Carol McLay, DrPH, MPH, RN, CIC, FAPIC, FSHEA

Carol McLay is a healthcare consultant with over 25 years of experience advancing healthcare quality, patient safety, and accreditation readiness. Her clinical background spans medical-surgical, oncology, and critical care nursing, complemented by expertise in healthcare epidemiology.

Dr. McLay has extensive experience helping organizations prepare for Joint Commission surveys and served as a Clinical Surveyor for DNV Healthcare, where she evaluated hospitals for compliance with accreditation standards, CMS Conditions of Participation, and ISO 9001 quality management principles. In these roles, she worked closely with healthcare leadership to assess performance, strengthen operational practices, and support continuous survey readiness.

In addition to her surveyor experience, Dr. McLay has held leadership roles in healthcare quality, infection prevention, and education. Her expertise includes policy and procedure development, regulatory compliance, corrective action planning, and staff education and competency development. She is committed to helping healthcare organizations achieve regulatory excellence and foster a culture of safety and continuous improvement. She is a Registered Nurse and Board-Certified in Infection Control (CIC).

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Ottawa, a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from Emory University, and a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) in Epidemiology from the University of Kentucky. She is also a Certified ISO 9001 Lead Auditor and trained in Six Sigma methodologies, bringing a data-driven approach to healthcare quality, safety, and accreditation readiness.