Esther Conteh has enjoyed an extraordinary and varied healthcare and nursing career for over 25 years. She emigrated to New York City from Sierra Leone as a teenager and was inspired by her mother’s work as a midwife back home and decided to pursue a career in healthcare.
After working as a home health aide at VNS Health, she became an RN with the organization and moved quickly through the ranks, leading to her current leadership role, where she oversees a large and diverse team.
In everything she does, Esther works towards building a culture of inclusivity and family for her team. She is committed to providing top-notch care to the communities served by VNS Health Choice MAP and MLTC, many of whom come from vulnerable backgrounds.
I’m an Advanced Practice Nurse (APRN) and Associate Vice President at VNS Health, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit home and community-based healthcare organizations. I manage care for members of our Medicare Advantage and Medicaid Long Term Care health plans, which were developed specially for people with complex, chronic health conditions.
Please discuss your career path and how you ascended to that role.
I have been at VNS Health for 25 years—I started here as a home health aide working in Manhattan. I knew from the beginning that caring for people in their homes was what I wanted to do, so I got in on the ground floor, and it was a great beginning. As a home health aide, I absorbed the experience of what it was like for people to recover. I got a chance to see what people needed and their concerns. I learned how to reassure and help people as they regained strength or coped with changing health conditions. The empathy I found in those days still guides me today.
After working as an aide, I went on to train and become a nurse and graduated as an Advanced Practice Nurse (APRN) from NYU. I was eager to build my skills in home health nursing. As I expanded my education, I focused on home health–a specialty I’ve always been drawn to because you can interact with people, and education is a big component. There is always the potential to help people understand what they need to stay healthy.
Throughout it all, I am grateful for the support of my mentors and those I work alongside. For example, when I was just about to enter the field as a nurse, I was also in the middle of my first pregnancy. As you might imagine, balancing so many life changes at once can be challenging! Thankfully, I had a lot of flexibility in home care, but the job could still be intense when I first started. I’m immensely grateful for the support I received from the team I worked with and my managers. Those early relationships helped me get where I am now.
After several years working in the field and many changes in the healthcare system, I’ve moved into a new role that’s been exciting. The work I do today as an AVP of Care Management for our VNS Health Health Plans is very much informed by my field experience. When talking with a client on the phone, I can visualize their home and ask questions about their environment, lifestyle, companions, or caregivers at home. Every day is different, but each structure is similar in many ways. That’s one thing I love about this work. Working with our MLTC (Managed Long Term Care) and Medicare members requires skill, empathy, and patience. Our plans serve some of the most vulnerable communities in the city. Disabilities, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia, arthritis, and other chronic illnesses all come with fears and potential complications for our members. We try to simplify things and help them navigate complex systems, so they feel more in control of their health and well-being. Working in a management role, I still feel like I am a nurse first, but I’m also part of a care team that needs to be agile and deliver care quickly. My experience helps me support others on the team, too—especially younger clinicians.
Why did you become a nurse?
Growing up in Sierra Leone, my parents were healthcare workers and educators, helping all the locals. It sparked my desire to work in health care and to help others as my parents did. The care they provided others shaped my thinking, and I have never swayed from my passion for working in health and helping others. I moved to New York when I was sixteen, and as I finished school, I started moving into a career in health care, starting first as a home health aide. That experience still informs my work today and has given me a valuable perspective on best serving different patients.
What are the most important attributes of today’s nursing leaders, and why?
The first word that comes to mind for me is integrity. As a nurse, you’re often with people at their most vulnerable and truly depend on you, so integrity is critically important. Another core value that makes a good leader is empathy. Next, you have to understand where people are in their life journey. And lastly, you need to be agile and flexible and be able to pivot when needed. Especially working in people’s homes, our nurses are always mindful of where our patients come from. Every day has the potential to bring something entirely unexpected or new.
What does being a nursing leader mean to you, and how are you making a difference?
Experience is so important. Leading others, whether that is guiding someone who needs care or a team member that supports them, as is the case with our health plan care managers, that both the members and my colleagues know they can trust me. Leading requires clarity and honesty. I use those skills every day. There’s a lot of urgency in the work we do. Precision is essential, and you must make decisions quickly sometimes—it can be stressful. Everyone experiences that, both members and our experts on the phone. We lead by example and communicate one step at a time so we can hear what our members are saying—we try to “meet them where they are.”
Those we serve are often facing multiple comorbidities and life challenges. So you must ask yourself, what can I do right now to ease some of the issues this person has to deal with? It’s about considering all their needs, not just nursing care, but do they have access to food? Are they safe? If not, we must prioritize those crucial basics for our members.
What is the most significant challenge facing nursing today?
As the aging adult population grows, so will the need for skilled home care nurses and caregivers. It’s an exciting time to be in this specialty, but it also means more nurses with skills in home health care will be needed.
I don’t think the solution is simply hiring more people. Instead, we must think carefully about where nursing is going and how to improve. It is about what we learn from those we care for and how that can transform nursing. It is about working smarter, not harder. Because we can all agree burnout is a prevalent issue across the industry, and it’s important to support both veteran and novice nurses that put their all into the work.
As a nursing leader, how are you working to overcome this challenge?
Technology has become a valuable tool and resource for our team. Throughout the pandemic, it’s been amazing to see how telemedicine has transformed how we communicate and deliver care. The pandemic brought people together through technology and made it easier to trust and feel a face-to-face connection, even if that was on a phone or computer screen. For many of us in nursing, I think it opened our eyes to new possibilities.
For example, with remote patient monitoring, you can recognize a problem before you are even there in person, enabling us to respond faster. From afar, we can manage our patient’s heart rates, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and much more. With this data, we can spot emergencies and react immediately. At VNS Health, we created a sort of dashboard where we could track and monitor incidents with patients. This lets us monitor risk and work with different teams to determine which services or interventions are likely needed.
Technology encourages even the most seasoned nurses to think out of the box. Our world is changing, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing! Especially if it can help nurses excel, feel supported, and better serve their patients.
What nursing leader inspires you the most and why?
That’s a tricky question because there are so many who have been an inspiration to me! Someone who comes to my mind first is Susan Underwood, Director of Compliance Operations with VNS Health. I first met her in an entirely different capacity from the one I am now, as I had just graduated from another part of the organization, so it felt like I was starting somewhere new. However, she was incredibly supportive and recognized my potential, encouraging me to grow.
She approached me one day and said, “I think you are ready to take the next step. So let’s work together to find a role where you can grow your skillset and mature.” And she was right. Moving into a leadership/managerial role was daunting, but I’m glad I did it.
Looking back even further, I think the founder of our organization, America’s first public health nurse, Lillian Wald, was such a visionary figure. Her work 130 years ago still holds so much in common with what we do today. She looked around at the communities she worked in and saw significant issues that needed to be addressed. So, she took action. And that way of seeing the world, of instilling change, is very much a part of the culture here at VNS Health today.
In home health, as a nurse, you have the privilege and the challenge of being aware of so much. We watch family dynamics firsthand; we see the ins and outs of a patient’s life and understand the many unspoken things behind the scenes. Home health nurses must ask ourselves, “What help do I need to bring? Do they trust me in this relationship?” Home health nurses must consider all the factors that impact a patient when planning care.
What message would you like to share with the next generation of nurses?
It is so important to have a passion for this field, knowing that it can be tough sometimes. But nurses will find that sticking with this career is worth it if it is their passion. In nursing, as in every other career, there will always be challenges, and many of us face added hurdles because of race or ethnicity. However, one advantage I’ve seen is a better understanding of some health disparities because of my lived experience. That alone can play a powerful part in healing.
I would tell future nurses you have a significant role, especially when serving people who look like you and might share the same experience. Remind yourself that it’s important to implement a certain amount of selflessness, be there for them, and show up for them because you can make a real difference in their lives.
As you advance in your career, don’t let your fears hinder your growth. You are never truly alone in the journey; don’t be afraid to reach out to others for support. You will have so many people–to inspire you, encourage you, help you grow, and share their experiences with you. I have been so blessed to have people, all my leaders, all my bosses, and all the people I’ve encountered in this job, and I learn from them. So have a toolkit in place, be ready to be a sponge, and soak up new experiences. Education never ends when you’re a clinician; there’s always something new to learn.
As a Black woman, I want to tell other nurses that your contribution will speak for itself. Sometimes, you may feel like people don’t always tell you they appreciate you. But trust me; you will be rewarded. You may not see it immediately, and it may not be tangible, but there is a reward for all you do.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Nursing has always felt so natural to me. It could be because it brings me joy every day, and I chose a career that keeps me happy and smiling. As nurses, we may not have all the answers all the time, but if we do what we can at the moment to change somebody’s life and positively impact them, then we’ve done our job.
The real beauty of nursing is that there are so many ways to be a part of it, and you can find an outlet for your strengths. You could work in different environments or specialties like home health, hospice, or behavioral health. You can lead teams as a care manager or become an expert in analytics and data …you have so many options and choices. The sky’s the limit when you have a nursing career!
For 15 years, Latanya Weston was in operating rooms in her home state of Georgia, amputating the limbs of patients who suffered from kidney disease. The feeling of the scalpel pushing down on flesh and the sound of the bone cracking haunts her.
A Georgia native, Weston knew that the mortality rate of kidney disease is 30 to 40 percent higher in her state than the national average. But, while the numbers show that the percentage of black and white adults treated for kidney disease are roughly the same, Weston knows a different reality.
The series highlights healthcare leaders who are prominent figures in their organizations and are making transformational impacts in nursing.
Meet Latanya Weston, a nurse practitioner at Somatus, the nation’s leading and largest value-based kidney care company.
Talk about your career path and how you ascended to that role.
I was constantly stricken with various illnesses when I was growing up. As a high school student, I spent most of my senior year being operated on or hospitalized. Although I could maintain my overall academic achievements through these health issues, I was told I would need to repeat my first semester as I had been in the hospital too much. It was unfair to the other students. This news was incredibly disheartening. I had already mapped out a career plan and did not want to delay graduating. I made a tough decision and begged my parents to let me sit for the “General Education Development” exam. I excelled and went on to sit for the SATs. I became a college student while my friends were still in high school.
Once graduating from the surgical technology program, my career path began at Mitchell County Hospital, where I was a surgical technologist. Together our surgical team operated on many patients suffering from advanced kidney disease and renal failure. In many cases, these patients had developed peripheral arterial disease. They were on the table to have a limb amputated or were crashing into dialysis and needed to get a venous catheter implanted. Although I loved being a surgical technologist, my heart’s desire was always to become a nurse. So, in 2006, while working as a surgical technologist, I returned to school and became an operating room nurse. This allowed me to work at a bigger hospital in my hometown to gain more experience. However, the unsettling patient trends I had noticed in the county hospital were now amplified—more amputations and dialysis catheters, and again always in patients of color. So, in 2007, I again shifted my career and decided to leave my hometown for a hospital away from home.
After more than a decade along this career path and seeing patients in severe distress day after day, I grew to feel I needed to make a change. Then, one day while I was on call for the operating room, I fell down a flight of stairs and hurt my foot. The pain was constant, and I could no longer stand on my feet in the operating room as long as I had. I had to make a change, and a part of me felt like this was a sign that I should go back to school to educate and prevent the disease processes that were landing so many patients on the operating room table. For quite a while, I had been thinking about what impact I could make if I met patients earlier in their healthcare journey before surgery was the only option. I then decided that I would become a nurse practitioner.
What inspired you to become a nurse?
I knew I wanted to be a nurse from a very young age. My aunt was a nurse who would conduct home health visits at her patients’ houses, and from the time I was in second grade, I would beg to go with her. I enjoyed visiting patients and watching my aunt care for them. I always felt I had this same gift of caring as she did. Nursing takes a special heart and mind; everyone does not possess this attribute.
Furthermore, I grew up in a community with significant health challenges, yet people didn’t prioritize their health. Most people don’t have primary care physicians, schedule annual check-ups, or think about preventive care. Members of my community were often struggling with obesity, diabetes, and kidney disease, and there were several dialysis centers in my neighborhood. Kidney disease impacted my family as well. My sister passed away at 33 because she could not get a kidney transplant.
I’ve lived my whole life in Georgia, where the mortality rate from chronic kidney disease is over 40% more than the national average.
As a nurse practitioner, I finally feel I am where I was meant to be. Now I reach patients early on in their healthcare journey when their primary care physician first diagnoses them with kidney disease. Through education and support, I can change the direction of a person’s life and stop them from ending up on someone’s operating room table.
What are the most important attributes of today’s nursing leaders?
Given the changes in the healthcare industry, building trusting relationships between clinicians and consumers can often be taxing. Nursing leaders must be of great character and moral values. This includes the ability to show respect to another and communicate appropriately. One of the major complaints in the patient population is that providers do not listen. As nursing leaders, we can’t overstate the importance of being a good listener and communicating relevant information to providers. This will strengthen the patient-provider relationship and encourage more communication, improving overall patient outcomes. Nurse leaders must maintain integrity, respect, grace, and professionalism and always take the time to listen and communicate, making their relationships the building blocks to success.
What does it mean to you to be a nursing leader, and how are you making a difference?
The leader I am today is the ultimate assignment. I wanted to uncover the world of medicine and was given the great opportunity to travel as a Locum Tenens Nurse Practitioner from 2016 to 2018. That experience blessed my entire being and made me realize that my mission is not only to save lives but to change them. I worked in the Pacific Northwest to combat mental illness and addiction and changed many lives. In every home or exam room I enter, the person on the other side of the door becomes my family. No matter the situation, I take their hands, and together we weather the storm one diagnosis at a time. I ensure they do not feel alone in the battle, which makes a difference in patient outcomes.
What is the most significant challenge facing nursing today?
The healthcare industry has come a long way in recognizing the impact of social determinants of health on patient health, but this is still the most significant challenge facing us today. As nurses, we see first-hand, time and again, that providing “equal” care to patients is not enough. Care plans must consider the whole person, where they live, their resources, and everything else that affects them when they leave their doctor’s office.
This is particularly true about kidney disease, which disproportionately affects Black people. Black people make up around 13% of the U.S. population but account for around a third of those with kidney failure.
In many cases, patients don’t realize they have kidney disease until the day their doctor gives them the diagnosis. Without understanding the disease process and how each element of the care plan works together to slow and control their chronic kidney disease progression, it’s very difficult for a patient to commit to making significant lifestyle changes.
We also know that socioeconomic issues are tied to kidney disease. Even if a patient has health insurance, they may still have financial concerns, making it difficult to afford medications and treatments. They may be worried about paying their rent or utility bills, which makes it difficult to focus on their physical health. In addition, they may not have a wheelchair or a ramp to get in and out of their house or transportation to their next doctor’s visit.
Shopping for kidney-friendly foods may also be a challenge, both in terms of affordability and availability. Patients may also need help adopting new meal preparation methods with no one to guide them, and they find it much easier to fall back on frozen meals.
There are countless other barriers to care that we see in our patients every day, and as nurses, we are often the best equipped to inform the rest of the care team about what our patients need.
As a nursing leader, how are you working to overcome this challenge?
I’m now a nurse practitioner at Somatus, the country’s first value-based kidney care company. Our goal is to give whole-person, 360-degree support to kidney disease patients, providing preventive care and breaking down the barriers and challenges patients face every day. For example, when a patient is first diagnosed with kidney disease, we go to the patient’s home to do a complete evaluation, look through their cupboards, figure out where they can source nutritious food, demonstrate how to prepare meals, and even help them with administrative tasks and paperwork.
Together with my fellow Somatus care team colleagues, we work with a nephrologist and other health care providers to give patients the whole-person support they need to follow their care plan and make lifestyle changes.
Every day I see the impact of individualized, patient-centered care. Sometimes there are significant actions like teaching a patient to monitor their blood pressure every day, but other times it’s something small, like praying with one of my patients, that makes a huge difference. This is what I love.
What nursing leader inspires you the most and why?
Mary Eliza Mahoney is the first African American licensed nurse in the U.S., and when I think of her perseverance and tenacity, I also see myself. She worked tirelessly as a private home nurse, doing what she loved while advocating to be treated as a professional and equal. Her example shows that we can not only prolong and save lives but can also change them.
What inspirational message would you like to share with the next generation of nurses?
When you become a nurse, whenever you walk through the door, someone on the other side waits for you to enter the room and be their guiding light. So I like to take a moment to ask myself, “I wonder who my next blessing is in that room?” every time I meet a new patient. This road is not for the weak, but the journey is incredibly rewarding as you touch and change lives day after day. I always tell people, “Nursing is not a money thing… it is a heart thing.”
Dr. Jamil Norman is the Tempo Academic Program Coordinator for the RN to BSN Program at Walden University and a certified nurse educator with over twenty years of experience as a registered nurse and over fifteen years in higher education.
Throughout her career, Dr. Norman has served as an agent of social change in the roles of educator, researcher, and mentor. She is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Network. As a nurse researcher, Dr. Norman works to advance the body of evidence on pregnancy-related health disparities among African American women.
In February, we’ve been highlighting healthcare leaders who are prominent figures in their organizations and are making transformational impacts in nursing.
Meet Dr. Jamil Norman, the Tempo Academic Program Coordinator for the RN to BSN Program at Walden University
Talk about your career path and how you ascended to that role.
So when I started, I worked as a labor and delivery nurse at the bedside. And so I worked as a labor delivery nurse for three years before I decided to get my master’s degree in nursing education. After I got my master’s degree, I started working at Grambling State University, and I taught women’s health because that was the only area I ever wanted to work or teach. I love women’s health and everything with laboring women and babies until it’s time to hand them off to somebody else. So then I taught clinical and women’s health for several years before I decided to get my PhD in nursing. And that’s kind of when I transitioned into more leadership. I was the BSN program director at an HBCU where I taught before transitioning to online teaching at Walden. Between that was having babies and I needed to be more available for my family, yet still having a career, so I transitioned into full-time on my teaching, which I call a work-life juggle, not a work-life balance. I could still advance my career and pick up my babies from school. And so it’s been wonderful. I get to do a little bit of research and also teach and have leadership in management for being the coordinator of our program.
You mentioned that you always wanted to work in women’s women’s health. Is that what inspired you to become a nurse?
I wanted to be a pediatrician until it was time to take all my biology courses. In my first semester of school, I took a micro and cellular biology class and scored a 32% on a test. I thought I was going to faint! I thought, oh, this must be a 32 out of 50. But it was an F. It was the worst grade I’d ever gotten in my education, and I quickly dropped that course and talked to family and friends to figure out if this was really what I wanted to do.
My sister is also a nurse, and when I talked to her, what I thought doctors were doing was actually what nurses were doing. So that’s when I pursued nursing, but I always knew I wanted to be in medicine. And in fact, I went from I’ll be a pediatrician to I’ll be a pediatric nurse. However, when I went through that rotation, I thought, no, this isn’t for me. And I got pulled down to the labor and delivery unit when I was a patient care tech, going through nursing school, and fell in love. I couldn’t believe that I loved it. And that was it. I was sold. It was the trifecta. And being with mom during the happy time. I love that. Women, you come into the hospital for a happy moment, right? When you’re in the hospital, you’re not feeling well, you know, something’s wrong. This is the hospital’s main area where you come in happy. And, yes, there are sad times, but most of the time, you leave happy. That was it. I was sold after that. I never wanted to do anything else at the bedside.After going through nursing school, I was like, nurses can do so much. Nurses do just so much that I love that about the profession. You can do anything in nursing.
What are the most important attributes of today’s nursing leaders?
Number one, for me, is always going to be passion. Because if you are not passionate about what you do, especially, you know, passionate about the profession of nursing, the hard days, they’re going to make you give up, and you’re not going to want to do it. I’ve seen it, some people go into nursing for money, but they don’t last. So you have to love what you do. And then it’s just accountability. And you’ve got to be a leader. You must be able to show up for those depending on you. And then the other thing right now, which is heavier in my mind, is you have to be ethical. And just everything that’s going on with the fake nursing degrees through Florida. I was heartbroken. When I saw that news, this wasn’t very good. And we’ve got to be able to protect the public. So you must have high ethics and moral standards to be a good nurse leader.
What is the most significant challenge facing nursing today?
It is burnout. Burnout has always been there. But after the pandemic, it’s challenging to be a nurse. Now, you’re short-handed. Sometimes you’re not very trusting of how people care for you whenever you’re in the workplace. And so burnout has got to be the biggest challenge. We have a lot of nurses who are educated to be nurses who are not working. And it’s because, you know, I’m not sure that we’ve always created the best environment for nurses to be able to, to live and to work and do what they, you know, love to do. So definitely, for me, the number one challenge is burnout, and at the bedside, as educators, the shortage is still there. For educators, when you have large classes, it’s exhausting.
What does it mean to you to be a nursing leader, and how are you making a difference?
The biggest thing for me is to embrace some of the changes occurring in the profession. Some nurses will tell you, don’t be a nurse. And I would never be that person because I think nursing is a wonderful profession. So I’m always trying to bring others into the profession and teach them to care for themselves. There are things that you can do to make sure that you don’t get burned out. I always tell my students if they don’t like what they’re doing, then change it. Don’t be afraid to change. Don’t just stay on at that job because you’re comfortable. If you’re tired, sometimes just learning something new and being in a different environment will bring back that passion you had when you first started and help with burnout and self-care. No one gets any awards for not using their days off. I tell everybody to use all their days and vacations, take time off with the family, and put the work aside so when they come back, they’re a better person for the people they work with and those care for.
What nursing leader inspires you the most?
I have had the pleasure of having a magnificent mentor throughout my nursing career. Her name is Dr. Afua Arhin, and I met her when I had just started as a nurse educator. She has been so impactful on me because she was the first African American nurse with a PhD that I’d ever met. She came in and taught me so much about effective leadership. She told me to get my PhD, and at that time, I was like, Are you crazy? PhD? If she told me to jump off the bridge, I’d be like, yes, we’re jumping off the bridge, and it will be fabulous. She’s just that encouraging, but she has been with me throughout my career. She helped me to go out and present at my first conference. I’d never been a presenter at a conference before. I always thought that was what somebody else did. It wasn’t what I did. And she said I have information and research to share. She just held my hand through being the educator in the classroom and developing me as a professional nurse, researcher, scholar, and presenter. And she still does that. Currently, she’s working on a Fulbright and researching in Ghana.
She has just been when there is anything I want to do professionally, and I always bounce ideas off of her. And it’s just been wonderful to have someone like that in my corner throughout these years. And the ways she’s helped me to be, she is for me to others. If she’s helping me, I’m helping to mentor students and lead them throughout their careers. So I learned how to be a mentor from having an amazing mentor.
What inspirational message would you like to share with the next generation of nurses?
My thing is always to be the change. I always tell everyone, there are many things that people will complain about, they don’t like, but they’re not doing anything about it. If you want something to change, you have to be the change. You got to get out there and make a difference, whether at the bedside, as an educator, as a researcher, or in whatever avenue you want to make an impact. So get out there and do it. Even if it seems too small, or it might even be too big, start chipping away at it, and get out there and be the change, even if it’s just for one person. I’ve helped students in courses where we’ll talk about social change. That’s our mission at Walden University. And sometimes they think they’re not doing anything. If you’re out there caring for patients, you don’t even realize it, but you are doing something. There may be something that you want to do on a bigger scale in your community. But whatever it is, figure it out, and go out there and do it. But be the change.
With almost 23 years in the field of nursing, McNulty has been able to help other nurses, both novice and experienced, to evolve into their roles on the busy medical-surgical/telemetry unit, now transitioning to step-down.
She serves as a nurse preceptor and charge nurse and was awarded “Preceptor of the Year” by her facility in 2021.
In February, we’ll highlight healthcare leaders who are prominent figures in their organizations and are making transformational impacts in nursing.
Meet Karen McNulty, a registered nurse at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center
Talk about your career path and how you ascended to that role.
I started my nursing career at Johns Hopkins Hospital and did agency work a few years later. I was able to experience a lot of different things while working on a variety of nursing units throughout the years, and I loved it. Then I found BWMC, and that changed a lot for me. I saw a close-knit community hospital with many friendly people I knew and didn’t know and the opportunity for a lot of growth. Before I knew it, my nurse manager asked me to precept recent grads and nurses new to the hospital. As for charge nurse, I initially kept turning down that role when asked because I was afraid and didn’t want to leave my comfort zone. Then one day, the charge nurse for that day called out sick, and I was the only one able to run charge. After some orientation and being assigned to more charge shifts, my fear subsided, and I began to love this role as much as I love precepting.
What inspired you to become a nurse?
Ever since I was little, I was always fascinated with the medical field. I would sit for hours reading and looking through pictures in my parents’ medical dictionaries. Then my Mom got sick and died from breast cancer when I was 15 years old, and I believe my passion for wanting to help people grew even stronger from that point on.
What are the most important attributes of today’s nursing leaders?
The most important attributes areeffective communication, critical thinking, innovation, and respect. Listening to staff, understanding what’s going on, and deciding how to handle certain situations are very important for a nurse leader. You also need to be innovative. Many changes take place in healthcare, and nursing leaders must help their staff adapt effectively. This also promotes growth and empowers nurses with new ideas and skills. As for respect, everybody deserves to be treated equally, no matter what title you hold. Creating a climate of respect and appreciation is highly regarded in nursing and creates a much better and happier work environment.
What does it mean to you to be a nursing leader, and how are you making a difference?
Being a nursing leader means setting a good example for others to follow and helping others become great leaders. I’m making a difference by simply teaching what I already know, learning new things from others and acknowledging this, being accountable, and staying patient. When I get positive feedback from a team member about how I’ve helped them, it says a lot and means a lot to me.
What is the most significant challenge facing nursing today?
There are quite a few challenges, but a huge one is nurse retention. This has been an ongoing issue across the board, and we have experienced much of this in the unit I work on.
As a nursing leader, how are you working to overcome this challenge?
As a nurse leader, I’m trying to overcome this challenge by showing nurses coming in and nurses already here that our hospital and medical system are exceptional and that we have to work as a team when changes are needed. Sure, there are multiple factors to consider when trying to keep nurses, and many do not have the solutions. Therefore, I share my personal experiences that I’ve had with this facility as well as the opportunities that are offered.
What nursing leader inspires you the most?
I’ve had multiple nurse leaders influence or inspire me in some way. However, the one that stands out the most to me is my nurse manager, Devika Kandhai. She’s been my manager for the majority of the time that I’ve been at BWMC, and she is an exemplar of a nurse leader. Her knowledge, leadership skills, dedication, and advocacy for our staff and patients are very high. She’s always had faith in me when I didn’t have confidence in myself to do certain things, such as taking on the charge nurse role. She’s encouraged me to go into leadership roles and take on responsibilities that promote my growth as a nurse leader, and I am incredibly grateful for that.
What inspirational message would you like to share with the next generation of nurses?
There will be many challenges you’ll face throughout your nursing career, both positive and negative. Set goals, lead by example, and be patient with yourself. Each nurse is unique and accomplishes different goals at different times throughout their career. Believe in yourself, and if you want to achieve something, never allow yourself or anyone else to tell you that you can’t.
Patricia Cummings, RN, is a clinical nurse manager at Howard University Hospital. She holds the distinction of inoculating Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband with their first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Cummings has been a nurse for more than 15 years and is passionate about health promotion and education. She was born in Guyana and moved to the U.S. about 20 years ago.
In February, we’ll highlight healthcare leaders who are prominent figures in their organizations and are making transformational impacts in nursing.
Meet Patricia Cummings, a clinical nurse manager at Howard University Hospital
Talk about your career path and how you ascended to that role.
I have never envisioned myself being a nurse leader. I wanted to be a nurse when I was 16 years old. I was privileged to live with a family member who was a registered nurse. She would come home and tell about their stories and her experiences. And I was very intrigued and always wanted to help people in whatever capacity, so she influenced me into the world of nursing. When I graduated from nursing school, I went through the typical bedside med surg nursing, and I did that for about eight years. And after I decided I wanted to try different areas. That’s one of the great things about nursing. It is very versatile and allows you to venture off into other areas. So I did some home care consulting for the first few years and case management for a few years. And then, the opportunity presented itself for me to acquire a nursing leadership position. And I was recommended by someone I knew who saw something in me and thought I would probably do well in nursing leadership. And so I started, and over the past five to six years, I’ve grown to love nursing leadership, which is my passion. And I can’t envision myself doing anything else.
What are the most important attributes of today’s nursing leaders?
Today’s nurse leader has to evolve in several ways, especially in light of the COVID pandemic. We’ve had to become creative and tweak some of how we lead. So the nurse leader of today has to be a great communicator. There are persons, whether it’s the staff we’re privileged to lead or the patients we care for, with issues and heightened anxiety just because of everything that’s happening. And so, a nurse leader must listen intently and respond appropriately, be empathetic, and be compassionate. Servant leadership, which I strive for, is one of the best leadership styles needed today. A servant leader who serves offers in whatever capacity to assist and make sure that the job gets done and is very humble has to have a high degree of humility. And that helps to earn your team’s trust and gain buy-in for them to do and see the vision and get it done. And a nurse leader also up to date needs to be innovative, conducting research and keeping up-to-date with current technologies, etc., things that will help make work more efficient. Those are the main attributes a nurse leader needs to have in today’s nursing world.
What does it mean to you to be a nursing leader, and how are you making a difference?
Nursing leadership means I get to influence others. I’ve been a nurse leader for about six years now. And when I was thinking about going back to school for my graduate degree, I did my research. And when I came upon Walden University and looked at their curriculum for the nurse executive leadership program, I was very impressed. And as I mentioned, my aunt is also an alumnus. So she influenced me as far as my choice, but just going back to school and having my degree and everything I received through my education has equipped me and allowed me to influence the people I am privileged to lead.
One of my favorite authors, John C. Maxwell, is a leadership guru. Not just nursing leadership, he has a quote, “He who thinks he’s a leader and has no followers is simply taking a walk.” I love that quote because it says if you’re unable to influence others and have them follow your vision and see what you’re trying to establish or accomplish, you’re not fulfilling that purpose. As a nurse leader, I get to influence others. I get to have new nurses fresh out of nursing school come to me. I get to be a role model. I get to influence and contribute to their nursing career. And beyond the nurses, the patients who we get to touch. One of the things I love about my job as a nurse manager is that as much as I am in a leadership position, I still get to interact with my patients. So I am around daily with every patient on my unit to assess their satisfaction, etc. And so I love all of it. So influence is my biggest reward as a nurse leader.
What is the most significant challenge facing nursing today?
One of the most difficult challenges facing nursing today, nationally and globally, is the nursing shortage. There has always existed a nursing shortage to a degree. However, the COVID pandemic added to a more significant shortage. A lot of middle-aged and older nurses retired. But the bottom line is that there is a shortage of nurses, which has impacted organizations. Several hospitals around the country have closed down or have decreased their capacity because they cannot afford or not afford to do you’re not able to recruit nurses. And that impacts patient care. So the short has a ripple effect.
As a nursing leader, how are you working to overcome this challenge?
One of the things I tried to do is to keep up-to-date with other nurse leaders and get a sense of what we, as nurse leaders, are doing as a group. One of the things I learned while at Walden University is that, as a nurse leader, you have to keep up with research and what is trending because, very likely, whatever challenges you’re facing individually, it tends to be regionally, nationally, globally, so get intel on what other organizations are doing.
So one of the things that are critical right now is effective recruitment. And that entails screening candidates and becoming creative in where we look for candidates. So I work very closely with my recruitment team. I check in with them every other day to ensure we’re utilizing every possible medium to recruit candidates. At Howard University Hospital, we have very robust nurse residency programs to recruit new grads and provide them with a very efficient experience where they can work alongside experienced nurses and the confidence and skills they need to function. At the end of the residency program, we’ve had a great success rate where most of these candidates are desirous of remaining and staying within the organization. I have encouraged many of my ancillary staff, like CNAs and patient care technicians, to return to school because they know that their team will be willing to help them succeed in their nursing journey. And just word of mouth, I have volunteered to go to various nursing schools, for example, Trinity Nursing and the University of the District of Columbia are some of the colleges were are affiliated with, and speak with nursing students about their career paths and the advocating for them to come to our institution. And as simple as it may seem, I am very involved with the community where I reside and advocating for or spreading the word about nursing. For example, I have two children. One is in high school. One is in middle school, and every career day I attend. I talk with students about nursing, why it is important that they pursue nursing, why we need nurses, and the importance of nurses, etc. And so those are some ways I got the word out about nursing and the fact that we need nurses and with recruitment.
How were you chosen to inoculate Vice President Harris with the COVID vaccine?
The universe allowed it to happen because of me. I couldn’t say that I had too much to do with it. I positioned myself because when the vaccines became available at the hospital where I worked, they allotted vaccines and opened up a clinic. The volume of people that came into our clinic differed from what we anticipated. They needed more nurses to administer the vaccine. As a nurse manager, I offered to assist for a few hours. And incidentally, on the first day that I volunteered, I had the opportunity to vaccinate our CEO, CMO, and the entire C-suite. Once they received word that Vice President Harris was interested in coming to that particular organization, they had confidence in my ability. Everything aligned itself, and I’m so grateful I was chosen.
What nursing leader inspires you the most?
My auntie. But presently, the person I have just been able to connect with and who I communicate with is Sandra Lindsay. She is the RN who is the person who received the very first COVID vaccine in the entire country. I had the pleasure and honor of meeting her a few short months ago, so I’ve connected with her. And I admire who she is as a leader. She’s a nurse and has her doctoral degree, but she exemplified servant leadership. So it’s best in its best form when she volunteered to be not a guinea pig but to be that person to be inoculated first in front of the entire country. And so beyond that, she is a nurse leader. She’s a director, and I just dialogued with her about some of her strategies, and I’m so impressed. She is a great mentor and model for me.
What inspirational message would you like to share with the next generation of nurses?
To nurses, you are needed. As a nurse and person, the world of nursing needs you. You can relate to a particular group of patients. Sometimes, I’ve had experiences where a patient’s preference for a nurse of the same race can relate to that. And so I would say to Black nurses, specifically, you are valuable where you’re needed. You make a difference. The pandemic showed that those patients who were in need, who were on good to where, you know, transitioning, just wanted a person to be there to hold their hand as they took their last breath when family members were unable to be present at the time. And nurses were the only ones at the bedside. Those patients did not have a preference for color or any other defining characteristic. They just wanted a nurse or a person to be there with them. And so I, again, you are needed. You’re valuable. We don’t have enough nurses in hospitals, and so I aspire to do and to be and to be committed to the profession of nursing. It is a noble rewarding profession. And it’s fulfilling. I encourage those who are nursing students to remain committed to nursing school is not easy. But the rewards, in the end, will be fulfilling. And that would be my message that they stay committed to the profession because you are necessary. I advise all nurses to ensure they are aware of themselves and engage in self-care. Because for us to administer care to others, we must be mindful of our needs. The pandemic taught us that we must regularly check our mental health.
She grew up in a small town in Nigeria, where career options were limited for women, and her desire to become a nurse was considered too ambitious. Nevertheless, awe defied naysayers and has been a nurse for 36 years.
In February, we’ll highlight healthcare leaders who are prominent figures in their organizations and are making transformational impacts in nursing.
Meet Susanah Awe, RN, SCN1, at the University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Institute (UMROI)
Talk about your career path and how you ascended to that role.
I started my career as a registered nurse in Nigeria in 1987 and earned my midwifery certificate in 1989. Then I moved to the U.S. and began working as an RNII at UMROI in 2005. After some years, I decided to pursue my bachelor of nursing degree in 2013 to increase my knowledge of the field and position myself for growth opportunities in nursing care. In 2022, I was promoted to Senior Clinical Nurse 1 (SCN1) after fulfilling all the requirements to progress in patient care.
What inspired you to become a nurse?
Growing up, I had always wanted to be a nurse. I love caring for people and saw nursing as a platform to do that. I also wanted to carry the torch for my Mother, who desired to be a nurse when it was against the norm in her hometown. At the time, college admission was based on who you knew and how much money you had. She could not achieve her dream with little money and no access to influential contacts. She went on to become a teacher. Her boldness inspires me to pursue a dream no one else around her had dared to follow. Being a nurse brings me fulfillment and honors my late Mother’s memory.
What are the most important attributes of today’s nursing leaders?
The most important attributes of nursing leaders are:
Treating each person with kindness and respect
Excellent communication skills
A great leader must be a good listener and acknowledge issues openly, honestly, and objectively
Lead by example, not just by words, and be willing to do things most people find challenging
Think about the people you work with and have their interests at heart
Providing excellent service and being proactive about opportunities to grow one’s expertise.
What does it mean to you to be a nursing leader, and how are you making a difference?
Being a nurse leader means inspiring, influencing, and motivating nursing staff and other healthcare workers to work together to achieve their highest potential and collective organizational goal. I am making a difference by dealing with other co-workers with respect and kindness and being a good listener with good communication skills. In addition, I have helped solve challenges as they arise.
What is the most significant challenge facing nursing today?
Being short-staffed for brief periods has been a challenge, and even more now after the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Being short-staffed can lead to stress and burnout. Unfortunately, we lost many healthcare workers to the disease and the stressors it has brought.
As a nursing leader, how are you working to overcome this challenge?
I contribute to the effort to attract new nurses. When new nurses shadow me, I ensure they feel welcomed and provide support to help them succeed. I work with management to conduct interviews, and I gladly share lessons from my 18 years of experience working with the organization. I also inform them of the organization’s incentives, so new nurses are encouraged to stay and make the best use of the benefits available.
What nursing leader inspires you the most?
All the incredible UMROI nursing leaders inspire me because they are dedicated, passionate, and hardworking. They provide quality patient care and foster a great work environment for nursing staff.
What inspirational message would you like to share with the next generation of nurses
I grew up in a small town in Nigeria where women’s career options were limited. If you were not a stay-at-home mom, you were selling farm produce or becoming a teacher. Everyone but my parents thought my desire to become a nurse was too ambitious. But here I am today, thriving in nursing. To black nurses:
Pursue your dreams relentlessly.
When you face obstacles, remind yourself of your ‘why.’
Always do what is right, especially when no one is watching or applauding. Your integrity will speak for you.
Further your education, and dedicate time to improving your craft. This will ensure you are positioned to take on new opportunities. Lastly, remember to help other nurses while forging ahead on your professional journey.
