Carol Laberge is a senior clinical consultant and owner of Health Operations Consulting. She has over 35 years of experience working in multiple health authorities across the province of B.C. and has contributed to various nursing disciplines such as cardiac care, emergency, critical care and medicine. Drawing on her vast experience, Carol provides expertise in areas ranging from program planning and development through to implementation of health care service delivery models within the acute care system.
Carol is a Registered Nurse (RN) and holds a master’s degree in leadership and training, and a master’s
and PhD in human development. She is an adjunct professor in the School of Nursing at the University of
British Columbia, Okanagan.
Carol was the first nurse manager of the cardiac catheterization laboratory in Fraser Health where she
co-led the development and implementation of one of the first same day transfer programs following a PCI
in Canada, enhancing patient care and establishing the centre as a leading regional ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) facility. Carol was recruited to Interior Health where she played a pivotal role in planning, developing and implementing an Stand-Alone PCI (SA PCI) cardiac catheterization laboratory followed by implementation of B.C.’s fifth cardiac surgery program at Kelowna General Hospital. Carol later went on to become the health service administrator at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops where she co-led the planning and approval process for the building of an acute care tower.
Carol held the position of provincial executive director of Cardiac Services BC (CSBC). CSBC is an agency within the Provincial Health Services Authority that is responsible for setting direction and providing leadership for cardiovascular care in B.C. During her tenure, Carol led her team in the development of the conceptual Cardiac Tiers of Service and the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories Without On-Site Cardiac Surgery Backup in British Columbia, Position Statement.
These foundational documents provide detailed guidance and direction for the planning, development and delivery of cardiac care in B.C. The Cardiac Tiers of Service provides a framework and guidelines for advanced cardiac care and the Position Statement provides detailed guidelines and requirements for planning and building SA PCI centres in B.C. Carol's team also updated IT systems that include transitioning from the Heartis database into CViSource that resulted in improved capture of waitlist tracking and cardiac procedural data that supports more timely access to care for patients.
What makes Carol a successful executive leader is her ability to vision, create, develop, organize and build up individuals and teams. She utilizes a strengths-based leadership approach to team building. Her focus on team members ensures they are supported to bring out the best in their skills and abilities to achieve their personal goals, ultimately fulfilling organizational priorities.
Carol is often described as a person with wisdom, compassion and empathy. She actively listens, respects people of all diversities and offers supportive encouragement. This was demonstrated by Carol's experience as the health service administrator at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. On top of managing and leading the hospital, she co-led the planning and approval process for the development of an acute care tower that was successfully built and opened in July 2022.
Under Carol's leadership of CSBC, a number of transformational system-wide projects were planned, developed and implemented that improved cardiac care service delivery for patients in B.C.
Carol founded Health Operations Consulting to continue her journey of lifelong learning and share her knowledge, skills and experience to create and support transformational system change. She considers the human side of healthcare in every project she completes through a collaborate approach with health care providers and a patient centred lens.
Some of Carol's complex projects include:
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