Passing Along Advice to My Younger Nursing Colleagues

Memory Shelf

As I look back over my 40-year nursing career, I sometimes wish I were still in the classroom so I could tell my students a few things I’ve come to believe are important on the road to becoming leaders. I say leaders, because we need leaders at this time of transition in our health care system as we wrestle with terms such as accessibility, affordability, choices, quality, safety, value, and innovations.

That’s a mouthful, I know. Jargon, you may say. So let me pare down what I want to share with you to three ordinary words of advice*: learn, listen, and empower.

What comes to your mind when you think about each one?

When I think of learn, I remember all the classrooms I’ve sat in at degree-granting programs, as well as countless in-services, conferences, and conventions. And I remember tidbits of all the conversations I’ve had…