Faces of Care 2024

FACES CARE

Local nurses share why education is at the center of what they do

Plus: Meet the nurses of tomorrow

nurses lead here

When a nurse leads a hospital system, the hours of seeing people—for who they are, for what they feel, and for what they need—is the experience needed to build a new kind of hospital system, intentionally structured to serve every person. Be seen. Be heard. Be well.

The Lessons of Care

These nurses demonstrate that care-based continuing education is critical to advancing the best in healthcare. By Chrissy

Kadleck

Advancing excellence in nursing education is the core mission for the Ohio League for Nursing, an inspired organization with more than 200 committed members and agency supporters.

A constituent league of the National League for Nursing, the Ohio League for Nursing (OLN) works in concert to ensure a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the nation’s health.

Addressing issues facing all nursing education programs through advocacy and leadership, the OLN has an active membership that is passionate about the development of scholarly, research-oriented nurse educators with a compassion for teaching the next generation of nurses how to deliver quality patient-centered nursing care.

The OLN also supports initiatives designed to establish a seamless infrastructure that promotes lifelong learning and academic and professional progression

of appropriately educated nurses — from practical to doctorally prepared.

Along with many supported initiatives and programs, the OLN strives to achieve these three goals: lead the professional growth and development of nurse educators in all education and practice settings; promote collaboration among nurses to enhance education, practice and research; and promote growth, diversity, sustainability and excellence of OLN as an affiliated constituent league of NLN.

Meet six stand-out nurse educators who exemplify this mission of advancing excellence and serve as high-achieving role models in the state.

CINDY WILLIS

With nearly 45 years at the Cleveland Clinic, Cindy Willis attributes her notable longevity to a passion for her role which centers on creating impactful nursing

Cindy Willis

Faces of Care Gala

Celebrating Excellence in Nursing

JUNE 8, 2024 Holiday Inn in Independence

The 13th annual Faces of Care Gala presented by the Ohio League for Nursing (OLN) and Cleveland Magazine will honor outstanding nurses in Northeast Ohio. The event will celebrate nurses working on the frontlines and the next generation of nurses who will join their ranks. It also spotlights some of the educators who are sharing their vast knowledge and experience to mentor the nurses of the future.

The Northeast Ohio region is lucky to have a wealth of important and dynamic medical centers, agencies and schools of nursing that are influencing the community making the world a better place. Faces of Care Gala is supported by sponsors, including MetroHealth, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic, Cuyahoga Community College, Ursuline College and Akron Children’s. Their dedication to nursing and nursing education is crucial to the community.

development programs and seeing them through to fruition.

“I haven’t retired because I’m so committed to the Cleveland Clinic and nursing itself that I love seeing nurses develop, and I love seeing programs being developed,” says Willis, senior director of Nursing Education at the Clinic, a role she has held for more than 25 years.

Her career trajectory was charted young. Willis volunteered as a candy striper at the local hospital where she grew up in Wellington. Her neighbor had been the manager of nursing and taught her how to make beds and help with various supportive tasks.

“That’s what made me want to go into nursing,” says Willis, who now has two master’s degrees, one in nursing and an MBA. She earned her doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) in 2015.

I really didn’t know I wanted to do this, but after I got into it I realized that it was my passion to coach and guide people in their careers.

- Cindy Willis

”

As a new graduate, she worked at Fairview Hospital for eight years, then went to Lutheran Hospital as a nurse manager, and went into nursing education in 1996.

“At Lutheran, the head of education came to me and said ‘I watch how you train people. I watch how you coach people, and we would like you to be part of our program,’” she recalls. “I always say it’s the best decision someone else made for me. I really didn’t know I wanted to do this, but after I got into it I realized that it was my passion to coach and guide people in their careers.”

She points to the Clinic’s Nurse Associate Externship Program, a 10-week summer program she helped create in 2015. The popular program has created a pipeline of new nurses into the Clinic, with more than half of participants joining the health system after they graduate.

“We target about 120 to 150 nursing students pursuing bachelor’s of science and associate nursing degrees who are between their junior and senior year,” she says.

The nursing students come to the Clinic, and they work side by side with nurses on a particular unit.

“They follow the mentor’s schedule and practice their skills so they become very,

I always tell my students to be a lifelong learner and master of your field.

- S. Carlton Betts Jr.

very comfortable,” she says. “There are many a-ha moments, and they learn to be an advocate for their patient.”

S. CARLTON BETTS JR.

S. Carlton Betts Jr. leads by the platinum rule: He wants to treat people the way they want to be treated.

In his dream job as program director of nursing education at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Northeast Ohio Healthcare System, Betts says from the moment he met his first male nurse while serving in the U.S. Navy, he was inspired to emulate this officer’s same level of professionalism and integrity in his own life and career.

“When I went into nursing, there weren’t a lot of guys in nursing and there weren’t a lot of minority guys in nursing,” says Betts, a certified psychiatric mental health nurse and certified nurse executive advanced. He is also on the clinical faculty at Ursuline College, Case Western Reserve University and Cuyahoga Community College. “I always tell my students to be a lifelong learner and master of your field. I don’t care if you go back and get a formal education, but always stay on top of evidence-based practice, peer-reviewed journals. Always stay on top of whatever your specialized part of nursing is.”

When he started teaching in 2017, Betts became passionate about making sure the next generation of nurses appreciated being nurses and the opportunity to touch people’s lives and make a difference in their lives when they’re at one of their most challenging points.

“If I can get them at the beginning of their career and let them know, ‘Hey, what you’re doing is special; what you’re doing is a privilege. I can make an impact on our profession as a whole,” he says.

Betts says he is deeply humbled by recognition from his peers and students. “I didn’t think I was doing anything special, and then

DAVID SCHWARTZ

S. Carlton Betts Jr.

I started getting feedback from the students and from the lead faculty,” he says, remarking how much he cared about their success as nurses. “I was just being me.”

PATRICIA BEAM

A 37-year veteran of UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Patricia Beam’s leadership has left a lasting impact on the thousands of nurses and countless young patients who have been cared for at the pediatric hospital.

Beam, pediatric nursing professional development specialist, has focused on helping nurses transition from the academic setting to the hospital setting. She also helps those transitioning to a second career or from high school. This is what she calls “planting seeds out in the community to grow more nurses.”

“That truly is what this role is all about,” she says. “We look at the students who are preparing to be nurses: what are the competencies and what are they expected to do to complete that program. We work together with the schools, letting them know how things are changing in the hospital so that they are prepared.”

The big piece has always been the transition which is now called the nurse residency program.

Regarding her professional development role, Beam says, “It’s looking at how do we keep them engaged, whether it is through continuing education, whether it is helping them prepare for added certification once they identify a specialty, and then putting them on a trajectory, a career path.”

The daughter of a Cleveland fireman, Beam was the one who would listen when her dad would talk about responding to medical situations. She went to Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati and her

first job was as an emergency nurse at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

“I went back to school knowing that I wanted to get into education,” she says. “I enjoyed teaching both the families that would be coming through the emergency department and also helping with the staff there and teaching them.”

Beam has helped form some of the best pediatric nurses throughout her career. She has also had a voice nationally with the Society of Pediatric Nurses.

“Even at the bedside, all nurses are leaders,” she says. “We need to flourish in our profession and we need to nurture ourselves. At this point in my career, I’m nursing the nurse. I can just so naturally relate to them because of what’s involved with that care for a child.”

EBONY HARDEE

It was a high school girl’s excitement to wear scrubs and tennis shoes to work that led Ebony Hardee to choose nursing as her profession, but it was a deep passion for teaching the next generation of nurses that has kept her there for 23 years.

A nursing faculty member at Ursuline College, Hardee previously worked at Cuyahoga Community College for nine

years during which time she was a faculty member, program manager and an associate dean in nursing.

Hardee is very dedicated to ensuring that nursing students are ready and prepared to transition to practice, and she employs many innovative teaching strategies to reach people in all kinds of learning styles.

“I believe in meeting students where they are,” she says. “In order to do that, I try to build a rapport with the students, get to know them so I can adjust my approach based to their learning style. That is challenging at times because it does rely on you to build relationships with a lot of people, but I want them to know that there are people here to help. I look at it as a team effort.”

That means approaching students and regularly checking in to see how they are doing, if they need additional help, and making sure they know what resources are available.

“I want to create a conducive environment where it’s a safe zone where students feel like they can be themselves,” says Hardee, who teaches a medical–surgical nursing course and a pathophysiology nursing course. “Nursing students have a challenging time already trying to balance

Even at the bedside, all nurses are leaders. As leaders, we each need to flourish our profession and we need to nurture ourselves.

- Patricia Beam

Patricia Beam

“

” I want to teach them the importance of getting to know what’s going on in their communities.

- Ebony Hardee

clinical and lab and lecture. Sometimes they just need a little grace.”

Hardee has a passion for supporting students from under-represented, under-resourced and under-prepared backgrounds. “I try to treat all students the same, but students that may come from underrepresented backgrounds may need some additional support or some additional time with maybe that one-on-one interaction to ensure that they are understanding the concepts,” she says.

An engaged leader, Hardee serves as the chair of the nominating committee for the Northeast Region of the Ohio League for Nursing.

“I do this because, one, I enjoy people, and I like to get to know people. If we want our students to become involved in organizations, I like to try to model what I preach,” she says. “I want to teach them the importance of getting to know what’s going on in their communities.”

JILL MATTHES BAXTER

Life circumstances led Jill Matthes Baxter to yoga and meditation, and once she realized the benefits of mindfulness, she wanted to bring the practice to her nursing students.

“I did my doctoral thesis on mindfulness and how to reduce stress in nursing students and faculty,” she says. “That is definitely a passion of mine.”

As director of the Doctor of Nursing Program at Ashland University specializing in pediatrics, Baxter says the deeper she dove into mindfulness concepts, the more she realized it should be the first line of defense — from the bedside to the classroom.

“Especially for children because we don’t want to start them on medications. If you can teach them coping strategies and how to deal with their own emotions that they’re experiencing, it’s much more effective,” she says. Baxter has added a mindfulness spot in every online course she teaches to share resources and evidence-based articles, free apps and links to meditations that they can access.

In fact, she uses it before every exam. “A big part of mindfulness is to not judge the way that you’re dealing with something. And that’s such a hard thing for students. They’ve got this instant anxiety, and they

judge everything they do and their performance,” she says. “We do a lot of breathing and just centering to make sure that they have a positive state of mind.”

A regularly sought after speaker, especially since the pandemic, Baxter says most of her publications center on the topics of resiliency and mindfulness. And it has the potential to have a dramatic impact. “If you’re able to help the students, and they’re also helping the patients, it’s kind of a full circle,” she says.

Baxter was a clinical nurse at Rainbow Babies & Childrens Hospital for more than 10 years before joining the faculty at Lorain County Community College, where she taught for eight years before going to Ashland.

“I really loved education. When I worked at the hospital, I taught a clinical group of nursing students and just fell in love with it and decided that I really had a passion for teaching and went back to school to get my master’s,” she says.

It was one of those stories where mother knows best, she says. “There was a point in time growing up where I couldn’t decide if I wanted to be a nurse or a teacher. My mom said ‘If you become a nurse, you can always be a teacher. But if you’re a teacher, you can’t be a nurse.’”

MARY GRADY

Even before she was recognized as Volunteer of the Year for working so many hours as a teen candy striper at her local hospital, Mary Grady would pretend that her broken Twist N’ Turn Barbie was a patient. From her earliest childhood memories, she knew she wanted to take care of people.

As soon as she graduated from high school in Arkansas, she attended a hospital school of nursing and became a licensed practical nurse. She then married, moved to Cleveland and earned her bachelor’s degree at Ursuline College.

“I identify with the community college nursing student because I was one of those pregnant moms going to nursing school,” says Grady, nursing programs administrator and professor at Lorain County Community College. “I can remember the week after having my daughter, I had to take a final and I brought someone to watch her

DAVID SCHWARTZ

Ebony Hardee

If you’re able to help the students, and they’re also helping the patients, it’s kind of a full circle.

- Jill Matthes Baxter

in the library so I could take the test and then breastfeed her after.”

Specializing in pediatrics, Grady worked at Rainbow Babies & Childrens Hospital for years. “I just loved being a nurse and I never thought of doing anything else,” she says. But then she was asked to fill in as a clinical instructor and everything changed. Soon she was enrolled to get a master’s degree to pursue a teaching career, and later a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree. “I love to watch the light bulb come on when people finally get it.”

Immediate past president of the Northeast Region Ohio League for Nursing,

Jill Matthes Baxter

Grady is on the Nursing Education Advisory Board of the Ohio Board of Nursing,

giving her a voice to speak on behalf of nursing as a profession.

Mary Grady

“I’m committed to growing the next generation of nurses and ensuring their

educational prep meets the needs of patients they’ll serve,” she says.

Experience Excellence in Nursing at Every Level

Join a community of faculty and students advancing the nursing discipline.

• #10 Bachelor of Science in Nursing*

• Master of Nursing

• #14 Master of Science in Nursing*

• #20 Doctor of Nursing Practice* (DNP)

• DNP Nurse Anesthesia

• Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD)

*U.S. News & World Report, 2024

I’m committed to growing the next generation of nurses and ensuring their educational prep meets the needs of patients they’ll serve.

- Mary Grady

Grady found herself in the hospital with a kidney stone last year. Half of the nurses who cared for her had been her students. “I felt very comfortable that the people taking care of me were people who I had had an impact in their education because I knew they were going to do something right.”

She is resolute that nursing cannot be solely taught from a book. “We have to collaborate with all of our clinical partners to stay up to date on everything. Evidence comes out that the way we administer things or implement skills or even view a disease changes, and we have to make sure those changes are reflected in what we’re teaching our students as well.”

From your exemplary work to your continuous dedication. You reflect our world class care.

Congratulations to the nurses being recognized as the Faces of Care Award recipients. Thank you for the impact you’ve made in the nursing community.

ClevelandClinic.org/Nursing

Caring for the Future

Meet some standouts from the next generation of nurses.

By Sarah Webb

Aurrion Stokes

Cleveland State University

Aurrion Stokes dreamed of becoming a doctor, but after taking a year off from school and transferring to Cleveland State for nursing, she felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be.

“I felt like this was my purpose. I’m supposed to be helping people,” says Stokes, adding that her mom, a fellow nurse, has encouraged her throughout her nursing journey.

Stokes currently works at University Hospitals Parma in a stepdown unit in the ICU and plans to continue in that department after graduation.

“I love hearing people’s stories and learning about people’s brains, and it helps me put myself in other people’s shoes,” Stokes says.

For other nursing students, Stokes advises them to remember their motivation.

“In hard times, remember your ‘why,’” Stokes says. “If you have a community and support system, lean into them during your journey.”

Seth Campbell Cuyahoga Community College

Seth Campbell began college with the intention of becoming a doctor before pivoting to a degree in public relations at Heidelberg University. However, he continued to

JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY’S COLLEGE OF HEALTH

work at a long-term care facility as a patient care aid.

He completed his master’s degree and worked in higher education for 10 years, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he heard — and heeded — the call to return to the health care field.

“Seeing Cleveland rolling out the vaccine distribution, I volunteered to assist and saw the nurses on the front lines delivering the vaccine in every type of community around Cleveland, and that reignited my passion to see the good that can be done,” Campbell says.

A graduate of Cuyahoga Community College, Campbell recently accepted a position at the Cleveland Clinic as an RN homecare resident (a home health care RN position).

“Home health is an area that I can take my experience in higher education, working in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives and apply it in delivering community health care,” Campbell says.

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In addition, we're excited to announce new programming in health coming soon. In our College of Health, we prioritize discernment and personalized guidance, empowering students to pursue their healthcare aspirations with confidence and support. Join us on your journey towards a fulfilling career in the dynamic field of healthcare.

LEARN MORE

Lauren Berrey

University of AkronWayne College

Lauren Berrey, graduate of the University of Akron-Wayne College, didn’t consider becoming a nurse until she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at 16 years old.

“The nurses who cared for me took so much time to sit with me and walk me through it,” Berrey says. “I decided the day I was diagnosed that not only was I not afraid of needles, but I wanted to be there for people in their tough life changes. I had always loved the nurses who cared for me, but didn’t realize how much they impacted my life until I was older.”

Diabetes wasn’t the only obstacle Berrey faced growing up. Also a cancer survivor, Berrey recently accepted a position at Akron Children’s Hospital’s hematology and oncology unit.

“The hematology and oncology specialty really touches my heart because I am a

cancer survivor. I knew from the moment I cared for a patient who had cancer that I was interested,” Berrey says. “I know it is not an easy field, but I want to be there for them while they are going through everything.

Nicholas Valenta Case Western Reserve University

Nicholas Valenta didn’t think about going into health care until a family member became ill.

“I was able to see the impact nurses had on their care during their hospital stay,” Valenta says. “I also liked that it was such an in-demand, versatile field with the potential to improve the health and well-being of a lot of people.”

In the nursing program at Case Western Reserve University, Valenta learned about public health and research.

“I’ve learned that many small changes can result in a large change in policy

and/or procedure, with the potential to impact many at the community, state or even national level,” he says.

After graduating, he plans on working in in-patient care for a few years, likely in the operating room, before pursuing a Master of Public Health degree.

“I’m most looking forward to influencing policy,” Valenta says. “I would like to play a role in shaping (health care) into a more effective, functional system.”

Kaitlyn McKeen Lakeland Community College

Kaitlyn McKeen has always wanted to help people in any way she can — nursing has opened up an avenue for her to fulfill that goal.

“I see nursing as an opportunity to be able to provide support for others and how rewarding that can be,” McKeen says.

McKeen moved to the U.S. from Canada in 2018 and waited to enroll in nursing school but eventually applied thanks to her husband’s encouragement. Fast forward to 2024 and McKeen is set to graduate from Lakeland Community College, with plans to pursue a career in the operating room while working to achieve her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and eventually her Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA).

“I am looking forward to being able to work with so many amazing and inspiring people,” McKeen says. “I’m excited to be able to work with a team that does everything they possibly can for the patient’s benefit.”

Svetlana Van Ness Lorain County Community College

Svetlana Van Ness discovered she wanted to go into nursing after serving as an

occupational therapy assistant in acute and post-acute settings.

“I have been fortunate to assist people in regaining their functional abilities and independence; however, this feeling that I wanted to learn how to take care of my patients’ nursing needs is what led me to this journey,” Van Ness says.

During her time at Lorain County Community College, Van Ness says she has appreciated the expertise, knowledge and experience of the instructors.

“As a student, and especially as an immigrant, I greatly value their ability to make students feel heard, understood, supported and accepted,” Van Ness says. “This sense of belonging has certainly made the rigor and intensity of the nursing curriculum less intimidating.”

After clinical rotations in medical–surgical, behavioral health and critical care settings at Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky and in obstetrics at Mercy Health Hospital in Lorain, Van Ness plans to begin her career in a medical-surgical unit.

LAUNCH YOUR CAREER

Christos Tomaras Ursuline College

Raised in a small village in Greece, Christos Tomaras helped take care of several loved ones from a young age.

“I was raised in a household with my grandparents, so I was involved in their care,” Tomaras says. “I learned a lot from their stories and their health conditions.”

Years later, when Tomaras’ college adviser suggested a career in nursing, Tomaras, a first-generation college student, realized it was a no-brainer. A graduate of Ursuline College, Tomaras has completed clinical rotations at University Hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth. He recently accepted a nursing position at the Mayo Clinic in the Emergency Department and Level 1 Trauma Center.

“Emergency medicine is magic; I love the fast-paced environment and the diversity of the patient population,” Tomaras says. “I get to learn something new every single day.”