Jane Mericle. 

A nationally certified pediatric nurse and board-certified nurse executive with more than 20 years of experience, and a Nemours-certified LEADER, Tara is well-prepared to lead our Nursing and Patient Care Services team into the next phase of our strategic future in North Florida. A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Tara was first introduced to Nemours as a teenager when she volunteered at one of our specialty care locations. Tara then dedicated the first 10 years of her nursing career to pediatric emergency medicine and critical care at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, our strategic children’s hospital partner in Jacksonville. 

Tara joined Nemours in 2011 as a registered nurse and clinical coordinator for general surgery. During this time, she became involved in shared governance as clinical practice chair, and demonstrated her skills related to quality improvement and patient safety by developing standard emergency equipment and processes during code situations.

In 2015, Tara expanded her leadership expertise by serving as nurse manager of surgical divisions and satellite locations, also in Jacksonville. In this role, Tara partnered with a multidisciplinary team to develop a “distraction and comfort holds” program to decrease pain using nonpharmacologic techniques. She also established a sterilization and high-level disinfection program to standardize instrument processing in an ambulatory care setting, once again furthering her knowledge of quality and safety related to direct patient care. 

Prior to her appointment as Chief Nursing Officer, Tara served as Director of Nursing and Clinical Teams for Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville. During this time, she provided leadership by chairing or co-chairing committees on critical issues such as Florida policy, Jacksonville ambulatory environment of care and patient quality and safety, and our Florida COVID-19 taskforce. Her focus has included advancing practices to standardize nursing documentation and improving orientation and competency training for clinical new hires, and implementing retention strategies for all associates, which will continue in her role as Chief Nursing Officer. Tara is also on the board of directors at Ronald McDonald House — Jacksonville.

Tara holds a Master of Science in Nursing, Leadership and Management, from the University of Central Florida and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Florida. She is currently earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Central Florida, with an anticipated graduation in 2027.