The Handoff

Dani speaks with Bryan Sisk, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive at Memorial Hermann Health System, to discuss their transformative work in the healthcare industry. Bryan shares insights about the Memorial Hermann Nursing Institute, which is designed to accelerate innovation and support nurses in their professional development. He also highlights their community-centric approach, with a focus on impacting health holistically through unique programs, initiatives, and partnerships. Bryan calls for nurses to embrace their roles as innovators and problem solvers in the ever-evolving healthcare landscape.

Dani speaks with Lisa Summers and Kimberly Gordon, the cofounders of Healing Politics, a nonprofit dedicated to getting more nurses into elected office. Hear how nurses' experiences in clinical settings, their ability to establish trust, and their systems thinking make them ideal candidates for elected positions.

Lisa and Kimberly also share stories of nurse legislators, emphasizing the importance of health considerations in policy-making. The conversation highlights the need for mentorship, support, and civic engagement among the nursing community to amplify their voice and promote positive change in the political environment. Join us as we dive into the world of nursing and politics, and envision a future where nurses can bring healing and innovative solutions to a divided political landscape.

Dani speaks with Rudy Jackson, the Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer of UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin. Rudy talks about the challenges faced by healthcare leaders in providing flexibility to their nursing staff, while also meeting the needs of patients. He discusses the importance of self-scheduling and work-life balance, as well as the need to stay informed and up-to-date with changes in healthcare. Rudy emphasizes the importance of listening to frontline staff and supporting them in finding solutions to problems. We dive deep into the challenges faced by healthcare organizations in providing high-quality care while also supporting their staff.

Aries Limbaga is the CEO of Rancho Amigos National Rehabilitation Center and System Chief Nursing Officer. He joins Dani to discuss his career journey, the importance of flexibility in nursing, and the implementation of a new staffing model. Aries shares how his immigrant background and passion for serving marginalized populations led him to the county's health services. He also discusses the aging nursing workforce and the importance of attracting and retaining new talent through residency programs and flexible staffing solutions. Aries also emphasizes the potential benefits of technology in creating more nimble scheduling processes.

In this insightful episode, Dani shares inspiring story of Lavender, a mental health practice that was founded and launched in just 45 days during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Co-founders Brighid Gannon (DNP, PMHNP-BC) and Pritma Dhillon-Chattha (DNP, MHA, RN) share their journey of starting from scratch, creating a unique and accessible mental health service that combines psychotherapy and medication management in a single appointment. They discuss their nurse-founded and nurse-operated business model, the challenges and advantages of remote work, and their vision for the future of nursing and mental health care. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in mental health, nursing, entrepreneurship, and the rapidly changing landscape of healthcare.

Rex Lomboy joins Dan to discuss the Integrated Resource Center's mission to put people in the right place at the right time — while easing the way for nursing leaders. Discover how the center manages schedules across multiple hospitals, leverages data and technology to optimize staffing, and addresses challenges faced by nurses. We explore the importance of partnership and collaboration with various stakeholders, from nursing staff to IT and human resources. Learn about the evolving staffing model, the role of per diem and contract labor, and how Providence's Traveler Conversion Playbook aims to turn temporary workers into long-term assets. Rex also shares insights on remaining open to change, adopting innovation, and the power of community in advancing the profession of nursing.

Brie Sandow, the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer at St. Luke's Meridian Medical Center, discusses the importance of understanding seasonality and the benefits of using a closed calendar year to inform staffing. She highlights the importance of communication, and dives deep into the problems with attempting to legislate staffing standards and ratios, and the need to focus on data, analytics, and experts to best determine scheduling and staffing.

Dani Bowie, the new host of The Handoff, speaks with Daniel Hudson, the Vice President of Nursing Administration and Operations for Jefferson Health.

Daniel tells Dani about Jefferson Health's SEAL team, which stands for Service, Excellence, Advocacy, and Leadership. It's a team of flexible nurses who work across Jefferson's clinical enterprise, including its 18 hospitals in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The SEAL team approach offers nurses the flexibility to move around and work in different environments while still having a home within the team — with great compensation. Daniel also shares details on Jefferson Health's upcoming virtual care pilot program, which will involve SEAL nurses as dual-licensed virtual nurses. The program aims to augment care delivery rather than replace it, and will focus on improving nursing care planning, patient education, and discharges, among other things. The organization is looking at various KPIs to measure the program's success, including documentation time, nurse and healthcare team retention, and patient experience.

Daniel also shares his thoughts on flexible scheduling, and the varied needs of different nurses and how best to accommodate them.

It's a great conversation to kick off this exciting new season of The Handoff. Please rate and review in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen!