Message from Our ACHE Regent

from ACHENTX Executive Connection - Summer 2022

Event Encore

Message from Our ACHE Regent At Large, District 4

A time to reflect…

Let me begin by sharing who I am, inclusive of my diversity profile. My name is Dr. Jim Allard and I am a LGBTQ healthcare leader, who is a nurse (males are 12% of the nursing workforce), married, in an interracial relationship, and have a daughter in college abroad. I share this, because it shapes who I am as a leader, and what I offer in perspective. I also think it helps to set the stage of my learned experiences, other than I am a passionate healthcare leader. Additionally, I am honored and privileged to have been appointed to serve as the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Interim Regent-at-Large for District 4 for the next year. This role is a support role for the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) agenda for ACHE, to the regents, and the DEI committees for the ten states, in District 4. I look forward to learning and supporting each of the areas.

The last two years have been challenging, although we arise out of the pandemic stronger as a healthcare community. We have been tried as healthcare providers, colleagues, family and friends through this time. It truly wasn’t until I was asked by a colleague, “how are you?” three times in a row, that I realized I wasn’t OK. The struggle has been real. What I realized each time I said, “I’m fine,” the persistence of my colleague asking two more times, opened me up and I teared up. Well, it’s OK to not be OK.

As a leader, we have had to manage creative staffing models to meet the needs of our patients and customers along with supporting our workforce with the challenges of working amidst a pandemic that seemed to never end, wave after wave. This experience has opened me up to be more intentional about reflection enabling me to be a more effective leader for my team. We do not have all the answers, but we are stronger as a team. To be vulnerable and ask your team how to accomplish what seemed unsurmountable was not so unsurmountable with the collective.

I share this perspective to say thank you, take time for you, be intentional about reflection, and be OK with not being OK. Mental wellness is something each of us and our teams need to be excellent care providers. You matter, we matter, and we all are better together.

Jim Allard, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE VP of Nursing & CNO Medical City Children’s/Medical City Women’s Hospitals