Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1111624
Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com 39 April 29–June 10, 2019 Celebrating National Nurses Week Sherry Nolfe RN, MSN Chief Nursing Officer Loma Linda University Children's Hospital In my very first nursing job, the CNO hired me to be a charge nurse on the transitional care unit because I had my BSN and she liked me. I am not 100 percent sure those should have been the criteria, but she put me exactly where I needed to be in my first job. Seven years later, I was working in a community emergency department when the charge nurse said, "Sherry, today, you are going to be training to be relief charge nurse. Don't worry, you are ready!" I was absolutely terrified, but she saw poten- tial in me that I didn't see. I am glad she did; this opportunity allowed me to grow in my leadership skills and build my confi- dence. Throughout my journey, I have had people around me whose faith, guidance and wisdom has aided my growth and devel- opment as a leader. Today, when I see this potential in a staff member, I make sure to let them know. I strive to be a posi- tive, supportive force for our upcoming leaders. ❖❖❖❖ ✲ When nurses ask me, "Sherry, what do you do every day?" it puts a smile on my face because every day is completely different from the last. Of course, I have all my usual meetings: budget, compliance, regulatory readiness, policy and procedure. The list is ever growing, but I find time in between to visit with the staff on the units. Being able to interact with my staff is the best part of my day and what keeps me going. Seeing the daily difference they make refocuses me on why I do what I do. My primary focus is helping to make their work easier, allowing them to provide the best quality care they can for our patients and their families. Suzie Reinsvold RN, MSN Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital I've learned from both great and not-so-great bosses throughout my career. One great boss was first my CNO, then my mentor and now my friend. She promoted me to my first management position (as director of education) and then helped me transition to nursing administration. Before I ever fathomed I could be a CNO, she told me I had all the skills I needed. She helped me develop those skills by giv- ing me the chance and allowing me to watch and learn from her. I have always appreciated action and getting things done, but as I've grown as a nurse leader, I've realized that I needed to relinquish some of the "doing" and instead empower others to get things done. This can be a bit of an adjustment for nurse leaders as they move to higher levels of management. ❖❖❖❖ ✲ The casual observer might think a CNO spends most of their time in meetings, but there's much more to it than that. What I do is provide the vision, priorities and guid- ance, pointing out opportunities to connect the dots and helping to guide us all to the best solution. A lot of my job is helping others anticipate the various direc- tions a particular project might go. This can help leaders plan, be better prepared and not get blindsided. Knowing what questions to ask is a skill and comes from experience (and making a few mistakes along the way!). I am also an ambassador for nursing, helping my non-nursing colleagues understand how nursing contributes and advocat- ing for the patient. Sometimes, leaders promote a course of action that is beneficial to their constituents, but not neces- sarily in the patient's best interests. When that happens, my role is to bring it back to the patient. PORTRAIT OF A CNO