Nurse Executive Podcast

In this episode, Nick Chmielewski welcomes back to the podcast Terry M. Foster, MSN, RN, CPEN, CCRN, TCRN, CEN, FAEN, clinical nurse specialist at St. Elizabeth Healthcare and 2023 president of the Emergency Nurses Association.

Terry reflects on the care he received during a life-threatening ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a heart attack caused by blockage of a coronary artery, in November 2023. He also discusses the concepts and importance of anticipatory planning, patient reassurance, and being fully present to and for the patient.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Brandon Wubben, MD and Cory Wittrock, MD, physicians from the University of Iowa's Department of Emergency Medicine. They discuss their recent article in JACEP Open, "The Impact of Emergency Department Overcrowding and Patient Boarding on Resident Point-of-Care Ultrasound Education."

The article reviews how the effect of emergency department (ED) crowding on resident education has been difficult to quantify. The authors aimed to describe the relationship between ED crowding and residents' ability to meet point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) education goals. After medical records at an academic level 1 trauma center were analyzed, results showed that as ED crowding increased, residents were more likely to fail to meet their POCUS education goals.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Danielle McCamey, DNP, ACNP-BC, FCCP, assistant dean for Strategic Partnerships at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.

She is also the founder, chief executive officer, and president of DNPs of Color, a nonprofit nursing organization whose mission is to increase diversity in doctoral studies, clinical practice, and leadership for nurses. DNP, short for Doctor of Nursing Practice, is the highest level of education a nurse can attain that focuses on clinical practice.

In this episode, Dr. McCamey discusses the importance of collaborating with diverse organizations to create a sense of inclusivity and community within the workplace through connection, mentorship, and advocacy.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Lauren Bruwer, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, PCCN, clinical nurse specialist at the Cleveland Clinic's Digestive Disease Institute, Center for Human Nutrition. With her team having successfully launched a new service line for patients with enteral access devices, Lauren talks about addressing the needs of unique patient populations—specifically tube management and enteral nutrition—to drive positive outcomes and care.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Terry M. Foster, MSN, RN, CPEN, CCRN, TCRN, CEN, FAEN, clinical nurse specialist at St. Elizabeth Healthcare and 2023 president of the Emergency Nurses Association. They discuss the importance of using humor appropriately and effectively to help reduce stress, create a positive environment, and establish relationships with both coworkers and patients.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Noreen Hudson, MSN, RN, BRG's Nursing team lead for perioperative services. They continue a discussion from season 2 of the podcast by reviewing the various departments comprising perioperative services. They delve into the processes and functions of the Preoperative Unit, also known as "pre-op," including assessments and measures completed prior to surgery.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Alison Harmon, MSN, RN, CEN, director of Nursing for the Department of Emergency Medicine and Transport Services and director of Nursing for the Crisis Stabilization Unit at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. They discuss a recent collaborative performance improvement project that yielded nearly $3 million in additional revenue by reducing emergency department left-without-being-seen (LWBS) rates.

They will also copresent on this project at the 2024 Emergency Nursing Conference in September.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Andrew Agwunobi, MD, MBA, chief executive officer at UConn Health. They discuss Dr. Agwunobi's 2019 book An Insider's Guide to Working with Healthcare Consultants, which offers his personal healthcare executive and consultant perspective on hiring and effectively utilizing consultants in the field. He elaborates on choosing the right consultant, negotiating price, and leading an engagement.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Kristen Geissler, MBA, MS, PT, CPHQ, a managing director in BRG's Clinical Economics practice. They discuss how to identify and analyze quality, measures, and outcomes to make improvements within a health system, as well as how nurses can involve themselves in quality improvement initiatives.

In this week's episode, Nick Chmielewski speaks with Anna Valdez, PhD, RN, FAEN, FAADN, professor and chair of nursing at Sonoma State University and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Emergency Nursing. They discuss challenges of bias and racism in nursing and how to identify disparities that arise in the workplace.