The Tennessee Action Coalition is honored to congratulate Leanne Lefler, PhD, APRN, ACNS-BC, FAHA – University of Arkansas. This recognition is well deserved. Dr. Lefler has contributed so much to the Nursing Profession including her work with the Nurses on Boards (NOB) training.

Congratulations Dr. Lefler!

For the press release, click here.

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The post A Brief But Spectacular take on showing up for nurses appeared first on Campaign for Action.

Nurses are less healthy than the average American. Research shows that nurses are more likely to be overweight, have higher levels of stress, and get less sleep. As the largest and most trusted health care profession, nurses are critical to the health of the nation. Healthy nurses are great role models for their patients, colleagues, families, and neighbors.

To learn more, go to this link

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Left: Madelyn D. Yu, as new graduate from the University of the Philippines, Philippine General Hospital School of Nursing, 1975; Right: Madelyn D. Yu, MSN, RN, president , Philippine Nurses Association of America, 2018-2020

Nursing Journeys is a profile series featuring Action Coalition leaders discussing their career paths and reflecting on the lessons they’ve learned.

Madelyn D. Yu, MSN, RN, is president of the Philippine Nurses Association of America and nursing director of the Post Anesthesia Care Unit at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ. She is on the board of her town’s Filipino organization, the Bayanihan Club of Union, NJ; the Federation of Philippine Societies in New Jersey; the Philippine Independence Day Council Inc.; and past president of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association-New Jersey, which promotes scholarships for deserving students and promotes the Philippine culture.

As PNAA president, Yu has focused on the PNAA’s mission of advocacy, including advocating for the ethical and legal recruitment of nurses from the Philippines.

Yu serves on the Campaign for Action Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Steering Committee.

Why did you decide to become involved in the nursing profession?

It has always been my dream to become a nurse. Nurses in the Philippines were very well respected in their crisp white uniforms in the 1970s, when I was growing up. As a woman in my native country, one can become a teacher or a nurse and be gainfully employed. Nurses have a great impact in the health care of Filipinos, especially in the rural areas where there is limited access to health care.

Describe the journey you took to get from that decision to where you are today.

I studied at the University of the Philippines, the state university that offers full government scholarship from high school to college to qualified, deserving youth. I have 12 siblings, so my family would not have been able to afford to send me to college had it not been for this scholarship. In return, I offered my services as a new graduate nurse to the best training ground for nurses, the Philippine General Hospital in Manila.

As international recruitment became a trend, my family and I decided to immigrate to the United States to answer its need for nurses. Armed with knowledge and competencies from the University of the Philippines and excellent clinical training from the Philippine General Hospital and the Philippine Heart Center for Asia, I was hired as a staff nurse to the open-heart surgical care unit at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and the Post Anesthesia Care Unit at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. These institutions, both part of the Barnabas Health System in New Jersey, provided the supportive environment where I honed my clinical as well as my leadership and management skills. With my knowledge, experience, and expertise, I rose through the ranks as charge nurse, preceptor, nurse manager, and nursing director.

All this time, I have not forgotten my roots. I have always looked back to my native land, and thought of ways of advocating for the family I left behind, for my fellow nurses and their plight in the Philippines, and for those who migrated to other countries like the USA. I was always cognizant that there is a lot to be done to help improve the lives of people in the developing countries like the Philippines.

To start, because of my dollar earnings, I was able to help send 13 nieces and nephews through high school and college. The dollar value could be stretched a little bit more in the Philippines to afford tuition.

The Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA), of which I am now president, has for the past 40 years advocated for the welfare of the Filipino-American nurses in the USA through education, mentorship, scholarships, and networking with other professional and community organizations. We have coordinated yearly medical and surgical missions to different parts of the Philippines, especially in impoverished areas.  We continue our work at the PNAA Gawad Kalinga Village (a housing project for the homeless) in Piel, Bulacan, Philippines, providing health screenings and community outreach projects such as providing solar lighting to the community for 2019, and continued health clinics for 2018-2020. The PNAA nurses have raised funds to help the victims of typhoons, earthquakes, and destruction caused by the ISIS terrorist attacks in Marawi City in Southern Philippines.

What impact did the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing report have on you?

As president of PNAA, I advocate for the continuation of an ad hoc committee that coordinates and monitors our participation in achieving the IOM recommendations. The committee members identified and supported the involvement of chapter members through their state IOM councils.

PNAA mentored many of our members to obtain higher education, and several chapters have provided scholarships to their members to assist them in their pursuit of higher education. We promoted the activities of the Forum of Nurses in Advanced Practice within PNAA to support the educational and research needs of nurse practitioners, clinical specialists, nurse-midwives, and nurse anesthetists.

The IOM ad hoc committee continues to collect data regarding PNAA members who have master’s and doctoral degrees and those who are serving on boards and committees.

How have you been involved with the Campaign for Action?

As PNAA president, I was invited to participate as a member of the Campaign’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Steering Committee in Washington, D.C., along with other presidents of minority nursing organizations. We spent time in guided discussions presenting what our strengths and opportunities are as organizations, what our visions are, and identifying the outcomes we hope to achieve from our collaboration with each other and with the Campaign.

Of all you have accomplished, what are you most proud of?

I am honored to lead an organization with more than 5,000 members who are committed in contributing to America’s health care landscape. As PNAA president, I am fortunate to implement my mantra, “Make a Difference: Advocate,” especially for those—like many of our patients—who cannot advocate for themselves. I am fortunate to have been given the opportunity to advance myself in life through education, which is one of the reasons why I felt the moral obligation to pay it forward and help those I can. Education from the University of the Philippines enabled me to become the professional nurse that I am today, so it follows that the legacy I leave would be to advocate to make education available to children, especially those who cannot otherwise avail themselves of it.

What is the most important action that nurses can take to lead the way to improve health and health care in America?

Advocacy in many fronts: first, advocating for self by staying healthy and through lifelong learning; second, advocating for patients’ safety at all times and being their voice when needed; third, advocating for nursing colleagues by supporting safe staffing initiatives; and last but not least, advocating for the communities we live in through active participation in health education, health screening, and health promotion.

What advice do you have for the next generation?

Nursing is a great profession. What you learn in nursing applies to all facets of life. Nursing gives you the avenue to fulfill your dreams, to be someone who can make a difference. After all, we only live once: Advocate and make someone’s life a little better.

The post Make a Difference: Advocate! Madelyn Yu on Nursing appeared first on Campaign for Action.

Left: Early in Young’s career, when she had a BS in dietetics and an associate degree in nursing. Right: Young at UC Davis, where she is professor and founding dean emerita of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.

Heather M. Young, PhD, RN, FAAN, is professor and founding dean emerita of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. Her research and clinical interest is the promotion of healthy aging with a particular focus on the interface between family and formal health-care systems. She serves as co-director of the UC Davis Family Caregiving Institute.

Young holds a bachelor’s in dietetics from UC Davis, an associate degree in nursing from Sacramento City College, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Southern Oregon State College, and a Master of Science in Nursing with a specialty in gerontology, and a doctorate in nursing science from University of Washington.

Why did you decide to become involved in the health field, and with the nursing profession?

My mom was a nurse and I was inspired by her and the beautiful cape she wore! My grandfather was the founder of a nonprofit that developed retirement housing in South Africa, and as a young girl I sometimes went to work with him, attending board meetings and being there as they prepared to open retirement homes. The director of nursing—there, it was called the matron—of this organization was a force and I admired her beyond words. I learned then I was drawn to working with older people and saw the potential of nursing to make a difference in so many aspects of their lives.

Describe the journey you took to get from that decision to where you are today.

I didn’t go directly into nursing—I knew I wanted to be in health care and I was also drawn to science and the humanities. In college I explored a number of majors, from mathematics to philosophy to human development, before I settled on nutrition/dietetics.

When it was time to sign up for a dietetic internship, I realized I wanted to be a nurse because I wanted a profession that was more holistic, not focused on one aspect of health, a profession that could include all my diverse interests and my love of so many perspectives on health and being human. As I progressed in my nursing practice, education, and research, I focused more and more on older adults and on care in the community. In many ways I came full circle and found that all the lessons along the way prepared me to contribute to the complexity of issues around an aging population.

What impact did the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing report have on you?

The report came out about two years after I had accepted the position of founding dean of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at University of California Davis, a school established to ignite leadership and advance health through bold system change. The report and its recommendations were highly aligned with our mission and vision, and it was so helpful to have this well-considered analysis and set of recommendations from the Institute of Medicine to amplify our message and guide us in program design.

It was also an opportunity for me to become part of the community in California that was energized by the report and eager to implement the recommendations—and I so valued my colleagues across the state who joined forces on this effort.

How have you been involved with the Campaign for Action?

I began as a founding member of the executive committee of the California Action Coalition. I joined the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action Strategic Advisory Committee in 2012.

It was exciting to be part of developing the state Action Coalition, engaging stakeholders and developing an understanding of our strengths upon which to build, and our areas that needed the most attention. Some highlights were the gatherings of Action Coalition leadership from across the nation, where we shared experiences and generated enthusiasm for ongoing work.

It has also been rewarding to be part of the national Campaign’s Strategic Advisory Committee, where we initially focused on how to measure success in a compelling and succinct way and how to support the grassroots efforts across the nation. Recently, I have appreciated our conversations about broadening the influence of nursing through the lens of the Culture of Health.

Of all you have accomplished, what are you most proud of?

I am most proud of the outstanding students, postdocs and junior faculty I have had the privilege to mentor over my career—to see the ripple effect of mentorship, program design, and creating strong learning environments—and the impact they are all having on improving the lives of so many people. It gives me tangible evidence that the future is in good hands.

I am also proud of the policy changes that I have contributed to that promote choice and quality for older adults, based on my practice and research.

What is the most important action that nurses can take to lead the way to improve health and health care in America?

Be bold with our ideas—find ways to contribute those ideas to system change that advances health and improves health care. Recognize where there are opportunities for synergy, and invest your time and energy wisely so that you can have the most impact.

What advice do you have for the next generation?

Recognize the power of critical mass—strive to build your network of colleagues committed to what you care about so that you benefit from diverse perspectives and the strength of one another in advancing health.

The post “Be Bold With Our Ideas”: Go for System Change appeared first on Campaign for Action.

Charlotte M. Parent, RN, BSN, MCHM–Vice President of Business Development, University Medical Center New Orleans, LCMC Health

Nursing Journeys is a profile series featuring Action Coalition leaders discussing their career paths and reflecting on the lessons they’ve learned.

Charlotte Morgan Parent, RN, BSN, MHCM, is the assistant vice president of community affairs and network navigation for LCMC Health, a Louisiana-based nonprofit health care system. Previously, Parent was director of the New Orleans Health Department, and director of Healthy Start New Orleans. Parent earned her master’s in health care management from the University of New Orleans.

Why did you decide to become involved in the nursing profession?

Charlotte M. Parent, RN–Charity Hospital School of Nursing graduate, 1989

I did not have a straight path to becoming a nurse. I was a young mother raising a family, and made the decision that I was ready to have a career. I had several family members involved in the medical profession and decided to see what career opportunities were available. I discovered nursing and it was the best decision outside of my family that I have ever made.

Describe the journey you took to get from that decision to where you are today.

After working as a labor and delivery nurse for a number of years, I had an opportunity to make an impact in helping new nurses adjust to their role not only as care providers, but as patient advocates and colleagues to other health professionals. I continued to move up the career ladder and into nursing administration, where I found my niche as an administrator.

It was only after Hurricane Katrina that I began to realize what real impact nursing could have on the community outside of the walls of the hospital, and I began to focus on those roles. From there, I have served as the city of New Orleans health director, then as the vice president for community affairs with LCMC Health. I am now the vice president for business development at University Medical Center New Orleans. I also serve on several local boards that provide services to the greater New Orleans community, where my experience as a nurse is welcomed and valued.

What impact did the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing report have on you?

There are many roles that nurses can fill on the health care continuum. But the continuance of a nurse’s education though advanced degrees and professional development ensures that nursing stands among other professions as an equal. That nurses continue to grow and learn is important for the patients, the community, and the profession.

How have you been involved with the Campaign for Action?

For several years I have served on the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action Strategic Advisory Committee. It has been a wonderful experience serving with an esteemed group of experts and colleagues from various disciplines, all with an interest in lifting the profession and science of nursing to its rightful place in our society. I have also participated in local events for the Campaign in Louisiana, where we are making strides in lifting the role of the professional nurse.

Of all you have accomplished, what are you most proud of?

Helping to prepare nurses at the bedside to provide direct care. Nothing can replace the satisfaction of a well-prepared RN, who can advocate for their patient to other health care professionals. I am also very proud of my work as the New Orleans health director, where we were able to institute changes in how health is perceived in the city, including instituting the first smoking ban for the city.

What is the most important action that nurses can take to lead the way to improve health and health care in America?

Nurses should remember that our primary role is to ensure that our patients/citizens are the focus of what we do.

The basic premise of being committed to the welfare of those in your care and continued pursuit to elevate the profession are still the core of what it means to be a nurse. The role of the nurse can be as broad as we choose it to be—but should always be centered around what is best for those we serve.

The post Katrina Opened Her Eyes to All That Nurses Can Do appeared first on Campaign for Action.

Bill Novelli, now Distinguished Professor of the Practice at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.

Nurses “have the perspective and experience and the toughness to show us the way.”

Bill Novelli, MA, is Distinguished Professor of the Practice at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. He founded the Georgetown Business for Impact (formerly known as the Global Social Enterprise Initiative) at McDonough and oversees the program, which partners with companies, nonprofits and government to create social, environmental and economic impact.

He served on the Institute of Medicine (now known as the National Academy of Medicine, or NAM) committees on The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, and also Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life. He co-chairs the NAM’s Care Culture and Decision-Making Innovation Collaborative.

Bill is also the co-chair of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care, a national alliance dedicated to reforming advanced illness/end of life care in the U.S.

Bill was CEO of AARP from 2002 to 2009. Before that, he was founder and president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids; executive vice president of CARE, the international relief and development organization; and co-founder and president of Porter Novelli, one of the world’s largest public relations firms and now part of Omnicom.

Bill is on the boards of: the American Cancer Society, the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care, the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Advocacy Network; the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (chair); Capital Caring; and Strategic Partnerships.

Bill has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA from Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication, and pursued doctoral studies at New York University. He taught marketing management for 10 years in the University of Maryland MBA program also taught health communications there.

Why did you decide to become involved in the nursing profession?

First, I have had a long career in health promotion and disease prevention. My earliest experience was working on the National High Blood Pressure Education Program overseen by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health. I quickly learned that nurses are an essential part of the health system and of patient education and care. I applied that lesson throughout my subsequent work across many programs and opportunities.

Second, I served on the Future of Nursing committee at the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine), and all I knew about nurses and their roles was positively reinforced.

I call all this Nurse Power and I see it as critical to health and well-being.

Describe the journey you took to get to where you are today.

My personal journey includes business marketing at a worldwide consumer goods company, Unilever; making it at a hot New York ad agency during the Mad Men era; co-founding and building a large international public relations agency (Porter Novelli); running CARE USA in 40 developing countries; fighting and helping to win the war against the tobacco industry (the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids); leading the largest nonprofit organization in America (AARP); co-funding a national coalition to reform how advanced illness and end-of-life care is delivered in the U.S. (Coalition to Transform Advanced Care, or C-TAC); and now creating and overseeing Georgetown Business for Impact and teaching in the MBA program at Georgetown University.

So I’ve gone from being a commercial marketer to a social marketer to a PR maven to a general manager to a teacher.

What impact did the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing report have on you?

The report has had a strong impact on me. In serving on the committee that produced the report, I learned more than I contributed. But I already knew the power of nursing. As impressive and important as the report itself, it is the Campaign for Action that is achieving the goal of putting the report recommendations into practice.

How have you been involved with the Campaign for Action?

I’ve been serving on the Strategic Advisory Committee and wishing I could do and contribute more to the cause.

Of all you have accomplished, what are you most proud of?

In the course of my career, I’m proudest of my AARP work: getting prescription drugs into Medicare; preventing the partial privatization of Social Security; having redistricting in California moved from the legislature to a citizen committee; doubling AARP’s budget and adding 5 million new members.

What is the most important action that nurses can take to lead the way to improve health and health care in America?

The conclusions and recommendations from the report clearly state how nurses can contribute more. But in my mind the most important way is for nurses to step up from their traditional roles to provide greater leadership—in the health care system as well as outside. We need nurses on corporate boards, on city councils, as military officers, in elected office and in every other leadership role. Why? Because they have the perspective and experience and the toughness to show us the way.

What advice do you have for the next generation?

I teach MBAs. As I watch them go into the world (we just finished commencement at Georgetown), I go home with a happy heart. They, along with other outstanding graduates, are tomorrow’s leaders.

Students sometimes ask me, “What’s the path to success?” There is no single path, and our path is what we make it. That journey can be uncertain, maybe risk-taking and hopefully enormously gratifying. So, I tell them, “Make your own path; you have the skills and the talent and commitment to make it unique and successful.”

The post “Nurse Power”: He Helped Write the Book. (Yes, That Book.) appeared first on Campaign for Action.

Left: Kathleen Ladner at her graduation from Barry University, in Miami, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Right: Ladner in 2017.

Nursing Journeys is a profile series featuring Action Coalition leaders discussing their career paths and reflecting on the lessons they’ve learned.

Kathleen Ladner, PhD, RN, FACHE, a retired chief nursing officer and U.S. Navy captain in Nurse Corps, is co-leader of the Alabama Action Coalition. She is an adjunct associate professor of nursing at the University of Alabama in Birmingham School of Nursing in the Nursing Health Systems Administration program. On active duty from 1968-1973, she served in all nursing leadership capacities, including charge nurse, head nurse, and nurse director. In 1974, she was reactivated in the Naval Reserve; her management positions included administrative officer, executive officer, and commanding officer of a reserve hospital unit and fleet hospital units.

Why did you decide to become a nurse?

I had a desire to care for sick people. My focus early on was working with active duty military personnel and their dependents. I suspect my passion to work with the military population was due to the fact my father was a disabled veteran from the Korean War.

Describe the journey you took to get from that decision to where you are today.

Ladner in her Navy Dress blues.

My journey began with the single professional goal: to be the best military nurse to my patients. My desire to work in the military and the need to secure funding for a baccalaureate nursing education led me to apply for a scholarship with the Navy Nurse Corps Nurse Candidate Program. I was fortunate to be selected in my junior year and the rest is history. I have served in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps for 25 years, a combination of active and reserve duty.

Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to serve in distinctive roles while continuing my military duties. I was faculty in three university-based nursing programs while having joint appointments in nursing service. Next, I was approached to consider becoming a senior leader in a hospital. Thus, for 18 years, I was the vice president of nursing and chief nursing officer at four complex acute care facilities in the South.

Since retiring as a health care executive and from the Navy, I have focused on giving back to my profession and community.

What impact did the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing report have on you?

I found this report informative and inspiring. This report provides a roadmap of what our profession needs to do to transform. Its recommendations show how to maximize the levels of nurse providers in a manner that reflects “out-of-the-box thinking” to improve upon our delivery of care—delivery to all people, in diverse settings, to improve health and continue to provide efficient, cost-effective and quality care to everyone in the U.S. and the world.

How have you been involved with the Campaign for Action?

As president of the Alabama Organization of Nurse Executives (AlaONE), I worked with several leaders in nursing academia and practice, business, and medicine to apply to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to become the state’s Action Coalition. RWJF did select our application in February 2012. I am privileged to be one of the nurse co-leaders of the Alabama Health Action Coalition to further the work of the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing initiative.

Of all you have accomplished, what are you most proud of?

I have had a rich, unplanned journey with outstanding opportunities and experiences. Honestly, it is difficult to single out one accomplishment. I believe one of the threads of my success is my ability to establish credible and successful relationships with every level of nurses, physicians, academic administrators, health care executives, business leaders, and military leaders to succeed in whatever endeavor before me and community.

What is the most important action that nurses can take to lead the way to improve health and health care in America?

First, nurses need to collaborate more among themselves.

Second, nurses need to acknowledge that leadership characteristics are present in each of us but there are varying levels that are unique to everyone.

Third, as a profession we need to mentor individuals to become visible outside their profession such as suggesting they take leadership roles in their community, serve on boards, and consider running for public office at all levels to improve health for all.

Last, I believe that membership in our professional organizations and others will help nursing achieve these points mentioned above.

What advice do you have for the next generation?

Get involved and be part of the solution. What an influential profession we should be for the 21st century, with its challenges and opportunities for nursing and health care. We should be active, not passive, partners in developing the best health care solutions.

The post Her Country Called, and So Did Nursing appeared first on Campaign for Action.

Mary Dickow in her first year at USCF, in the Controller’s Office.

Nursing Journeys is a profile series featuring Action Coalition leaders discussing their career paths and reflecting on the lessons they’ve learned.

Mary Dickow, MPA, FAAN, is statewide director of the California Action Coalition and a national voice in leadership development for nurses and on leadership in health care. Dickow also serves as a program director with HealthImpact, California’s nursing workforce center, and as director of strategic initiatives at the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing. She has a long history working with the University of California, San Francisco including 15 years with Healthforce Center at UCSF, where she served as the deputy director for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows program.

You are a staunch advocate of the nursing profession. Why did you decide to become involved in the field?

My path, to say the least, was indirect. I can’t even say it’s because my mother was a nurse, though she was my first nurse. But truly, my sense of curiosity is what led to where I am today. I have been extremely lucky in meeting people who became mentors who saw potential in me, simply because I ask questions.

Dickow several years ago with Janis Bellack, PhD, RN, FAAN. Bellack, says Dickow, has been a steadfast mentor since they first met.

In short: I was at the University of California in San Francisco, at jobs that initially offered great benefits but were unrelated to nursing. At one point, one of my UCSF jobs had me talking with health researchers who had earned grants. I was fascinated enough by reading their findings, and asking them questions, that I was hired to assist on behalf of the researchers themselves.

In 1997, I had the good fortune of being recruited to work with the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program. Over the course of that program, I learned so much about the profession through engagement with nurse leaders from across the country. I was fortunate to have been mentored by senior nurse leaders who inspired me to do more.

Describe the journey you took to get from that decision to where you are today.

I would not be where I am today, at HealthImpact and the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing, if not for those incredible nurses. They encouraged me to further my education and provided constant feedback. As I learned more about them and the profession, I had a greater understanding of the value of my role as a non-nurse advocate.

What impact did the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing report have on you?

In 2011, I took a leap of faith and left a 27-year position at the University of California, San Francisco to be part of the California Action Coalition. It was the most frightening and rewarding thing I have ever done. Armed with the recommendations from the report, I was inspired to lead efforts to build our Coalition and develop partnerships across the state and nation.

How have you been involved with the Campaign for Action?

From the launch meeting in 2010 until today, I have been actively working with the Campaign for Action. I have served as the statewide director for the California Action Coalition and on a variety of committees at the national level.

Of all you have accomplished, what are you most proud of?

Mary Dickow, MPA, FAAN, program director of HealthImpact, in 2018, with Susan Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN and Garrett Chan, PhD, APRN, FAEN.

I am most proud of my role as a champion for the profession. It is not always easy, but I am certainly passionate about nurses and the roles they play in the health of our nation. In 2014, I was inducted as an honorary fellow in the American Academy of Nursing for my advocacy. As one of two non-nurses to be inducted that year, I still feel honored to have been recognized by my nursing peers.

What is the most important action that nurses can take to lead the way to improve health and health care in America?

Nursing needs to step up and be present at every decision-making table. It will take strong leaders to change health care in this country and nurses are uniquely qualified to lead that charge. The nursing voice is critical in creating healthier communities and ensuring equitable access to care.

What advice do you have for the next generation?

As I tell students, and as my own unorthodox start in this tremendous profession shows, each of us has a path, and reasons for wanting or doing something that may or may not get in the way of our jobs, families, whatever. But for everyone, my advice is to get involved. Join your professional organizations and serve where you can. Find a mentor and dare to lead. We need all of you. Understand that we all have a responsibility to those that we serve to use our voices to ensure they live healthier and more productive lives. Nursing makes that difference!

The post Nurse Leaders Inspired Her to Be a Nurse Champion appeared first on Campaign for Action.