DiversityNursing Blog

Diversity is a welcome challenge as it is an opportunity to learn and be a better leader at CentraState.

Any Monday through Friday, you'll find Jeffrey Anderson and Hazen Yu in their positions as Administrative Coordinators /Nursing Supervisors for CentraState Healthcare System in New Jersey. Jeffrey works the 3:00-11:00pm shift and Hazen works the 11:00pm - 7:00am shift. Recently, Pat Magrath of DiversityNursing.com had a conversation with these experienced and dedicated Nurses to find out what they had to say about their nursing experiences.

Both men agree that what they love about CentraState is the opportunity for growth in their careers and the support they receive from hospital leadership. They stated that the leadership at the hospital provides excellent strategic planning, is very knowledgeable, and they consistently do the right thing for the employees and the patients. It is because of the leadership, many nurses are loyal to CentraState and have worked there for years. Jeffrey and Hazen are good examples of career growth within the hospital as Jeffrey has 9 years and Hazen has almost 14 years of tenure.

In preparation for our chat, both men did not consider gender as a focus of diversity.  They were aware women dominated the field, however they did not look at gender as an area of diversity. When they think of diversity, it is "cultural" diversity that comes to mind. Jeff and Hazen were able to come up with 20 different countries that are represented in CentraState's employee population.

They describe the community they serve as quite diverse. The community includes all the cultures employed by CentraState as well as many others. As a result of the cultural diversity, both Hazen and Jeff have learned about several different cultures and experienced several different languages.  Jeff and Hazen agree that diversity is a welcome challenge as it is an opportunity to learn and be a better leader. As Supervisors, they are keenly aware of the importance of understanding a patient's culture. Because their own nurses are so diverse, they often take time with their staff to get a better handle on a particular patient's culture and customs.

To meet the needs of the patient speaking a different language, several resources are available to the staff. One of the resources is the Language Line. This is a service that is used to translate any language via a certified interpreter. CentraState has been proactive and paid for staff members to be certified as language interpreters so they will be on hand to interpret a patient's symptoms and offer medical instructions. While Hazen and Jeff confirm the importance of communicating with a patient in the patient's language, they stress the delivery is just as important. They point out how you handle yourself - your tone of voice, posture, whether there should be eye contact or if it's acceptable to touch a patient -- is just as relevant in the communication process.  

When they visited www.DiversityNursing.com, they noticed an article about mentoring. They realized how each of them had been a mentor to the other. When Hazen was in the float pool, Jeff was in the ER. Jeff got to know Hazen and mentored him in the ER. When Hazen became Administrative Coordinator a year or 2 before Jeff, Hazen mentored Jeff in the Administrative Coordinator position. Mentoring for them has been a 360 degree cycle.

Both men also value CentraState's commitment to education. They have attended numerous seminars including a seminar on Leadership. Because Hazen and Jeff love what they do at CentraState, they encourage other men to consider Nursing as a career.

When asked if they felt they were treated differently because they're men, both responded they do the same work as their female colleagues and there is no difference in how they are treated.  Both noted that communication with women is different than it is with men and this difference has actually helped them in their personal lives. Jeff and Hazen are confident they got where they are in their careers because of their skills, education and hard work, not because of their gender. They have gained the trust and respect of their colleagues.  

Diversity is alive and well at CentraState.  Every year nursing staff receive a mandatory diversity packet that covers many areas including cultural competence and communication. They are tested on this information and encouraged to use it in their daily work.

Pat Magrath of DiversityNursing.com had a recent phone meeting with him for this eNewsletter. It turns out he is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) NYC Chapter, and they met 2 years ago when he visited the DiversityNursing.com booth at the NAHN Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas.  He stopped by our booth last year as well at the NAHN Conference in Washington, DC.

After visiting the DiversityNursing.com booth, he thought about registering for the Award, but was discouraged because "he never wins anything". When he saw how easy it was to register, he decided to do it. He's glad he did and encourages everyone to register "because you never know what will happen"! He said "This came at the right moment".

To find out the identity of our 2011 Award Winner and to learn more about his experiences as a nurse, please CLICK HERE.

from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a discussion was started that bears more dialogue. We want to hear from you. What do you think? Is it an age thing? A gender thing? An ethnic thing? If you are a nurse, how do you use Social Media?

Engaging Nursing Students in Social Media

While SBU has been offering a nursing informatics course for seven years, in the last two years, it has been expanded to include social media. In fact, the course has been transformed. Schmitt requires all her students to do all their work for the class online, attend at least one live chat and create their own Twitter accounts and blogs. The final group projects for the course are put up on SlideShare. “It’s essential for nurses to understand and be familiar with social media,” Schmitt says. “The majority of people get their advice from the internet and as nurses, we need to know what is and isn’t a valid source of information. What’s more, it’s important to realize that, today, informatics is more than emergency medical records and HIPAA violations.”

Schmitt also believes strongly in encouraging nurses to use social media to share information and their ideas. “Nurses are the largest group of health care professionals and the largest group of health care educators. I had all these students doing wonderful work, but they were writing for an audience of one. By blogging they can showcase their work. I want to encourage more nurses to blog because the internet is where people go for health care information.”

Learning to use new technology, especially technology that is widely used by clients and patients is, to Schmitt, an important part of training to be a nurse. But she does see some resistance. “I like to say that social media is like White Castle,” she says. “You either love it or hate it, but in the end, you’ll develop an appreciation for it.” Schmitt also finds that her students are reaping unexpected rewards from their online experiences, “when they get comments on their blogs or their tweets get retweeted, it’s a testament to their depth of knowledge and recognition of work well done.”

Like Baumann and Kelley, Schmitt sees great potential for social media in nursing. She believes that to some extent, the technology may well still be in its infancy. “Social media gives us a place to discuss things openly,” she says. “It can be a place to design research studies and find solutions. It can give nurses a greater voice. This is where nurses can speak up about policy and health care practice and make change.”

From Boston.com
By Deborah Kotz

(What do you think? Is this a good idea? Do employers have the right to do this?)

Mass. police and fire departments won’t hire smokers. And the Massachusetts Hospital Association raised eyebrows last November when it announced that it was refusing to hire smokers, but it relies on the honor system — not nicotine screening — for enforcement.

Crittenton CEO Lynn Orfgen told CNN that the move saves the hospital in health care costs, “and it’s setting a good example for the community, and I just think it’s the quote-unquote ‘Right thing to do.” Doctors and other Crittenton employees who already smoke can keep their jobs.

Orfgen adds that the hospital is working on helping promote healthy lifestyle choices like weight management programs for overweight employees like herself. I’m wondering whether the hospital eventually plans to bar prospective employees based on their weight since that, too, causes a spike in health care costs.

What do you think? Should workplaces be able to bar workers for smoking like they do for those who use illegal drugs? Or do you think it’s discrimination?

Angela Adjetey, RN, MPH, MA, FAACM
Graduate Student at Vanderbilt University,
School of Nursing, MSN, Health Systems Management
Clinical Nurse Specialist Women’s Oncology Unit,
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Special Author for DiversityNursing.com

I recently attended a conference where the topic of mentoring aspiring nurse leaders was discussed.  The message of the presentation was that it is personally and professionally important to have both mentors and role models for all aspects of life. I realized I had successfully incorporated excellent mentors and role models into my professional development as well as my growth as a person. Choosing a mentor has always been part of my professional career plan.   Marilyn K. Bedell (2005), states that nurses need guidance and help to grow and to develop new cognitive, clinical, and technical skills. She noted that many nurses in leadership positions are concerned about the development of novice nurses and those in the process of making career transitions. She emphasized it is critical for nurses in leadership positions to learn about mentoring and its use as a tool to develop the next generation of nurse leaders.

Mentoring is a science and an art. Through mentoring nurses are guided, taught, and influenced in their chosen profession. It is a relationship between a novice and an experienced professional. The experienced professional teaches professional survival skills and methods through guidance, counseling, and critiquing the novice, while encouraging specialization and advancement in the profession.   The role of a mentor is to develop the unique abilities of the protégé. The mentor helps the protégé feel safe and comfortable while asking questions, seeking advice, or talking through a situation.  Role modeling as opposed to mentorship is often a one-way relationship. There is no commitment from the role model to guide and counsel. It tends to be a passive process in which a person watches and then copies the model. Role modeling relies on imitation and does not encourage the development of the unique qualities of the individual. No formal discussions occur to verify why the role model performed a certain way in a specific situation (Bedell, 2005).

My first experience with role modeling and mentoring occurred when I was a young girl. My parents helped 2 missionaries run a clinic in Ghana, West Africa. When I grew up, I wanted to be like my mother and the 2 ladies who provided care at this clinic. My first encounter with mentoring was in 1996. I attended a meeting of the Black Nurses Association of Charlottesville, Virginia, a chapter of the National Black Nurses Association.  I was invited by David Simmons, RN, MSN, who nurtured me as a student nurse and showed me the impact a nurse leader can have on a person.  I wanted to be like him and was motivated to develop the skills he demonstrated.  He showed me all the characteristics I consider helpful throughout my career.  His desire to help me was evident. He demonstrated effective coaching, provided me with advice, and demonstrated how networking can improve my nursing and leadership skills.

In 2004, I was selected as a participant to attend the Oncology Nursing Society/ National Cancer Institute sponsored Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Institute for nurse educators, academic staff and clinicians from institutions which historically serve black and minority patients.  I met Dr. Sandra Millon-Underwood, RN, PhD, FAAN professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) at this event. She motivated me to be a mentor for other nurses as well as an advance practice nurse.  I modeled my career path based on the experience I had with her during my time at the institute. She is the reason why I became an advance practice nurse. Dr. Million-Underwood’s work with nursing research, cancer prevention and control, cultural diversity in health care, her perspective of health care systems, and serving as the founding Director of the UWM House of Peace Community Nursing Center attracted me to cancer care, public health, and health systems management.

Other nursing leaders I consider role models include the Director of Acute Care services, Mary Dowling, and Nancy Kline, Director of Nursing Research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.  Both Mary and Nancy have been instrumental to my advancement in nursing.

Sabeeha Rehman (FACHE) is my mentor and I am her protégé. She is the President and founding member of the New York Metro Chapter of the National Autism Association, and served as a hospital executive in New York, New Jersey, and Saudi Arabia. I met Sabeeha through the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) mentor/protégé program as a member of the ACHE and Healthcare Leaders of New York.  She created a safe mentoring environment where I feel free to be honest. She meets with me as often as she can and is always available to me. She also shares her experiences with me.  We remain interested in each others work and advancement, and celebrate one another’s successes both professionally and personally. She also shares my interest in patient safety, staff development, and quality assurance and improvement which has supported my current professional endeavors.

Alice Gianella, RN, MA, the Director of Nursing Continuing Education at MSKCC, is another nurse I consider my mentor.  Alice spends time with me and provides me with insights into my nursing career whenever needed. Mary M., Gullatte, PhD, RN, APRN, BC, AOCN, FAAMA Associate Chief Nursing Officer at Emory University Hospital Midtown is another mentor of mine.  Mary actually came to see me during my first podium presentation. She provided me with the moral support I needed during this experience.   She listens to me in a nonjudgmental manner allowing me to achieve insights into my developmental goals. My involvement with organizations such as AONE and the Oncology Nursing Society has provided role models to emulate in my continued development.  I attended the AONE Aspiring Nurse Leader Institute and learned a great deal about nursing leadership. Being part of the Fellows of the ONS Leadership Development Institute (LDI) also served as a road map to my mentoring and role modeling experience, and a guide to leadership.

Most importantly, I have been my own advocate in seeking guidance from all my mentors and role models.  I realize, in addition to the nursing theories which guide our practice, role models and mentors have a great impact on how we view our professional development and continued advancement.

I realize mentors, organizational involvement, and role models have greatly impacted my career as a nurse. Without the influence of all individuals mentioned in this article, I would not have achieved most of what I have done in my career.

References

Bedell, K. M. (2005). Mentoring: Promoting the development of nurses. In M. M. Gullatte (Ed.), Nursing management: Principles and practice (pp. 349-352). Pittsburg, PA: Oncology Nursing Society.