TONL Monthly

 

Greetings to all of our TONL members. In this article, I would like to speak to our recent COVID pandemic and surge, not to speak about all the negatives but to speak about three key components that I have observed and been intimately involved in during the last six months as a Chief Nurse in the Rio Grande Valley. While most of it pertains to the organization where I am the executive, it mirrors what all my esteemed colleagues were challenged with and endured to provide the highest levels of quality care during a time that none of us have ever experienced in our careers and hopefully will never have to face again. While COVID is here to stay, I would like to focus on the following.

Successful organizations are built on leadership, inclusive of past leaders as well as present and future leaders. As TONL moves forward, it is important that we as members remember, recognize, and honor nurse leaders of the past, who have given a significant portion of their professional lives to create our professional environment, developing the organization of today to support and promote excellence in nursing leadership.

 

The first in our series of recognition is Dr. Cole Edmonson. He served as president of TONE/TONL from 2014-2016; he also served as Region 7 representative to AONE/AONL 2017-2019. His ongoing contributions to nursing leadership and his national influence cannot be overstated. He is truly a living legacy and a role model for the reach that each of us can attain through service – as nurse leaders, managers, and administrators.

 

My inspiration to pursue a degree in nursing administration stems from my desire to be the effective leader that I feel is so desperately needed in healthcare today. This program has taught me the value of evidenced-based practice, financial management, and how to effectively perform research, but I was always looking for a guide on effectively leading people. I finally found that in Brene’ Brown’s book Dare to Lead. I have learned that being an effective leader is two-fold process for me: working on myself and working for others.

 

AONL's new podcast Today in Nursing Leadership hosts monthly conversations with nursing leadership experts. Each episode will provide information, insights and innovations that drive change and provoke action. Hear from experts highlighting challenges facing nurse leaders today and how to navigate these for success. Subscribe today on Spotify, Apple, Google, Stitcher and all other podcasting platforms, and listen to the first episode: Highly Reliable Nurses Listen