Encompass Health Nursing Leader Elizabeth Squires Recognized Among Becker’s 2026 Hospital and Health System CNOs to Know
Encompass Health has announced that Elizabeth “Liz” Squires, vice president of nursing operations, has been named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s 2026 list of Hospital and Health System CNOs to Know. The recognition highlights nursing executives and senior healthcare leaders who are making meaningful contributions to clinical excellence, workforce development, patient care and the continued advancement of healthcare delivery.
The annual Becker’s list recognizes leaders who play an important role in shaping nursing practice and strengthening healthcare organizations. These executives support clinical teams, develop strategies to improve patient outcomes, promote professional development and help address the changing needs of healthcare systems. Squires’ inclusion reflects her leadership in nursing operations and her contributions to Encompass Health’s nationwide inpatient rehabilitation network.
As vice president of nursing operations, Squires provides strategic direction and operational oversight for several important clinical service areas across the organization. Her responsibilities include nursing, dialysis, clinical education, respiratory services and nutrition services. Through this role, she helps coordinate nursing operations and support the delivery of patient care across Encompass Health’s network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals.
Her leadership also extends to the company’s broader nursing workforce. Squires chairs Encompass Health’s Nursing Leadership Board and supports more than 11,000 nurses throughout the organization. This responsibility involves helping nursing leaders establish priorities, strengthening professional development opportunities and promoting consistent standards of clinical practice across the national network.
Leadership Focused on Nursing Excellence and Workforce Development
Nursing leadership is an essential part of hospital operations, particularly in rehabilitation settings where patients may require coordinated, multidisciplinary care throughout their recovery. Nurses work closely with physicians, therapists and other healthcare professionals to support patients as they regain function, improve independence and manage ongoing health needs.
At Encompass Health, Squires has focused on building a nursing environment that supports both high-quality patient care and long-term career development. Her work emphasizes the importance of creating opportunities for nurses to strengthen their skills, pursue professional qualifications and advance into new roles.
Dr. Lisa Charbonneau, chief medical officer of Encompass Health, praised Squires for her contributions to the organization and its nursing teams.
“Liz’s leadership and unwavering commitment to nursing excellence have made a profound impact on our organization, our nursing teams and the patients we serve,” Charbonneau said.
She also highlighted Squires’ commitment to supporting nurses at different stages of their professional careers. According to Charbonneau, Squires has played an important role in developing programs that strengthen workforce engagement, professional growth and clinical excellence throughout Encompass Health’s nationwide network.
Charbonneau described the Becker’s recognition as a well-deserved honor, reflecting Squires’ influence on the organization and the nursing profession.
The recognition also draws attention to the broader responsibilities of nursing executives in modern healthcare organizations. Beyond managing staffing and daily clinical operations, senior nursing leaders increasingly contribute to workforce planning, education, retention, clinical quality and organizational strategy.
For healthcare providers, developing a skilled and engaged nursing workforce is particularly important as hospitals work to maintain consistent care standards while responding to changing patient needs and operational demands.
Nursing Career Ladder Program Creates Opportunities for Professional Advancement
One of Squires’ significant accomplishments at Encompass Health has been the creation and expansion of the organization’s nursing career ladder program.
The program was designed to provide structured professional advancement pathways for nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses and registered nurses. It gives employees opportunities to develop their capabilities, demonstrate professional growth and progress through defined career levels.
Career development programs can play an important role in helping healthcare organizations retain experienced employees. Nurses and nursing assistants often seek opportunities to expand their knowledge, strengthen clinical skills and take on additional responsibilities. Without clear advancement pathways, healthcare organizations may find it more difficult to maintain workforce engagement and encourage long-term professional development.
Encompass Health’s career ladder initiative addresses this challenge by providing a more structured approach to career progression.
Under Squires’ leadership, the program has achieved measurable participation and advancement results. More than 44% of full-time registered nurses at Encompass Health have advanced on the career ladder.
The organization also reports that nurses participating in the program experience significantly higher retention rates than employees who do not participate.
These results highlight the potential value of connecting professional development with workforce retention strategies. When nurses can identify opportunities for career progression within their organization, they may have stronger reasons to continue building their careers there.
The program also supports the development of nursing capabilities across multiple professional levels. Nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses and registered nurses have different responsibilities and educational backgrounds, but each group contributes to the delivery of patient care.
Providing advancement opportunities across these roles can help create a more supportive professional environment and encourage employees to pursue additional qualifications and responsibilities.
For an organization operating a nationwide network of rehabilitation hospitals, consistent career development opportunities can also help strengthen workforce capabilities across different locations.
Expanding Specialty Certification and Continuing Education
In addition to career advancement, Squires has championed specialty certification and continuing education opportunities for nurses throughout Encompass Health.
Specialty certification allows nurses to demonstrate knowledge and professional competency in particular areas of nursing practice. In rehabilitation healthcare, specialized knowledge can be especially valuable because patients may have complex needs that require coordinated clinical support.
Continuing education also helps nursing professionals maintain and develop their skills as clinical practices, technologies and patient care requirements evolve.
One of the notable outcomes of Squires’ efforts has been the growth in the number of Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurses across Encompass Health.
Under her leadership, the organization has increased its number of Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurses to nearly 1,500. This represents an 18% increase since 2024.
The growth reflects the organization’s emphasis on strengthening professional expertise in rehabilitation nursing.
Rehabilitation nurses support patients recovering from a wide range of medical conditions and injuries. Their work may involve monitoring health status, coordinating treatment plans, educating patients and families, supporting recovery goals and collaborating with other members of the clinical team.
Specialty certification can help nurses demonstrate their commitment to professional development and rehabilitation-specific knowledge.
The increase in certified rehabilitation nurses also reflects the importance of creating organizational environments where employees are encouraged to pursue additional education and professional recognition.
By supporting certification and continuing education, nursing leaders can contribute to workforce development while helping their organizations build specialized clinical capabilities.
Supporting More Than 11,000 Nurses Across a National Rehabilitation Network
Squires’ responsibilities extend across Encompass Health’s national network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, where she provides leadership support for a nursing workforce of more than 11,000 professionals.
Managing nursing operations across a large healthcare network requires coordination between organizational leadership and local clinical teams. Hospitals must maintain operational standards while responding to the needs of their individual facilities, employees and patient populations.
Nursing operations also involve multiple interconnected services. In addition to nursing, Squires oversees areas that include dialysis, clinical education, respiratory services and nutrition services.
These functions contribute to the coordinated care provided to patients during inpatient rehabilitation.
Effective rehabilitation care often depends on collaboration among multiple healthcare disciplines. Nursing teams help coordinate day-to-day patient care, while respiratory, nutrition and dialysis services address specific clinical needs. Clinical education supports the development and ongoing competency of healthcare professionals.
Squires’ operational oversight across these areas places nursing leadership within a broader multidisciplinary framework.
Her role as chair of the Nursing Leadership Board further supports coordination among nursing leaders across the organization. The board provides a platform for nursing leadership to address professional priorities and support the development of programs intended to strengthen clinical practice and workforce engagement.
The scale of the organization’s nursing workforce makes these responsibilities particularly important. Programs designed to support professional growth, specialty education and employee retention must be implemented across a geographically distributed healthcare network.
The Becker’s recognition highlights Squires’ contribution to these efforts and the role of nursing leadership in supporting organizational performance.
Squires Recognizes the Contributions of Encompass Health Nurses
While accepting the recognition, Squires emphasized that the achievement represents the work and dedication of nurses throughout Encompass Health rather than an individual accomplishment.
“I’m honored to receive this recognition, but it’s truly a reflection of the incredible nurses across Encompass Health who demonstrate their commitment to our patients every day,” Squires said.
She also highlighted the importance of creating opportunities that allow nurses to develop their careers, advance their clinical skills and continue delivering exceptional care to patients and families.
Her comments reflect a leadership approach that places nursing professionals at the center of organizational development.
Healthcare organizations depend on nurses not only to provide direct patient care but also to support communication, patient education, clinical coordination and continuity of care. Their professional development can therefore influence multiple aspects of hospital performance.
For rehabilitation providers, nursing expertise is especially important because patient recovery often involves ongoing assessment, coordinated treatment and close collaboration with patients and their families.
Supporting nurses through structured advancement programs, specialty certification and continuing education can help organizations strengthen their clinical workforce while creating opportunities for employees to build long-term careers.
Squires’ emphasis on recognizing the contributions of nursing teams also reinforces the collaborative nature of healthcare delivery.
Professional Contributions Beyond Encompass Health
In addition to her leadership responsibilities at Encompass Health, Squires participates in professional organizations and advisory groups that contribute to nursing and healthcare leadership.
She serves on the Joint Commission Chief Medical Officer/Chief Nursing Executive Council and the Lippincott Advisory Board.
These positions provide opportunities to contribute to broader discussions involving clinical leadership, nursing practice and healthcare quality.
Squires previously served on the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses Chapter Support Committee. She was also a featured presenter at the 2026 National Association of Rehabilitation Nurses Leadership Summit.
Her participation in these professional activities demonstrates her involvement in the wider rehabilitation nursing community.
Professional councils, advisory boards and industry events provide opportunities for nursing executives to exchange knowledge, discuss emerging challenges and contribute perspectives on the future of healthcare delivery.
For senior nursing leaders, engagement beyond their individual organizations can also support the development of professional networks and encourage the sharing of effective practices across healthcare systems.
Squires’ involvement in these groups complements her operational responsibilities at Encompass Health and reflects her continued engagement with the nursing profession.
Recognition Highlights the Growing Importance of Nursing Leadership
The Becker’s Hospital Review 2026 Hospital and Health System CNOs to Know list recognizes senior nursing leaders who are contributing to the development of healthcare organizations and the nursing profession.
Squires’ selection highlights several areas of leadership, including workforce development, nursing career advancement, specialty certification, continuing education and clinical operations.
Her work at Encompass Health illustrates how nursing executives can influence organizational priorities beyond the immediate management of clinical departments. By developing structured career pathways, supporting professional qualifications and strengthening nursing leadership, they can help create an environment in which employees have opportunities to grow while contributing to patient care.
The career ladder program’s advancement results, the higher retention rates reported among participants and the increase in Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurses to nearly 1,500 demonstrate the measurable outcomes associated with these initiatives.
As healthcare organizations continue to focus on workforce stability, clinical excellence and patient experience, nursing leadership remains an important part of long-term organizational strategy.
For Encompass Health, Squires’ recognition provides an opportunity to highlight the contributions of its nursing teams and the programs supporting their professional development.
Her inclusion on Becker’s 2026 list recognizes her leadership while drawing attention to the thousands of nurses across the organization who contribute to patient care every day.
Source link: https://www.encompasshealth.com/
