News & Stories
Q & A With Red Hot Gala Honorary Co-Chair Terry Ricca, RN
Terry Ricca, RN, Senior Vice President for Institute Strategy, Access and Chief Experience Officer at Cooper University Health Care. In this short Q & A, Terry talks about putting women first, loving her job and advice for other professional women.
Q. Why did you decide to pursue a career in Healthcare?
A. I was hospitalized when I was 17 years old and was anxious and unsure of what to expect. I’ll never forget the compassionate and personalized care provided by the nurses. The impression they made, inspired me to pursue nursing as a career.
Q. Why should people support Women’s Health programs and the Ripa Center for Women’s Health and Wellness at Cooper?
A. Women take care of everybody else, but they tend to put themselves last. The Ripa Center puts women first with programs designed to support women’s unique health care needs. We provide women the care they want, how they want it and when they want it.
Q. What do you like most about your position at Cooper?
A. Like most healthcare providers, I got into healthcare to make a difference in the lives of others. Those opportunities to make a difference are abundant at Cooper. My most fulfilling days are realized when patients are engaged with their own health and with their caregivers (our wonderful staff)! The more we (caregivers) focus on helping others engage, the more we engage ourselves. It activates a remembrance on WHY I got into healthcare.
Q. What is one thing that might surprise people about you?
A. I am “secretly” an introvert! One of the most fundamental characteristics of introverts is that they need time alone to recharge their batteries…That’s ME!
Q. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
A. I like to travel with my husband, take long walks and read. These help me recharge so I come back to work reenergized and focused.
Q. Do you have a favorite female author, artist or performer?
A. I love Alice Walker and Maya Angelou, and one of my favorite books is the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver because of the strong female characters.
Q. Do you have any words of wisdom for other professional women?
A. When “things” aren’t working out or I hit a barrier…I think of the quote from Tolstoy- ‘Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.’ What I have discovered “things” work out when I change something about myself!
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