Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1111624
Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com 43 April 29–June 10, 2019 Celebrating National Nurses Week Patricia Stone RN, MSN Vice President and Patient Care Executive Adventist Health White Memorial I started my career as a night shift nurse in an oncology unit at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital. There was an amazing supervisor who encouraged and mentored my professional development from new graduate to charge nurse. I then entered an ICU training program and developed com- petencies as an ICU RN. Over time, I grew to be a charge RN and then manager of the ICU, my first formal leadership role. I found that while I missed being at the bedside, I was able to make positive changes to improve patient care through my leadership and team development. In the late '90s, while working for Scripps in San Diego, I learned about shared governance. This shared decision-mak- ing philosophy aligned well with my leadership style. ❖❖❖❖ ✲ A CNO represents and speaks for both nurses and patients, providing needed resources, leading change through education and advocacy and generally speaking to the requirements of patient care. My typical day includes meetings with senior leaders, physi- cians and nurses. For example, yesterday, I started my day by meeting with our charge nurse team. We get together once a quarter so I can share updates on how well we are achieving our patient goals as well as receive feedback on what works and what doesn't. Afterwards, I met with our HR leaders about opening new positions; had my weekly meeting with our recruitment team about staffing needs; and rounded on a couple of the nursing units just to check in with staff. My final meeting of the day was a conference call with our healthcare system about pro- posed new state and federal regulations and organizational policies. Annette Sy RN, DNP, NE-BC Chief Nursing Officer Keck Medical Center of USC My first leadership position was as manager of the obstet- rics department in a small hospital in Savanna, Ill. While I was working on my master's degree, I became a nursing director and assistant administrator. I was able to apply the leadership principles I was learning in school to my role at the hospital. One morning, I was informed that the administrator had to step down and they were asking me to become interim administrator. This was a little intimidating, but, not wanting to let down my coworkers and patients, I said yes. I learned a lot that year, and I'm proud to say the hospital stayed in the black financially. Before I came to USC in 2000, I took a leadership position at Saint John's Medical Center, which was a big adjustment for me, coming from a small rural hospital. The hospital was badly damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, but our nursing team continued to care for patients. That was my first experience dealing with an earthquake at work! ❖❖❖❖ ✲ My job is to advocate for proper staffing, equipment and nursing polices as well as breaking down any barri- ers the nurses may face. I am on various committees, advo- cating for nursing practice, and am responsible for nursing budgets and daily operations. I take care of our nurses so they in turn can care for our very acutely ill patients. My typical day begins with reviewing any recent harm events with our nursing supervisor, discussing whether we have appropriate staffing to keep our patients safe and making plans to address any shortages. I also track and trend staffing levels for budget planning purposes. If my morning allows, I enjoy being up on the units, rounding on staff. I like to be visible and available to our nursing team. PORTRAIT OF A CNO