Staffing a Unit with 17 pregnant nurses at the same time SHOULD be a nightmare! But Chief Nursing Officer, Lisa Gossett, RN, MSN, CENP has created a culture where frontline leaders have the appropriate tools and resources to make not only be successful, but actually CELEBRATE this rare event! Find out the leadership tools, the staffing strategies, and practices Lisa uses that engage staff to make it all possible!

Cindy and Taresa interview Lisa to get a behind the scenes view of what she's been doing to support such an incredible story! Lisa shares insights that she has learned over her 30 years of nursing leadership experience, offers invaluable advice, and wisdom for new and experienced leaders alike. Lisa is an incredibly talented nurse leader who uses her humble beginnings and genuine passion for creating an entire hospital system of engaging, present, and system driven leaders who provide excellent care on a daily basis!

Subscribe for weekly nursing leadership breakdowns, and comment below on how you handle unexpected staffing shortages on your unit.

Referenced articles, stories, and books:

Meet the 17 Pregnant Nurses Who All Work at the Same Hospital:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdXd3Bf-GfE&list=PPSV&t=13s

@the.nurse.erica video on “Bid Shift” staffing.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1402112248440063

UNC Statement Article:
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article316761233.html

Book Link: R.E.A.D.I. to Lead
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578250551?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Strengths Based Leadership:
https://bit.ly/4g2R1tS

AONL 2nd Generation Insight Study
https://www.aonl.org/resources/nursing-leadership-survey

Lisa Gossett Contact:
[email protected]
[email protected]

Master difficult conversations in nursing leadership. Learn essential strategies to manage conflict and de-escalate situations.

Handling difficult conversations is a core skill for any nurse leader. When workplace tensions rise, acting as a calm presence is essential to resolving the issue before it spreads. This guide provides specific techniques to navigate these high-pressure interactions effectively, moving from reaction to resolution.

Whether you are addressing performance issues or managing interpersonal conflict, having a structured approach prevents burnout and maintains team cohesion. You will learn actionable steps to keep your cool, maintain professional standards, and ensure your communication remains productive even during a professional dumpster fire.

Subscribe for weekly nursing leadership strategies and comment below on which management challenge you want covered next.

Books Referenced:
Crucial Conversations: http://bit.ly/45zPTsR
Non Violent Communication: https://bit.ly/3U86Nw9
Dare to Lead: https://bit.ly/453CpFB

In this episode, Cindy and Taresa share their personal experiences with leadership challenges, burnout, and growth in healthcare. They discuss strategies for resilience, the importance of connection, and practical tips for managing stress and imposter syndrome. 

Resources

Patricia Benner - Novice to Expert - https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Patricia+Benner+Novice+to+Expert

LinkedIn - Cindy Merritt - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindymerritt

LinkedIn - Taresa - https://www.linkedin.com/in/taresa

Healthcare Crisis Insights - https://www.healthcarejournal.com/article/healthcare-crisis-2023

Chapters:

00:00 Navigating Areas of Growth

05:59 Imposter Syndrome and Leadership Challenges

12:24 The Impact of COVID on Leadership

16:30 The Journey from Novice to Expert in Nursing Leadership

17:12 Navigating Growth Phases in Leadership

19:31 Emotional Resilience in Nursing Leadership

23:59 Building a Strong Team Culture

26:35 The Importance of Connection and Mentorship

30:09 Sustaining Leadership Through Challenges

Watch Next: 1:1’s for Large Teams: A Nurse Leader’s Guide to Success

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCcmwXZHFpw

Cindy and Taresa are Master's-prepared and Certified nurse leaders who entered leadership at the height of COVID with minimal resources and support.  They learned a lot of hard lessons the hard way and don’t want others to have to learn them the same way!  In this episode, they discuss a mistake many leaders make without even realizing it.  Tune in to hear what you might be doing to unintentionally degrade trust and buy in without even realizing it, and how to avoid doing it ever again! 

Chapters:

00:00 Chapter 1

01:02 Chapter 2

05:16 Chapter 3

06:49 Chapter 4

08:27 Chapter 5

Watch Next: Difficulties in Leadership; Nurse Supervisor Stress and Burnout https://youtu.be/5ISc7bXwIbw?si=PV6it_Z-8JgRt9xi

Setting a clear vision with your team is essential and without it, you may be fighting an uphill battle.  But how do you even do that?  Cindy and Taresa, Masters prepared and certified nurse leaders with several years of experience walk you through exactly how to do that in this video.  

Chapters

00:00 Chapter 1

06:36 Chapter 2

09:29 Chapter 3

15:55 Chapter 4

19:29 Chapter 5

Watch Next: Difficulties in Leadership; Nurse Supervisor Stress and Burnout https://youtu.be/5ISc7bXwIbw?si=PV6it_Z-8JgRt9xi

Setting a clear vision with your team is essential, and without it, you may be fighting an uphill battle.  But how do you even do that?  Cindy and Taresa, Masters prepared and certified nurse leaders with several years of experience, walk you through exactly how to do that in this video.  

Chapters

00:00 Chapter 1

06:36 Chapter 2

09:29 Chapter 3

15:55 Chapter 4

19:29 Chapter 5

In this episode, we discuss a white paper from the AONL that explores innovative nurse staffing strategies, focusing on acuity-based scheduling, technology integration, and float pool management to improve patient care and staff satisfaction. 

https://youtu.be/REuuR9ImtwQ

AONL 2025 Nurse Staffing Trends Report - https://www.aonl.org/resources/2025-nurse-staffing-trends

Other resources:

AccuStaff Scheduling Software - https://www.accustaff.com

Nurse Leader Competencies - AONL - https://www.aonl.org/resources/nurse-leadership-competencies

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Conference Insights

02:58 Acuity-Based Staffing vs. Ratios

05:57 Technology in Nurse Scheduling

08:50 Challenges in Staffing and Patient Care

11:44 Key Findings from the Article

14:45 Decentralized vs. Centralized Scheduling

17:50 Float Pools and Their Effectiveness

20:33 Balancing Staff Satisfaction and Patient Safety

23:34 Innovative Scheduling Solutions

26:28 Conclusion and Future Considerations

In this episode, we talk about the challenge of landing your first job when you are driven and really want to be a nurse leader. Tune in with us as we talk with Melissa Lavis, who shares her journey from Disneyland to Nursing Leadership. Melissa endured a lot of rejection before she landed her first job. How did she manage those experiences?

Chapters:

00:00 Chapter 1 

03:08 Chapter 2

07:28 Chapter 3

12:14 Chapter 4

25:14 Chapter 5

32:44 Chapter 6

40:01 Chapter 7

Watch Next: ADHD is our SUPERPOWER as Nurse Leaders https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr8fg148RkU

Taresa and Cindy are Master's Prepared and Certified Nurse Leaders who are on a journey to empower other nurse leaders to create dynamic and high-functioning teams that produce improved patient outcomes and happy staff!  In this episode, Cindy and Taresa reflect on hard lessons they have learned when good intentions failed and created bigger problems.  Find out what they would do differently if they had known what they know now. 

In this podcast episode, Taresa and Cindy continue to explore Nurse Leader Burnout and share tips, tricks, sacrifices, and mindsets required to make things work.  Learn how investing in your staff will pay it forward and help you manage your workload.

Watch Next: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7CGOMY_JQw&t=11s How Nurse Leaders Can Build Resilience after Trauma and Workplace Violence

Reference: 

42% Rule https://www.stkate.edu/academics/healthcare-degrees/nurse-burnout#:~:text=Prioritize%20Physical%20and%20Mental%20Health,challenges%20and%20not%20experience%20burnout.