How Jenny Atterberg is Shaping the Future of Clinical Technology
As Chief Nursing Information Officer at Pointcore, Jenny Atterberg sits at the intersection of clinical care, business strategy and information technology. Her mission is clear: technology should enhance the work of clinicians, but never dictate it.
With a career rooted in bedside care and shaped by a passion for innovation, Jenny brings credibility, compassion and deep personal commitment to her leadership role.
Bridging Clinical Care and Technology
In her role, Jenny ensures that the technologies supporting healthcare teams align with real-world workflows and best practices. She serves as a critical liaison between business leaders, clinical teams and IT, translating priorities, aligning roadmaps and identifying both opportunities and risks.
Her focus is not simply on implementing new tools. It’s on ensuring those tools genuinely improve patient care and the clinician experience. As an active member of the American Nursing Informatics Association (ANIA) Midwest Region Chapter, Jenny stays closely connected to evolving industry trends and national conversations shaping healthcare technology. This perspective helps Pointcore and our clients remain forward-thinking while grounded in operational reality. She is passionate about ensuring the organization not only keeps pace with the industry, but also helps lead it.
A Calling That Started Early
Jenny knew upon graduating high school that healthcare was in her future. Although she initially began as pre-med, she quickly realized nursing was her true calling.
Raised in the Peoria area and born at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center, she was determined to build her career within the OSF Ministry. In her words, it was “non-negotiable.” She started in the mailroom, where she first started building relationships across departments. That early experience grounded her in the culture and purpose that she still champions today.
While attending nursing school in 2005, she volunteered on a nursing unit, transporting patients and gaining firsthand insight into patient care and the nuances of nursing. After graduation, she began her clinical career on a medical-surgical floor at OSF.
From the beginning, Jenny gravitated toward process improvement. She optimized her own charting workflows, precepted new nurses and became a charge nurse. When an educator role opened, she stepped forward to a new side of nursing – immediately facing the challenge of onboarding 67 new nurses on her unit.
Rather than shy away from complexity, she embraced it and allowed it to motivate her.
Innovating Education and Simulation
After serving as a nurse educator, Jenny made the difficult decision to step away from the bedside and move into a clinical scholar role. Though leaving direct patient care was challenging, she saw an opportunity to expand her impact far beyond a single unit. As a clinical scholar, she designed and implemented simulation-based training programs that elevated nurse readiness across the entire OSF Ministry.
One of her most notable projects reimagined training simulations for new nurses. Instead of isolated mannequin exercises, Jenny created realistic, multi-patient scenarios complete with phone calls, competing priorities and live actors. The immersive experience prepared nurses for the unpredictability of real clinical environments.
It was the first simulation of its kind at OSF, and it proved transformative thanks to Jenny’s dedication. Jenny later presented the work nationally at a Mayo Clinic educational conference, and the curriculum was published.
Recognizing how closely her work aligned with systems and technology, Jenny returned to school to achieve her master’s degree in informatics. Upon completion of her master’s program, she became board certified in Nursing Informatics (NI-BC) and later served as an adjunct professor at Bradley University, teaching master’s-level courses on informatics, leadership and theory.
Her passion for learning and helping others grow along the way has remained constant throughout her career.
Stepping into Executive Leadership
When Jenny transitioned to Pointcore and accepted a role in IT, she quickly excelled, moving from Nursing Informatics Specialist to Director in a few short years. As a director, she grew the informatics team from eight to more than 20 members, expanding support across inpatient, ambulatory, pharmacy, OB, urgent care and emergency services.
What drew Jenny to Pointcore was the opportunity to scale her impact while staying true to her service-driven foundation.
Her ability to connect clinical insight with strategic technology decisions quickly positioned her as a trusted leader within the organization. As her scope of influence expanded and Pointcore continued to grow, so did the opportunity to serve at a higher level, ultimately leading to her promotion into an executive leadership role. Today, as the first person to hold the Chief Nursing Information Officer (CNIO) role at Pointcore, Jenny sees her career journey as intentional and deeply aligned with her purpose.
Expanding Impact Through Pointcore
For Jenny, Pointcore represents not only professional growth, but also amplified mission. Her work as CNIO is already producing tangible results.
When she recognized that the clinical leaders of Pointcore’s technology clients needed clearer communication around policy changes and upcoming initiatives, she launched a peer-to-peer initiative connecting her directly with client CNOs. These conversations fostered trust, transparency and stronger collaboration. Today, those leaders feel comfortable reaching out directly, which has strengthened relationships and alignment across our client organizations.
She also led initiatives to improve nurse well-being and workflow efficiency within the Epic EHR system. When data showed that nurses were spending over 150 minutes per shift in Epic – exceeding the recommended 100-120 minutes – Jenny implemented strategies to reduce documentation burden. The result was a 15-minute reduction in system time and meaningful decreases in documentation intervals, allowing clinicians more time with patients.
Her influence extends beyond Pointcore as well. Jenny was nominated and selected as one of just ten members nationwide to serve on Epic’s Nurse Well-Being Steering Committee – a recognition of her expertise, credibility and passion for clinician advocacy.
A Leadership Philosophy Rooted in Growth
While Jenny has passion for advancing healthcare systems, she also has a passion for advancing people. She believes leadership is not defined by title, but by action. “You can be an informal leader who models behaviors better than someone with a formal title,” she says.
Helping others discover their strengths and pursue opportunities is central to her leadership approach. She is intentional about building a culture where feedback is welcomed, multiple perspectives are encouraged, growth is continuous and passion is nurtured. She credits a former mentor for challenging her thinking without discouraging her, a balance she now strives to bring to her own team.
Looking Ahead
Jenny’s career is marked by achievement, but she is far from finished. As Pointcore continues to grow, she remains focused on enhancing client satisfaction and experience, ensuring the value delivered is not only measurable but meaningful.
Her success is measured in relationships, trust and sustained impact. Her dedication to Pointcore, to clinicians and the communities we serve continues to drive her forward.
And if her track record is any indication – her greatest contributions are still ahead!
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