Jeremy Ratliff
Reporter
Effective this past August, Ryan Hanson has taken the lead as Pine Crest Nursing Home’s new Director of Nursing; filling the vacancy left by long-time Director of Nursing Mindy Meehean, who departed in mid-June to accept the Director of Nursing position at Wausau Manor.
Hanson was previously the facility’s Assistant Director of Nursing since December of last year. According to administrator Lisa Gervais, Ryan surpassed a considerable pool of applicants to be selected to the position. The promotion marks the third for Hanson since his employment tenure began with Pine Crest in early 2015.
A Merrill native and MHS Class of 2001 graduate, Hanson moved on to attend UW-Oshkosh where he graduated with his BSN (Bachelor of Science-Nursing) in 2007.
While nursing would ultimately become Hanson’s passion and chosen career path, it was not his first choice.
“My initial focus when I started school was education. But during my first year, my grandmother entered into hospice care. I ended up playing a key role in her care until she passed. That experience was very meaningful for me. I decided to change directions and pursue nursing as a career. When I started nursing school I explored different aspects, but always seemed to gravitate toward the long term care field.”
Following graduation, Hanson would go on to compile 11 years of experience in the fields of direct care and assisted living management; including four years of service as a nurse and 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army Reserve, long-term care nursing, care unit management, medical/surgical and ICU nursing and director of a 140-bed residential care facility. In addition, Ryan brings to the table two years of case management experience.
Hanson returned to Merrill in 2015 and served for two years as director for a Merrill and Wausau assisted living facility. He came to Pine Crest in late 2017 as a staff nurse and was soon promoted to Pine Crest’s Assistant Director of Nursing, until Meehean’s departure in June.
“Ryan’s transition from Assistant Director of Nursing to interim Director of Nursing and ultimately full-time Director of Nursing was seamless,” Gervais adds. “His caring attitude, knowledge of our facility, and awareness of the needs of our residents and staff has been a tremendous asset to us from the start, and now a perfect fit as our Director of Nursing.”