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Taking a Seat at the Table Where Decisions Are Made: Chief Nursing Officers Discuss Their Journeys
BY JULIA QUINN-SZCESUIL
The journey from a new nurse to chief nursing officer (CNO) is challenging and life changing for any professional; for minority nurses, it is even more so. But the nursing industry needs CNOs who represent minority populations and bring a diverse viewpoint to patient care and nurse safety and ideas for moving the nursing industry forward.
While nurses are drawn to the field for the meaningful work they can do, a wide-ranging CNO role presents opportunities to implement and influence powerful changes that impact everything from working conditions to patient safety to national policy.
“While it is important we increase diversity and inclusion within the nursing workforce, it is also important to extend these efforts to include nursing leadership roles,” says Jacqueline Herd, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, executive vice president and CNO at Grady Health System in Atlanta and a board member of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership. “The leadership journey for minority nurses is different from nonminority nurses. When nurses of color see a chief nursing officer that looks like them, it sends a message that they, too, can become an executive.”
Becoming a Decision Maker
Many of today’s CNOs say they relish their role, especially as it allows them to protect nurses and patients while providing a platform to help other minority nurses achieve leadership roles.
Minority CNOs in particular are aware just how their presence helps other minority nurses envision a similar path. Gwendolyn OglesbyOdom, EdD, MSN, BSN, RNBC, NEA-BC, who is the CNO of Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago, is familiar with the experience of being the only person of color in a room. Connecting with other women of color who held nursing leadership roles changed everything. Joining the local chapter of the National Black Nurses Association gave Oglesby-Odom valuable experience in public speaking and offered opportunities for community service work. More importantly, she saw something else. “That was where I received knowledge and support from nurses who looked like me,” she says. “As a young nurse, I marveled at all the great work being done by Black nurses all across the country. These women demonstrated for me that it was possible. The NBNA was a key ingredient in the success I enjoy today.”
Herd agrees, noting that minority leaders grasp the scope of existing barriers. “As nurse leaders, our role is to identify, inspire, mentor, and encourage minority nurses throughout their leadership journey,” she says. “We can advocate for programs that increase diversity in nursing, understand the challenges nurses may experience in their leadership journey, and bridge those gaps.”
Helping Nurses, Patients, and Communities
As nurses assume leadership roles, they see the impact their decisions and choices have on their communities. Patricia Rosenberg, RN, MSN, the CNO at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans, says an opportunity to develop and implement a medication clinic in Detroit years ago set her on her CNO path. The clinic focused on recidivism of patients who were noncompliant with their psychiatric medications. “As a nurse practitioner at the time I was seeing the impact that this recidivism was having on not only the patients, but the families,” she says. “After the successful launch of this program, I began to understand what you could accomplish for patients on the administrative side of nursing. I have been hooked ever since as a servant leader.”
Herd offers reassurance to nurses who wonder if an administration role will distance them from the hands-on work they love so much. “Nursing leadership allows you to care for your patients in a different way, but it also allows you to advocate for nursing,” she says. “As nurses move into executive leadership positions, it is important to remember why you became a nurse and share your passion with aspiring nurse leaders.”
Charting the Course
The road to CNO requires a purposeful approach. Rosenberg says once she realized her path, she gained education and experience strategically. “I was very intentional about obtaining my master’s degree and working as a clinical nurse specialist so that I could have a greater degree of autonomy when working with my patients,” she says, as well as joining several professional organizations and conducting research. She deliberately adapted a collaborative leadership style. “I learned quickly there is a huge difference between leading versus managing and wanted to become a servant leader,” she says. “I know what my staff are up against every day because I have been there.”
Oglesby-Odom agrees, saying that nurses pursuing a leadership path need to focus on personal and professional improvement, which includes cultivating relationships with formal and informal mentors and networking through many avenues. As leaders share their experiences, others learn from their stories. “It’s great for getting your spirit fed as a leader,” she says, “and it also allows you to avoid the pitfalls that you might not see otherwise.”
And a nurse’s early training and years of experience offer the foundation CNOs build on. “Focus on excellence,” says Oglesby-Odom. “Get the education you need; get the certifications you need, but know it’s not about the money or the title. Understand your why. It has to be about your passion for the patients and teams you’re working with.”
