Sara Dodds knew from the time she was a teenager that she wanted a career in the medical field. Witnessing her stepfather's battle with cancer, “I recognized the difference a care team can make in someone’s life,” she said. Choosing nursing, she took her first step toward this vision by joining BayCare as a patient care technician while still in nursing school.

Today, some 20 years later, Dodds is making a difference from a new post: She’s president of BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Hospital-North (SJHN). Her rise from entry-level bedside caregiver to hospital president, while unique, underscores BayCare’s robust career development programs offered to all team members.

“BayCare has a long history of advancing team members into leadership,” said Kyle Barr, chief team resources officer. “We have some of the best programs anywhere.”

Dodds utilized BayCare’s tuition reimbursement program to get her nursing, bachelor’s and master’s degrees and said she accepted every class and special project offered to her. With BayCare’s assistance and the guidance of BayCare leaders, who are encouraged to mentor their team members, Dodds advanced from registered nurse, to charge nurse, nurse manager and nursing director at SJHN before switching to director of operations. She was named president of the hospital in 2023.

“I worked for so many incredible BayCare leaders who mentored me and prepared me for that next role,” she said. “As long as you live the BayCare values, there will be a home for you here.”