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Natalie Bullock - “ICU Nurse Turns CEO: Josie Abboud Overcomes Challenges”
ICU Nurse Turns CEO
Josie Abboud Overcomes Challenges
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BY J1 REPORTER NATALIE BULLOCK
Josie Abboud knows how it feels to cook dinner and take care of seven siblings at the age of 16. She had been handed the responsibilities of making dinner and cleaning for her little siblings since she was little. Abboud grew up in Tempe, Ariz. where she was involved in all kinds of volunteering and student council at her high school despite her heavy responsibilities at home. Josie headed off to the University of Arizona in 1988, then to Creighton University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing, and then finishing her degrees at Regis University where she obtained her masters in business administration. She had always been curious about the way things worked and knew it would come in handy to have that knowledge.
Abboud was a natural leader beginning at her first job as a nurse in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Methodist Hospital in 1996 where she was working the 12-hour night shift. She had been a young leader and that was shown when she applied to become the charge nurse after just one year in the ICU. Abboud noticed that the nurses who had been there for more than 20 years had been questioning why a nurse that had only one year of experience was applying. This backlash didn’t deter her from applying.
She experienced a similar situation with an older colleague in her organization. Abboud was up for another promotion at the time when the older colleague told her “You are only getting promoted because you wear a skirt” Abboud said she hadn’t experienced remarks questioning her leadership like these often, but when she did, her record and the things she had achieved spoke for themselves.
In 2018 Abboud was named the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Methodist Hospital and Methodist Women’s Hospital, where she has been working at for 25 years now. She was faced with the responsibility of balancing her home life with her demanding work life. Family is one of the most important factors in Abboud’s life. She has always had a demanding work life. “It takes all of us to make it work in our family”, she said. Abboud has been impacted greatly by her family her whole life. Her husband Jason had been getting their two kids up, making their lunches, and driving them to school since they were little. She would have meetings almost every morning, and she said she wouldn’t be where she is today if she didn’t have a supportive husband. Abboud always wanted to make sure that there was at least one parent there for her kids every day and she noticed that her kids were able to recognize that she had a taxing job and Abboud said “they never made me feel bad for it”.
Along with her family, Faith has always been a driving factor in Abboud’s daily life and it shows. She is an active community leader and has been involved on the boards of the Nebraska Hospital Association, Hospice House, American Cancer Society, along with many more. Faith plays an important role. “It plays every day into my life, because I believe you don’t achieve anything without your belief and your trust in God”. She thanks God every day for the position and opportunities that have come her way and trusts Him to guide her through the tough decisions that she has to make.
Inspiration can come through many forms and Josie Abboud displays her inspiration through her leadership and hard work. She said the most important thing to remember in leadership is that “you have to do the best you can with the information you have, and if you do that, then you’ll feel confident in the decisions you make”.
Josie Abboud receives the 2020 ICAN Leadership Award. She received the award at the 27th annual ICAN Women’s leadership Conference.
Photo Source: Methodist Website
