Tell Us WHY

In this episode of "Tell Me WHY," hosts Emily O'Sullivan and Jen Wright engage with Dr. Heather Farley, Chief Wellbeing Officer at MUSC Health, to discuss the critical importance of workforce well-being in healthcare. Dr. Farley shares her personal journey from emergency physician to CWO, emphasizing the need for a cultural shift in healthcare towards self-compassion and mutual support. The conversation explores the role of CWOs, the significance of listening to employee voices, and the strategic planning processes that lead to actionable initiatives aimed at improving the healthcare workforce experience. Dr. Farley highlights various programs being implemented at MUSC, including stress first aid training and rejuvenation stations, and discusses the future of workforce well-being in healthcare.

In this special “Hospital Week” episode of the Tell Me Why podcast, Jen Wright and Emily O'Sullivan are joined by SCHA communications staffer Kyle Petersen to chat with Andy Lyons, the Director of Corporate Communications and Content Strategy for Roper St. Francis Healthcare.

They explore Andy’s journey from journalism to healthcare communications and why he finds such value and purpose in telling the story of the hospital and its staff. Andy also shares his thoughts about the importance of empathy, humanizing the healthcare workforce, and emphasizing mission-driven messaging. The conversation also highlights the need for a sense of purpose and pride among healthcare workers that hospital communications teams can support as part of a larger focus on a healthy and engaged workforce.  

In this episode, Russell Baxley, President and CEO of Beaufort Memorial Hospital, shares his journey in healthcare administration and the innovative strategies his hospital is implementing to address workforce challenges, particularly regarding childcare and housing. He and co-hosts Jen Wright and Emily O'Sullivan also talk about the importance of listening to employee needs and forming partnerships in the community to address affordability and other workforce challenges. 

In this episode of SCHA's "Tell Me Why" podcast, hosts Emily O'Sullivan and Jen Wright chat with Dr. Rachel Brown, a family physician and certified corporate wellness specialist who founded Thriving Workforce Solutions. Dr. Brown shares her own experience with burnout and how she came to launch her company as the trio discuss work-life harmony, psychological safety, and the need for tailored approaches to workforce well-being. 

In the latest episode of Tell Me WHY, Jen and Emily chat with Dr. Teresa “Tese” Stephens, RN, PhD, about her research findings on resilience in the healthcare workforce, touching on her early experience in the field and her work with Holocaust survivors that powered her work.  

A recent journal article Dr. Stephens references in the podcast, "Culture Shock: Remote Work in Higher Education" by Teresa M. Stephens, Kristen Poston et al., is available at https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/ijttl/vol1/iss1/2/.

Today's guest is Kristen Dickens MBA, BSN, RN, CENP! Kristen is the Director of Nursing Practice and Innovation at Prisma Health. In this episode we learn how she arrived at nursing via a communications background, her passion for innovation, and how the health system's new virtual nursing program facilitates a better workplace experience for nurses and better care for patients. 

Dr. Carolyn Swinton, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, NCC, ACC, knows a lot and feels a lot about the importance of leadership. When our SC WHY Team decided to launch a podcast to spread big ideas and best practices on leading highly resilient teams, she was one of the first people we wanted to talk to. 

Over the course of her career, Dr. Swinton has served in numerous clinical leadership roles, including Chief Nurse Executive, Prisma Health; Affiliate Faculty, University of South Carolina College of Nursing; and Clinical Associate Professor, Clemson University School of Nursing. She is currently the Founder and CEO of Reveille Executive Coaching & Consulting Services, LLC, and she has been partnering with SCHA on our "WHY We Lead" training designed to help hospital leaders in mid-level management positions enhance and cultivate skills and qualities necessary to successfully lead their teams, drive teamwork and engagement, and embrace change.

As we dug into Dr. Swinton's personal story more deeply, our conversation centered around the importance of empathy, self-awareness, and personal growth for effective leadership in healthcare. Dr. Swinton emphasized mentorship, coaching, and personal development for leaders and highlighted the impact of these practices on leadership effectiveness.

Dr. Swinton is a fount of wisdom and left us with some profound thoughts on leadership, including the importance of understanding one's personal values and long-term goals as a leader and the freedom that comes from realizing one doesn't have to be perfect.