- Email: [email protected]
Linda Burnes Bolton, PhD, RN, FAAN
All photos © 2003 Thomas Neerken
Katherine Vestal, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACHE
Interviewing Linda Burnes Bolton means having a fullspeed-ahead conversation at 6 AM at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where she is the vice president and chief nursing officer. “Getting to work early is easy when you love what you do,” she says. Her job at Cedars Sinai is only a part of her total professional commitment; she serves in numerous community, state, and national groups. Her passionate enthusiasm for nursing clearly fuels her drive to make a difference in people’s health. She credits many people and mentors for helping her build a foundation of human caring that guides her life. “My mom taught me at an early age the value of human caring. As the eldest of 9 children growing up in Tucson, she learned the patience to work with people in a variety 24 Nurse Leader
of situations.” She also credits her Latino godmother with teaching her to believe that “God put her here to do some work and would not let anyone harm her, so accept individuals where they are.” These values instilled early in life have served her well in her role as chief nursing officer. “This role is tough at times but especially today with the pressure to find value in leadership and to inspire nurses providing direct patient care to stay engaged.” Linda’s path to top leadership included being a Girl Scout leader, a clinician, a clinical nurse specialist, a teacher, a researcher, and an administrator. Her progression of diverse roles, coupled with a rich education and experiences shaped by ethnicity and cultures, taught her July/August 2003
to meet people where they are, respect them, and figure out how to connect with their unique needs. Talking with Linda is a high-energy experience. Her knowledge and unbridled passion for nursing, people, life, and work lead her to channel her energy into leadership roles that ultimately benefit the community. She says, “This passion keeps us from sinking into despair and enables us to always move forward.” She is careful to explain that the lessons she has learned about organizational transitions require her to have the passion or “zing” about the work of leadership or seek another role. “In order to stay inspired yourself, you must inspire others. This inspiration is derived by the work and the commitment to share power and knowledge with others. This sharing of power and knowledge requires that you are comfortable with yourself so that you do not feel threatened.”
Innovation, community partnerships, and a diverse workforce are priorities within the institute and are coupled with both staff and leadership development. The legacy Linda is building includes developing the Institute for Professional Nursing Development. This endowed institute has multiple initiatives, many of which focus on supporting a highly qualified workforce. She also is promoting an appreciation for both the art and the science of nursing by making research available in usable forms. Innovation, community partnerships, and a diverse workforce are priorities within the institute and are coupled with both staff and leadership development. Linda’s lifelong commitment to reach a larger public has propelled her into local, state, and national political and policy agendas on blue ribbon groups that she believes will lead the way to a better world. Her determination to shape public policy and improve the health of the community is exemplified in her many contributions. Her message to nurse leaders is simply to “embrace the values of diversity, shared power, and knowledge shaped by larger interdisciplinary groups and continue to find a way to always do more. Nursing is such a wonderful profession if we only see that it enables you to shape a world that can be better than it is now.” Linda Burnes Bolton is, in fact, an inspirational leader for nursing. Through the rich diversity of her career she represents the best of our leadership. Her efforts undoubtedly will have a lasting effect on the profession and, yes, on the world in which we live.
Name: Linda Burnes Bolton Hometown: Tucson, Arizona Current job: Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Education: DrPH, RN, FAAN First job in nursing: Staff nurse Being in a leadership position gives me the opportunity to: Be of service Most people don’t know that I: Love to fish and read mysteries My best advice to aspiring leaders: Listen and learn
Katherine Vestal, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACHE, is president of Work Innovations Inc. in Lake Leelanau, Michigan. She can be reached at [email protected].
One thing I want to learn: How to produce small theater
1067-991X/2003/$30.00 + 0 doi:10.1067/nrsl.2003.62
One word to summarize me: Passionate
July/August 2003
Nurse Leader 25
Katherine Vestal, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACHE
Interviewing Linda Burnes Bolton means having a fullspeed-ahead conversation at 6 AM at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where she is the vice president and chief nursing officer. “Getting to work early is easy when you love what you do,” she says. Her job at Cedars Sinai is only a part of her total professional commitment; she serves in numerous community, state, and national groups. Her passionate enthusiasm for nursing clearly fuels her drive to make a difference in people’s health. She credits many people and mentors for helping her build a foundation of human caring that guides her life. “My mom taught me at an early age the value of human caring. As the eldest of 9 children growing up in Tucson, she learned the patience to work with people in a variety 24 Nurse Leader
of situations.” She also credits her Latino godmother with teaching her to believe that “God put her here to do some work and would not let anyone harm her, so accept individuals where they are.” These values instilled early in life have served her well in her role as chief nursing officer. “This role is tough at times but especially today with the pressure to find value in leadership and to inspire nurses providing direct patient care to stay engaged.” Linda’s path to top leadership included being a Girl Scout leader, a clinician, a clinical nurse specialist, a teacher, a researcher, and an administrator. Her progression of diverse roles, coupled with a rich education and experiences shaped by ethnicity and cultures, taught her July/August 2003
to meet people where they are, respect them, and figure out how to connect with their unique needs. Talking with Linda is a high-energy experience. Her knowledge and unbridled passion for nursing, people, life, and work lead her to channel her energy into leadership roles that ultimately benefit the community. She says, “This passion keeps us from sinking into despair and enables us to always move forward.” She is careful to explain that the lessons she has learned about organizational transitions require her to have the passion or “zing” about the work of leadership or seek another role. “In order to stay inspired yourself, you must inspire others. This inspiration is derived by the work and the commitment to share power and knowledge with others. This sharing of power and knowledge requires that you are comfortable with yourself so that you do not feel threatened.”
Innovation, community partnerships, and a diverse workforce are priorities within the institute and are coupled with both staff and leadership development. The legacy Linda is building includes developing the Institute for Professional Nursing Development. This endowed institute has multiple initiatives, many of which focus on supporting a highly qualified workforce. She also is promoting an appreciation for both the art and the science of nursing by making research available in usable forms. Innovation, community partnerships, and a diverse workforce are priorities within the institute and are coupled with both staff and leadership development. Linda’s lifelong commitment to reach a larger public has propelled her into local, state, and national political and policy agendas on blue ribbon groups that she believes will lead the way to a better world. Her determination to shape public policy and improve the health of the community is exemplified in her many contributions. Her message to nurse leaders is simply to “embrace the values of diversity, shared power, and knowledge shaped by larger interdisciplinary groups and continue to find a way to always do more. Nursing is such a wonderful profession if we only see that it enables you to shape a world that can be better than it is now.” Linda Burnes Bolton is, in fact, an inspirational leader for nursing. Through the rich diversity of her career she represents the best of our leadership. Her efforts undoubtedly will have a lasting effect on the profession and, yes, on the world in which we live.
Name: Linda Burnes Bolton Hometown: Tucson, Arizona Current job: Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Education: DrPH, RN, FAAN First job in nursing: Staff nurse Being in a leadership position gives me the opportunity to: Be of service Most people don’t know that I: Love to fish and read mysteries My best advice to aspiring leaders: Listen and learn
Katherine Vestal, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACHE, is president of Work Innovations Inc. in Lake Leelanau, Michigan. She can be reached at [email protected].
One thing I want to learn: How to produce small theater
1067-991X/2003/$30.00 + 0 doi:10.1067/nrsl.2003.62
One word to summarize me: Passionate
July/August 2003
Nurse Leader 25