Leadership and Governance
Nursing Leadership Fellowship Takes Risk Out of Exploring Opportunities
Clinical nurses are taking advantage of an opportunity to try on a leadership role while keeping their current clinical position. The Nursing Leadership Fellowships provide an opportunity for nurses to develop and enhance leadership skills while they take on a leadership role that needs interim coverage.
Clinical nurses often are approached to pursue leadership positions. While experts at clinical care, they might need to learn and develop other key skills and knowledge to immediately be successful in a nonclinical role. These emerging leaders frequently need assistance in identifying resources and addressing barriers in leadership positions. Furthermore, some clinical nurses are reluctant to transition from their current position to the unknown of a leadership position without first seeing if the new role is a good fit.
“I was feeling unsure about the next steps in my career. I felt unsettled because I did not have any significant long-term goals for my career,” explains Jack Jorgensen, a Nursing Professional Development practitioner in ambulatory care in Seattle Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. He talked with Nursing Professional Development Practitioner Heather Kays, who recommended the fellowship to him, saying: Your job may be good right now, but it could be great. “For me, that quote really hits the nail on the head. I feel the fellowship opened so many doors for me and reignited the spark in my passion for nursing.”
Jorgensen appreciated how the fellowship allowed him to dip a toe in the world of leadership without having to commit to more school. “It was evident to me pretty quickly that I do enjoy the workflow and different challenges and learning opportunities that I encounter as a Nursing Professional Development practitioner, enough so that I have now transitioned to a permanent position,” he reports. “I am now more open and optimistic about the idea of continuing my education and other opportunities to advance my career.”
Mentorship Provides Resources and Connections
This fellowship not only attracts clinical nurses into leadership positions but also helps retain them. Fellows provide coverage for interim (e.g., due to parental leave or an intermittent leave of absence) or hard-to-fill leadership positions. Each fellow is assigned a leadership mentor from the Nursing Practice, Professional Development and Innovation (NPPDI) department for the duration of the fellowship. The mentor meets with each fellow weekly, and then meetings occur at the fellow’s direction as needed.
The mentor–fellow discussions provide a safe environment for the fellow to reflect on successes and challenges, or to explore leadership topics with the mentor. The mentor introduces the fellows to leadership resources and connects them with key people related to their specific interim role. Fellows have provided coverage for managers, Nursing Professional Development practitioners and clinical nurse specialists.
Taking Risk Out of Trying on Leadership Positions
Importantly, the fellow’s clinical position is held for them throughout the program. Then, if the leadership position is available at the end of the fellowship, the clinical nurse can apply for the permanent leadership position. At the conclusion of their fellowship, 51% of the fellows took a leadership role. Another 6% accepted a leadership role after returning to their clinical position for a short time.
Participants reported feeling supported and included as members of the leadership team. Fellows accessed resources and created personal connections as they developed skills and integrated into the leadership team. Notably, fellows gained an appreciation for the invisible work of leaders. Fellows valued being able to explore a leadership role before deciding to take the leap of transitioning out of their clinical role.
Since its inception in 2018, 41 nurses have participated in the Nursing Leadership Fellowship.
In 2022, 27 nurses participated—this is more participants in one year than participants in the last four years!
Being in the fellowship program allowed me to step into a role where I was able to be a part of making change in the unit for the better and that just felt really fulfilling and refreshing for me coming from the bedside. Seeing all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes for our bedside nurses and for our patients was eye-opening and I am honored to have been given the opportunity to witness and participate in helping make things better.
— Bailey Galbraith, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Nursing Professional Development practitioner
As an RN, I take pride in professional development, and the fellowship program catered to this interest. This program truly set me up for success as I transitioned to the role as a permanent employee.
— Marienel “Rien” Grino, Acute Care Float Pool, Nursing Professional Development practitioner
I felt well supported throughout the fellowship, and that support has continued as I transitioned to the full-time position. The NPD team is extremely welcoming to new team members, and everyone has been eager to help with my transition from bedside RN to NPD practitioner. The weekly meetings with my mentor (shout-out to Denise [Sackinger]) were, and still are, particularly helpful to me as I learn how to navigate various challenges and successes within the new role.
— Jack Jorgensen, Ambulatory Care, Seattle Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Nursing Professional Development practitioner
I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to participate in this fellowship, and I don’t feel like it’s something a lot of hospitals offer. It has already been such a great learning opportunity for me and allowed me to grow my confidence as a nursing leader and be an active participant in both unit and hospital-wide change that would not have been available to me as a bedside nurse. I think Seattle Children’s does a great job at giving their staff opportunities to find the place that they truly belong and can shine, even if it takes a few tries.
— Samantha Koehler, Inpatient Seattle Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center Nursing Professional Development practitioner
The NPD fellowship allowed me to “dip my toe” into the leadership water before jumping head in! I really appreciate this opportunity and am so grateful for all that I learned these last eight months.
— Sarah Rainville, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit Nursing Professional Development practitioner fellow
The fellowship has been such a valuable experience that has given me the opportunity to learn various skills, be more involved in my workplace, and develop new connections and relationships. It has reignited my love for nursing because I am able to support my team in a different way and work on projects that I am excited about!
— Janelle Constantino Reidy, Acute Care Generalist Nursing Professional Development practitioner fellow
I greatly appreciated the fellowship opportunity with NPD. Participating in the fellowship program gave me the opportunity to learn and grow in a leadership role with a lot of support and mentorship. After I understood the basics of my role, I was able to start my own projects and bring new ideas into my department, which was fun and empowering for me! After 6 months of being back in my original role post-fellowship, I have accepted a permanent position with NPD, so am excited to get back into that role.
— Sara Van-DerGiessen, Operating Room Nursing Professional Development practitioner
This fellowship benefited me personally by allowing me to grow my interpersonal skills and become more comfortable with public speaking, which I previously did not look forward to.
— Amanda Vo, Surgical Unit Nursing Professional Development practitioner fellow
Learn about this work and more in the 2022 Nursing Annual Report. (PDF)
Nurses Refresh the Nursing Strategic Plan for 2022-2024
In September 2022, we held a one-day retreat to examine the existing 2020-2022 Nursing Strategic Plan, which had nine goals. The strategic plan provides guidance that empowers nurses to provide excellent, high-quality and evidence-based nursing care. Our objective was to identify new projects and priorities to support our previously defined goals. Retreat attendees included clinical nurses who were chairs of organization-wide shared governance councils, their leadership mentors plus senior nursing leaders. The strategic plan is important because it provides guidance that empowers nurses to provide excellent, high-quality and evidence-based nursing care.
Original Nine Goals Deemed Still Relevant
We did a careful evaluation of the nine goals and determined they were still relevant in terms of our priorities as nurses and Seattle Children’s overall priorities. Thus, the resulting 2022-2024 plan consists of the same nine goals: retention; collaboration; equity, diversity and inclusion; staff support and wellness; professional development; workforce development; care across the continuum; mental health; and research.
For the refresh, after we decided to keep the original nine goals, we shifted our focus to identifying which projects would support and help us achieve the goals, removing or adding projects to attain the goals. We brainstormed additional projects that could help us achieve each goal, in the end prioritizing three projects per goal. After the retreat, the Nurse Executive Practice Council carefully reviewed the outputs from the retreat to finalize the prioritization of projects to arrive at a final plan. The Nursing Strategic Plan Refresh was communicated in October at the Nursing Assembly.
As an example, our goal for retention is “We will create a work environment and provide opportunities where nurses feel valued and supported throughout their careers.” The associated projects for the goal of retention include:
- Enhancements to leader rounding
- Performance at top of license for nurse, certified nursing assistants and medical assistants
- Standardization of duties for certified nursing assistants across inpatient units
- Implementation of strategies for staff support
Additionally, from the nine goals, each shared governance council selected one project to focus on that aligned with their goals. Next, they created a SMART goal attached to the project (meaning a goal that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound). We wanted to ensure the goals were both cascaded through shared governance and attainable by assigning only one project per council. As an example, the HEAL (Health Equity and Activism Through Learning) shared governance council selected an equity, diversity and inclusion goal with an associated project of “provide preceptors with tools to support inclusivity and a welcoming environment.”
Current Status
Each shared governance council is identifying strategies to move their project forward. In addition to the shared governance projects, additional projects from the retreat were assigned to the Nurse Executive Practice Council, whose members are also moving forward on their projects.
Learn about this work and more in the 2022 Nursing Annual Report. (PDF)
Working at Seattle Children’s
To reach our goals, we are committed to recruiting and retaining the best nurses. We invite you to search our current job openings.
Seattle Children’s provides opportunities for our nurses to learn and grow in an innovative environment while being in full partnership with other providers on multidisciplinary teams. We support and engage our nursing staff with training and educational opportunities, state-of-the-art-facilities and equipment, shared governance and comprehensive benefits.
When hiring, we look for nurses who share our passion for family-centered care and who practice at the top of their profession. Whether you are a new nursing graduate eager to participate in our healing environment, or a seasoned professional committed to advancing the practice of nursing, we welcome your application.