USA Health Providence welcomes new assistant hospital administrator 

By Michelle Ryan
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USA Health Providence Hospital recently announced the appointment of Alecia Torrance, RN, MBA, as its new assistant hospital administrator. With extensive experience in nursing leadership and healthcare management, she brings a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record of success to the role.  

“Her unique combination of clinical expertise, operational insight, and business acumen will play a pivotal role in furthering the hospital’s mission to provide exceptional care and improve patient outcomes,” said Rick Metzger, MMHC, BSN, CEO of Providence Hospital. 

“Some of my greatest accomplishments have been growing the business both in volume, revenue and quality outcomes through efficiency and throughput, and I intend on doing the same at USA Health Providence,” Torrance said. “In the ever-changing healthcare landscape, survival and success depends upon quality first, followed by sound financial performance, and that supports the mission and goals for USA Health Providence.” 

Torrance embraced healthcare early. At her father’s urging, she pursued a career in nursing after graduating from high school. She was a junior when she experienced her gift for caregiving firsthand when her father was hospitalized with a heart attack at just 39 years old. 

She started her career as a medical surgical oncology nurse, then moved to perioperative services, first in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) then later in the operating room. She soon transitioned into leadership roles and became active in professional nursing organizations. 

“My first big hospital project was initiating a cardiovascular operating room (CVOR) program at a local community hospital, which hooked me to learn more of the business and operational aspects of healthcare,” she said. “I also grew within professional nursing organizations, where I started local and state chapters, and served in many official positions, including president.” 

Her drive to expand her knowledge of healthcare operations led her to earn a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Tusculum College in Greenville, Tennessee, and an MBA in hospital administration from the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas, enabling her to better understand the financial and business aspects of healthcare.

She earned a diploma from the St. Mary’s Medical Center School of Nursing in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she served as class president. She then completed a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Tennessee. She is currently working on a Master of Science in nursing at Aspen University in Denver, Colorado. 

“I have been blessed to work in over 300 hospitals as a healthcare consultant and in industry at a major medical device manufacturing company,” Torrance said. “I've traveled across the country assisting hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) in the transformation of their perioperative and procedural departments, and I’m excited to bring all of these experiences to USA Health Providence, working alongside a great team of professionals.”   

Torrance has worked at hospitals in Tennessee, New York, Illinois, and Kentucky in both clinical and leadership roles. She is proud that her three children – two sons and a daughter – have all taken jobs in healthcare, too. 

“I love what I do and cannot imagine doing anything else other than this,” she said. “Leadership is where I believe that I can personally and professionally make the biggest difference in healthcare and where I can leave a legacy of improving healthcare operations and outcomes.”