- Email: [email protected]
Taking care of business
Editorial Roxane Spitzer, PhD, MBA, FAAN, RN
Taking Care of Business The AONE annual party was held in Chicago this spring. What an opportunity, not just for learning but also for networking! People met in all sorts of ways to share, support, complain, dream, and offer insight and congratulations—it’s all there in the sweet drama of the life of a nurse exec. This year, JoEllen Koerner was blessed with a precious gift from a tribe that she loves deeply, an award that led her to a day of deep conversation with the field that gave her moments to ponder. Here, I share her thoughts as well as mine, because we made similar observations at the AONE meeting. There was the nurse executive who had spent 21 years in a hospital doing incredible work. As she approached her period of midlife reflection, she decided to move on. Her meeting with a headhunter agency proved disappointing, however. They casually glanced at her résumé and told her that, because she had been in one organization so long, they could not find a place for her. They failed to inquire about her turnover and vacancy rates, her profitability, the innovations and patient satisfaction scores, etc. When she reviewed the impact she had made, she regained her sense of self-esteem and decided she really wanted to do something else—like teaching. I wonder how many times in my career I have recklessly glanced at a résumé and made a snap judgment from a superficial perspective and how often I have lost my selfconfidence based on another’s decree. Then there was the woman who was doing exciting quality work within a very large system. As she told her story, she suddenly shifted her gaze, dropped her voice, and confessed that for 5 years of her career she had worked with a consulting firm, eliminating multiple nursing positions at great personal gain all the while knowing it may not have been the best for patient care. As we explored the lessons learned, she real-
August 2005
ized why she has now committed her life to quality, and she walked away redeemed. As I moved down the crowded aisles of the exhibit hall, I pondered the number of times I did things from a sense of expediency or personal gain and how many old skeletons still rattle in my closet that drain energy and hold remorse. Along came a beautiful woman who had done every conceivable nursing job, including national office and public advocacy. Her story became most amazing after her retirement. She moved to a small town and found the hospital facing bankruptcy. She got a community group together and purchased the hospital for $1. For the next few years, she managed the hospital and led a large community effort that not only turned the situation around but made this vibrant community center a place for health and community development. She is trying to retire again—to what project next, I wondered? I was once more moved and inspired by the power of nursing to allow one to be of service at any age, and I challenged myself to consider what I might do when I am free of the work life of an actively employed professional. There was the vivacious and high-energy woman who had spent her life in service, education, research, and industry—all as a nurse. When her last child married and started a family, she decided that she had some very precious insights that she wanted to share with the next generation. (What is it about being a grandmother that stirs the intergenerational soul?) She helped me remember the important role a wisdomkeeper holds, whether in the personal or professional family, and I wondered how we can collectively harness this knowledge and compassion in an age of shortage. A colleague once observed that the largest age group of nurses comprises those who had three career options—teacher, nurse,
Nurse Leader 7
and secretary. And within this group are frustrated theologians, ethicists, architects, and others who give rich ferment to the field. As we reflected together on the many ways we take care of business now, we realized how important it is for us to take care of our business; to sort out, celebrate, release, and forgive all the multiple things we have chosen, witnessed, experienced, and contributed across the lifespan of a professional living through the 1960s, 1970s, and beyond. How important it is for us to get a clear perspective, clean our inner house, and celebrate the huge gains made…even when the industry is changing context. When we are whole and balanced, the caregivers
8 Nurse Leader
we lead and the care we deliver to people we serve will reflect the same. As I entered my first week of (at least partial) retirement, I thought about all I have learned from failures, successes, mentors, my family, friends, and colleagues. I have no right to complain or judge others; I do have the right to look back on a rich, rewarding life. JoEllen received her award, and I received one from Meharry Medical College: the presidential medal for distinguished service to the college, community, and hospital system. I felt so proud and honored to be granted this award for what had been a labor of love. Every one of us receives both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Just
getting to be a nurse executive and make a positive difference for patients, families, staff, and organization is a step forward in our growth, learning, and spiritual understanding of why we chose nursing in the first place. Roxane Spitzer, PhD, retired in July as the chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Nashville Hospital Authority, which operates Nashville General Hospital at Meharry and Bordeaux Long-Term Care. Now living in Florida, she can be reached at [email protected]. 1541-4612/ $ See front matter Copyright 2005 by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.mnl.2005.06.003
August 2005
Taking Care of Business The AONE annual party was held in Chicago this spring. What an opportunity, not just for learning but also for networking! People met in all sorts of ways to share, support, complain, dream, and offer insight and congratulations—it’s all there in the sweet drama of the life of a nurse exec. This year, JoEllen Koerner was blessed with a precious gift from a tribe that she loves deeply, an award that led her to a day of deep conversation with the field that gave her moments to ponder. Here, I share her thoughts as well as mine, because we made similar observations at the AONE meeting. There was the nurse executive who had spent 21 years in a hospital doing incredible work. As she approached her period of midlife reflection, she decided to move on. Her meeting with a headhunter agency proved disappointing, however. They casually glanced at her résumé and told her that, because she had been in one organization so long, they could not find a place for her. They failed to inquire about her turnover and vacancy rates, her profitability, the innovations and patient satisfaction scores, etc. When she reviewed the impact she had made, she regained her sense of self-esteem and decided she really wanted to do something else—like teaching. I wonder how many times in my career I have recklessly glanced at a résumé and made a snap judgment from a superficial perspective and how often I have lost my selfconfidence based on another’s decree. Then there was the woman who was doing exciting quality work within a very large system. As she told her story, she suddenly shifted her gaze, dropped her voice, and confessed that for 5 years of her career she had worked with a consulting firm, eliminating multiple nursing positions at great personal gain all the while knowing it may not have been the best for patient care. As we explored the lessons learned, she real-
August 2005
ized why she has now committed her life to quality, and she walked away redeemed. As I moved down the crowded aisles of the exhibit hall, I pondered the number of times I did things from a sense of expediency or personal gain and how many old skeletons still rattle in my closet that drain energy and hold remorse. Along came a beautiful woman who had done every conceivable nursing job, including national office and public advocacy. Her story became most amazing after her retirement. She moved to a small town and found the hospital facing bankruptcy. She got a community group together and purchased the hospital for $1. For the next few years, she managed the hospital and led a large community effort that not only turned the situation around but made this vibrant community center a place for health and community development. She is trying to retire again—to what project next, I wondered? I was once more moved and inspired by the power of nursing to allow one to be of service at any age, and I challenged myself to consider what I might do when I am free of the work life of an actively employed professional. There was the vivacious and high-energy woman who had spent her life in service, education, research, and industry—all as a nurse. When her last child married and started a family, she decided that she had some very precious insights that she wanted to share with the next generation. (What is it about being a grandmother that stirs the intergenerational soul?) She helped me remember the important role a wisdomkeeper holds, whether in the personal or professional family, and I wondered how we can collectively harness this knowledge and compassion in an age of shortage. A colleague once observed that the largest age group of nurses comprises those who had three career options—teacher, nurse,
Nurse Leader 7
and secretary. And within this group are frustrated theologians, ethicists, architects, and others who give rich ferment to the field. As we reflected together on the many ways we take care of business now, we realized how important it is for us to take care of our business; to sort out, celebrate, release, and forgive all the multiple things we have chosen, witnessed, experienced, and contributed across the lifespan of a professional living through the 1960s, 1970s, and beyond. How important it is for us to get a clear perspective, clean our inner house, and celebrate the huge gains made…even when the industry is changing context. When we are whole and balanced, the caregivers
8 Nurse Leader
we lead and the care we deliver to people we serve will reflect the same. As I entered my first week of (at least partial) retirement, I thought about all I have learned from failures, successes, mentors, my family, friends, and colleagues. I have no right to complain or judge others; I do have the right to look back on a rich, rewarding life. JoEllen received her award, and I received one from Meharry Medical College: the presidential medal for distinguished service to the college, community, and hospital system. I felt so proud and honored to be granted this award for what had been a labor of love. Every one of us receives both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Just
getting to be a nurse executive and make a positive difference for patients, families, staff, and organization is a step forward in our growth, learning, and spiritual understanding of why we chose nursing in the first place. Roxane Spitzer, PhD, retired in July as the chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Nashville Hospital Authority, which operates Nashville General Hospital at Meharry and Bordeaux Long-Term Care. Now living in Florida, she can be reached at [email protected]. 1541-4612/ $ See front matter Copyright 2005 by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.mnl.2005.06.003
August 2005