Delivering Growth, Collaboration and Innovation Tactics for Nursing

1. Could you share some of the significant experiences and achievements throughout your career that equip you to function at Corewell Health effectively?

I am always grateful to share that I am a second-career nurse, having started my journey as a paramedic with the Detroit Fire Department EMS. This experience is a hallmark of my life and has profoundly shaped me into the nursing leader I am today. The beauty of providing prehospital care is that no patient situation is ever the same, requiring me to adapt quickly to change. I also learned the power of the pause during critical decision-making, understanding that decisions made without meaningful thought can lead to negative outcomes.

Eventually, I decided to return to school for nursing along with a few of my paramedic colleagues. My nursing career began in the emergency department as a staff nurse at a large academic medical center. I grew in leadership roles, from supervisor to administrative director. After some initial hesitancy where I questioned whether I wanted to become a nurse, I eventually took the leap and have been passionate about nursing leadership ever since.

Throughout my career, I encountered many lessons that have contributed to my growth. The constant changes in healthcare led me down paths I could never have predicted. I then navigated four mergers; two early in my leadership career and two at my current location. I joined Beaumont during the first merger and recently participated in another in 2022, becoming Corewell Health. I have been fortunate to lead new construction projects, chair committees, and serve as a system lead on projects, nursing recruitment and retention initiatives, transition units, joint ventures, integration of new technology, and so much more.

2. What are the emerging challenges that you see impacting nursing practices and how do you plan to navigate these complexities?

This is one of my favorite questions as a leader of innovative thought. I respond to these questions with my passion for the profession. There are a few that consistently stand out.

● Firstly, I believe that in nursing leadership, we may not fully grasp the impact of nurse influencers on social media. These platforms have become trusted sources for our nursing teams because they feature individuals just like them, sharing their journeys, both good and bad. There is power in influence, especially from nurses who continue to be among the most trusted professionals. Nurse influencers are relatable, and relatability can sometimes be missing in leadership.

● Historically, nursing has been rich in tradition, often doing things the same way. This has led us to be slow adopters of change, which I understand; however, the issue becomes greater when we see ourselves as the barrier. For example, the premise that new graduate nurses need to start in med-surg before moving to a specialty such as the emergency room or critical care is outdated. New graduate nurses can now work in any specialty that will have them. I consistently hear this from our student nurses who inquire about their career paths. Specialty areas have long been employing new graduate nurses.

● Furthermore, nursing must embrace the multiple generations within the profession. Regardless of your generation, we all decided to become nurses, and this includes people from all walks of life—patients and colleagues alike. Offering grace, kindness, and compassion to your peers can go much further than judgment, opposition, and negativity.

3. How do you approach the planning and evaluation of nursing practices within the emergency department to ensure high-quality patient care?

My approach has always been collaborative and aligned with my career as a paramedic, where in times of crisis, it is only you and your partner relying on each other to ensure consistent delivery of high-quality patient care.

I am continually proud of our emergency department leaders and team members, who uphold the standard of stakeholder feedback. Most of our patient care initiatives originate from our engaged staff. Another bonus is the partnership with emergency departments across the enterprise. We recently adopted a service line model under our regional shared services division, enabling strong standardization of practices and operations.

4. What are some effective ways you have found to facilitate collaboration between nursing and medical leadership to develop shared practice models?

I love this question as I often feel the answer lies within it. The facilitation of collaboration must occur with effective communication inclusive of all forms. When a pressing issue arises, emails alone may not suffice. We identify quickly the ‘who, what, when, where, and why’.

In my career, I have been fortunate to work with amazing physician colleagues. Anytime changes in practice occur, we collectively ask how nursing or provider workflows will be affected. Currently, we are navigating a new platform for our electronic medical record, which involves discussions focused on a specific discipline. During these times, our physicians or nursing leaders report back and ask, “How will this affect our partners?”

We apply this same methodology when developing new practice models, and start discussions with, “What do you think about this?” We are driven by evidence-based practices, with our physician and nursing leaders staying updated on the best practices in the industry. For instance, we recently examined triage optimization in our emergency department with the providers in triage. This practice was already in place at a few of our sites to help decrease our left without-being-seen patients. So, we aimed to expand the coverage hours for both physicians and nurses and enhance the workflow. Before moving forward, we had robust discussions about our vision to ensure the plan's success. What makes this approach special is our consistency in keeping the patient and team members at the core.

5. What advice would you give to a nurse who aspires to move into a leadership role within a healthcare organization?

Do it, even if you're afraid or unsure why you want to pursue leadership. Just go for it! Don't be a barrier to yourself or let doubt hold you back. Leadership is a calling with a huge gift to be of service to others.