Ferrio, MSN ’93, is the senior vice president and chief operating office at Chicago’s Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, a globally recognized rehabilitation hospital. She graduated from Loyola with her Master of Science in Nursing in 1993, and also earned her Master of Business Administration at Loyola.

She has spent her career at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab— first as a direct care nurse, then in administrative positions, many of them at the executive level.

“There’s a mural in the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab lobby with the words, ‘the soul moves first.’ It resonates with me in regard to the care we provide to our patients, but it always brings me back to the concept of faith-based education. It inspires me to take Loyola’s values of service and striving for more to the patients we serve and their families.

“Loyola Nursing emphasizes holistic care, and that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be at the bedside. It can be in any practice environment. For me, that’s administration.

“I moved into administration because I wanted to be able to wrap my arms around more patients. I wanted to make the systems and processes better for nurses to nurse, and for doctors to treat patients. I wanted to make a long-term impact.

“I’m in my ninth role at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, and I’ve had good mentors here who helped me grow and develop. I’ve been able to pass that on to others, and I believe I learned the leadership skills I needed to do that at Loyola.

“When I’m asked or tapped to do something, I view it as a calling. Instead of thinking, ‘No, I can’t do that,’ I’m more in the mode of, ‘How can I do that?’ The call to be more and a sense of mission—that was instilled in me at Loyola.”