Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1111624
Suzie Reinsvold RN, MSN Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital I am so inspired by the people who are going into nursing today. They are smart, articu- late and passionate. Recently, some of the grads of our Versant new graduate residency program devised and presented a per- formance improvement proj- ect aimed at improving care and outcomes for our diabet- ic patients. The nurses were so poised and professional in their presentation — if they were nervous, you would not have known it! Gloria Sanchez-Rico RN, BSN, MBA, NEA-BC Sr. Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Huntington Hospital When I think about the future of nursing, I love the fact that nurses are moving towards higher levels of edu- cation. My hope is that as an industry, we reach a level of education that ensures our nurses bring their full selves to work. As CNO, that is one of my goals. What makes me so happy about nursing is the true diversity in the field,10 in cul- tures, genders and a wide range of ages. I think that is something for other profes- sions to aspire to. Veena Vangari RN, BSN, MBA, M.A., PGDHM, CRRN, HACP Chief Nursing Officer California Rehabilitation Institute A Cedars/UCLA Health Partnership I started my career as a bedside nurse and slowly moved up to supervisor, manager, assistant director, director and then chief nursing officer. The qualities that put me on the leadership path were being detail-oriented and always asking, "What, when, why, where and how?" My classmates used to tease me about it, but asking "why" five times is a well-known strategy for root cause analysis. Coming from a small suburban town, I have had practical and cultural challenges as I've moved up professionally. Education and family have been my greatest support sys- tems. Other keys are having a can-do attitude, being able to listen and empathize and knowing that hard work done with the right attitude always pays off. ❖❖❖❖ ✲ All CNOs have the same responsibilities of policy oversight; process and quality improvement; regu- latory compliance; clinical education; survey readiness; employee, patient and physician engagement; and so on. The staffing office is the first department I meet with each morning, to ensure that each unit is staffed for the day. I then get quick verbal reports to catch up, pick up the daily schedule printed the previous day and add or delete meetings depending on current priorities. I can only do so much in a day, but I always make it a priority to keep each of us and our patients safe and engaged by lis- tening to their concerns. Regular rounding with staff and managers helps me understand what's working well and what can be improved. Walking on the units provides a lot of informa- tion: hearing staff conversations, glancing at the quality board and seeing patient-staff interactions. Staff can relate to me when they see me answer a call light and do the same things they are doing. I am always trying to smile and spread joy. WN PORTRAIT OF A CNO Q & A RAYS OF HOPE con't. 44 Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com Celebrating National Nurses Week April 29–June 10, 2019 Gloria Sanchez-Rico with Ashleigh Reid, RN, BSN, OCN (left), and Frances Johnson, RN, BSN