Leadership Snapshot: Amy Sper, RN, MSN. Drake Center Vice President of Patient Services & Chief Nursing Officer

Transcription

1 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 1 Leadership Snapshot: Amy Sper, RN, MSN Drake Center Vice President of Patient Services & Chief Nursing Officer Barb Henry, APRN-BC, MSN Leadership in Healthcare Organizations Susan Kennerly, PhD, RN, Associate Professor November 25, 2009

2 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 2 Amy Sper, RN, BSN, MBA, is Vice President, (VP), of Patient Services, and Chief Nursing Officer, (CNO), for the Drake Center, (Drake Center, Leadership Team, 2009). Ms. Sper has been in the position for two years. Ms. Sper has been in nursing for twenty five years, and started as a medical/surgical nurse. Ms. Sper was Director of Nursing, (DON), at Deaconess Hospital and loved that work, was sad to see that Deaconess Hospital will no longer exist in the near future. After Deaconess, Ms. Sper worked as a nurse at the Drake Center, but left to work at Aetna for a few years, which provided a better sense of the insurance side of patient care. Ms. Sper returned to Drake as DON for Case Managers for two years, prior to being promoted to VP of Patient Services and CNO. Ms. Sper s manager at Aetna gave feedback that Ms. Sper manages like a man, which was meant as a complement regarding Ms. Sper s business skills and ability to manage emotions better than many female colleagues. Ms. Sper commented that in addition to having a strong business sense, there is also a creative side. Ms. Sper attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts high school. The primary responsibilities of VP of patient services at Drake is to oversee clinical operations of the lab, psychology consult services, physical and occupational therapy departments, speech, wound care, and special procedures. Ms. Sper reported that each of these areas has an excellent manager; for example, the Medical Psychology department is managed by Dr. Paul Newman, who provides neuropsychology consultation services along with six psychology interns. Ms. Sper s primary leadership role is performing the duties of Drake Center CNO. Ms. Sper stated that nursing occupies about eighty percent of the VP/CNO position time. Ms. Sper is CNO for all nursing services including: skilled nursing and long term acute care,

3 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 3 (LTAC), assessment, and case management teams. The assessment nurses work at various agencies and hospitals providing assessment for appropriateness of Drake Center services, and coordination of referrals. The case management nurses manage all aspects of care for patients during their stay at Drake, and coordinate discharge planning and appropriate follow up referral. The assessment and case management teams each have a DON. Ms. Sper reported that the LTAC average daily census, (ADC) is 80, the skilled nursing ADC is 120. The skilled nursing units are staffed with License Practical Nurses, (LPNs), some Registered Nurses, (RNs), and State-Tested Nursing Assistants, (STNAs), and the LTAC is staffed primarily with RN s and STNA support. Ms. Sper s leadership approach was described to be very hands-on. Ms. Sper recalled the quotation: Delegating work works, provided the one delegating works too, (Half, 2009). Ms. Sper s experience as a medical/surgical nurse provided skills for getting into the trenches, when there is a need. Ms Sper reported a shift to stepping back a bit, and empowering middle managers to problem solve more independently. When Ms. Sper assumed the VP/CNO position two years ago, there was a need for a huge nursing management change and overhaul. Basic policies and procedures were lacking; nurse managers were retained if they were liked, rather than for their competency. Drake was tainted over twenty years ago by the serial killings of Donald Harvey, an orderly at Drake from 1982 to 1987, (Hilzenrath, 1987). Many people still associate Drake with the Harvey incidents, or think of Drake as the place where people go to die or to be taken care of when there are no family caregivers. Ms. Sper discussed the implementation process for many changes made to improve patient care and nursing services at Drake, now considered a state-of-the-art rehabilitation

4 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 4 facility. Ms. Sper essentially wiped out the entire nursing management team in the first six months as CNO, and replaced them with competent leaders. Ms. Sper led the nursing staff to focus on patient outcomes and improving quality patient care. This was a difficult process, but was mentioned as a best practice experience, because of the improvement in quality of staff and patient care. Another more recent best practice initiative was a drill to prepare for possible nursing shortages. The staff implemented essential nursing tasks, and skipped or delegated those that could be completed by non-nursing staff. The drill will be helpful in the case of an epidemic like swine flu, weather emergencies, or any other severe staff shortage that may occur. Ms. Sper is not the type of leader who is focused on a title or office space. Ms. Sper s boss, Senior Vice President/Site Executive for Drake, insisted that Ms. Sper have the large office in the administrative suite that the former marketing director occupied. Ms. Sper was fine in the previous position s smaller office down the hall. Ms. Sper did make the move and has a nice roomy office with a large window, working table, desk, book cases, comfortable chairs, and space. Ms. Sper reported some collaboration with the VP/CNO counterpart at University Hospital. There is concern about the impending demise of the Health Alliance, but Ms. Sper is confident that Drake will be purchased by another company, and that the VP/CNO job will either still exist, or another opportunity will arise. Ms. Sper does not attempt to position for survival or power, but focuses on the task at hand. When asked about time management, Ms. Sper talked about two school aged children and the parent sharing arrangement with the children s father. The children are with their father on Mondays and Tuesdays, which are Ms. Sper s longer work days. Ms. Sper

5 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 5 presented with a very professional demeanor as well as genuine warmth and interest. Ms. Sper provided the author with an hour of time, expressing willingness to help a nurse seeking further education and career development. Though Ms. Sper has a large scope of responsibilities, there are excellent DONs who are accepting more delegation. Ms. Sper continues to assist middle managers with difficult situations like termination of staff. Ms. Sper described a situation where a nurse in good standing had been pre-charting on patients. When this was discovered, Ms. Sper assisted in termination of that employee. The nurse in question recognized the severity of the violation. In another termination situation, an LPN, already in the disciplinary process, claimed to be sick, and went home in order for another nurse to not be pulled to a different unit. This was considered abandonment of duties, grounds for immediate termination. Ms. Sper was surprised at the need to address basic common sense in creating and sustaining healthy work environments. Ms. Sper had to develop a policy for no facial piercings or visible tattoos; tattoos must be covered by clothing. Ms. Sper also had to develop a policy of no cell phones being permitted in work areas, because employees were having social conversations in the middle of their work hours, which was annoying and inappropriate. Ms. Sper s ability to lead and have the authority to make necessary and difficult decisions was clear throughout the interview. Ms. Sper gave an example of another difficult situation, which required assertiveness with other senior administrators. About one year prior to the interview, the Drake Center CEO and VP of Marketing wanted the marketing department to have access to the patients records and medical information in order to follow up with referral sources after patient discharge from Drake. Ms. Sper made the decision that such

6 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 6 access would be a HIPAA violation, and that this was a request for information on a want to know rather than need to know basis. Ms. Sper s philosophy was that the marketing department could develop other strategies to establish and maintain positive relationships with referral sources. There were several meetings to explore this possibility, but Ms. Sper stood her ground, and was able to keep the patients records confidential, despite persistence from other senior administrators that such information sharing was appropriate. Though Ms. Sper did not have an official leadership model to guide priority setting, Ms. Sper was instrumental in forming a hospital staffing committee upon promotion to the VP/CNO position. The staffing committee looked at patient needs and nursing roles. The Intensive Care Units, (ICUs), had been staffed with eighty percent LPNs. That staffing pattern led to some horrendous mistakes and omissions. The committee, led by Ms. Sper, upgraded staffing to more RN s with STNA support and moved LPNs to the skilled care units. Ms. Sper described the principles of the Synergy Model and was pleased to receive a copy of the Kaplow & Reed article on the AACN Synergy Model for patient care from this author, (2008). Ms. Sper explained how LTACs are run much differently than skilled nursing units, though insurance companies and third party payers would like to only pay for skilled nursing. The LTAC care areas are similar to ICU step down units with patients on ventilators, with complex medical issues, and higher level staffing needs. The primary stakeholders at the Drake Center are the staff already described, as well as the staff nurses, STNAs, patients, families, and community. Two years ago the community passed a ten million dollar levy to support the Drake Center. Drake is still utilizing funds from that levy. Administrators decided against presenting another levy this year, because of the economic times and potential owner change for Drake. Ms. Sper is perceived to be a

7 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 7 competent member of the administrative team, equal to her peers in finance, information technology, accounting, marketing, and other departments. This author was not familiar with LTAC or rehabilitation hospital facilities prior to the visit to the Drake Center and interview with Ms. Sper. The facility is very impressive with clean hallways, and helpful personnel who provided directions. The author did not visit the nursing units or patient care areas to assess the level of technology available. The Drake Center website was helpful in providing information about levels of care available: LTAC, Transitional Skilled Nursing Care, Outpatient Services, Assisted Living, Wellness, and Research, (Drake Center, Levels of Care, 2009). The website also includes information about: referral for services, facility tour, research, news and events, how to donate to the Drake Foundation, satellite locations, community resources, and many more categories of helpful information. Ms. Sper described the biggest change in the past two years was the incorporation of the Drake Center into the Health Alliance, and the impending withdrawal of the Health Alliance as owner of the Drake Center, projected to occur in the coming year. Ms. Sper anticipates that the Drake Center may be purchased by Tri-Health, and run by a private LTAC company like Regency or Select, which are present in Good Samaritan hospital rehabilitation units now. Regency and Select are companies with the ability to provide more financial support to Drake. Ms. Sper described the merger with the Health Alliance as unsuccessful because, we got together for dinner sometimes, but we never really merged cultures. Ms. Sper is a strong advocate for nursing staff at the Drake Center. Ms. Sper s business and interpersonal skills facilitate the stability and improvement of nursing services, and support through whatever changes may lie ahead. Ms. Sper s strengths are: decisiveness,

8 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 8 knowledge, experience, and leadership by example. Ms. Sper possesses the personal traits necessary to be a strong leader: self-confidence, honesty, and drive, (Daft, 2008). Ms. Sper is both people and task-oriented with a high-high leadership style, alternating between focus on people or task, depending on the needs of the situation or the followers involved. Ms. Sper s weaknesses are described to be a lack of credentialing through the American Organization of Nurse Executives, (AONE), and through the American College of Healthcare Executives, (ACHE); goals for Ms. Sper also struggles with empowering middle managers, in order to pursue time for executive level learning and leadership as VP/CNO. Sometimes Ms. Sper finds it difficult to step back. Ms. Sper is accessible, frequently seen on the units and out of her office. Ms. Sper s presence is calming in a climate of fear about future employment, given past and possible future change at Drake. Ms. Sper has developed diagnostic skills and flexibility to provide effective leadership of nurses at the Drake Center, (Daft, 2008). Ms. Sper keeps in mind the number one priority, which is quality patient and family care. Ms. Sper appeared to possess a high degree of emotional intelligence. Ms. Sper was selfaware, able to self-manage, socially aware, and able to manage relationships well, (Daft, 2008). Ms. Sper has had a positive impact on the Drake Center by facilitating growth and development and learning of employees, creating a sense of purpose and meaning; instilling unity and team spirit; and basing relationships on trust and respect, allowing employees to take risks and fully contribute, (Daft, 2008). Ms. Sper is a strong transformational and transactional leader. Ms. Sper achieves a balance between transformational and transactional behaviors, creating a leadership style that matches the changing needs of followers at the Drake Center, (McGuire & Kennerly, 2006).

9 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 9 When assuming the VP/CNO position, there was a need for transactional leadership: development of basic policies and procedures, revising staffing patterns, disciplinary actions necessary to correct employee behaviors, and other task driven changes. Ms. Sper demonstrates leadership behaviors indicative of a belief in TheoryY, that people will seek out greater responsibility, exercise imagination and creativity in the pursuit of organizational problems, rather than Theory X, that people are basically lazy, not motivated to work, and naturally avoid responsibility, (Daft, 2008). After two years in the VP/CNO position, Ms. Sper has moved beyond the management of transaction, to motivating performance beyond expectations through the ability to influence nursing attitudes, (McGuire & Kennerly, 2006). Ms. Sper has established an environment that empowers nursing leaders at Drake, and has inspired improved patient outcomes, nursing care, and client satisfaction. Ms. Sper s soft skills of leadership balance the hard skills of management, (Daft, 2008). Ms. Sper advocates for patients and nurses at senior leadership levels, and is responsible for ensuring the capability and capacity of the nursing department, (Havens, et al, 2008). The example of the conflict with the marketing department and CEO about protecting patient confidentiality, illustrates Ms. Sper s patient advocacy. Ms. Sper has re-shaped the environment at Drake, where nurses practice, students learn, and consumers receive health care with the goal of inspiring those around them to reach for excellence, (Havens, et al, 2008). The reputation of Drake has changed from being a place where patients go to die at the hands of less than ideal caregivers, to a center where patients and families are treated with respect, dignity, and receive state-of-the-art care and rehabilitation.

10 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 10 Ms. Sper drove initiatives like the staffing committee, and the drill for nursing staff shortage, to improve patient safety and increase the quality of care while managing the complexities of the nursing workforce and controlling costs, (Havens, et al, 2008). Ms. Sper s business expertise and professional demeanor give her credibility with the senior leadership team that is necessary to advocate for patients and nursing staff. Ms. Sper is the primary architect of nursing practice and patient care environments, which have been linked with nurse retention and safe, high quality patient care, (Havens, et al, 2008). Ms. Sper is visible on patient care units, has delivered nursing care at Drake as a staff nurse and case manager, further validating her ability and willingness to get into the trenches, if need be. Ms. Sper s delegation skills work because Ms. Sper is willing to work. Ms. Sper displays a high degree of the personality dimensions for effective leaders: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience, (Daft, 2008). Ms. Sper exhibits the following four key aspects of the CNO role that may help her maintain her position at Drake, despite a possible ownership change: 1) Ability to lead positive change and make a difference, 2) Passion for the CNO role, 3) Mentoring and enhancing nursing practice, and 4) Good relationships with the senior leadership team, (Havens, et al, 2008). Ms. Sper is aware of the high turnover rate for CNOs, but maintains strong, ethical leadership, with confidence to manage future job changes with the same positive outlook that Ms. Sper has managed previous job changes. Ms. Sper views job changes of the past or future as welcome experiences, and as a chance to work and learn in other environments.

11 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 11 Though no formal professional practice model exists at the Drake Center, Ms. Sper described the process of improving nursing care in the past two years, based on the principles of the AACN Synergy Model. There is a model and team for case management, with consideration of components of staffing mix, licensed nurses, staff/patient ratios, and roles of the professional nurse and assistive personnel, (Storey, et al, 2008). Ms. Sper fits the description of an exemplary leader who is change driven, reflective, willing to take risks to achieve aspirations to continuously advance nursing practice, (Storey, et al, 2008). Ms. Sper utilizes the five core leadership practices: 1) Challenging the process, 2) Inspiring a shared vision, 3) Enabling others to act, 4) Modeling the way, and 5) Encouraging the heart, (Kouzes and Posner, 2008). Ms. Sper challenged the good old boys mentality of giving those who were liked a position of leadership, rather than considering competency. Ms. Sper inspired a shared vision of improving the reputation of the Drake Center to be seen as a provider of excellent care, enabling the staffing committee to revise the staffing mix appropriately. Ms. Sper models the way for nurses and nursing leader by being visible on the nursing units, providing direct care at times. Ms. Sper encourages the heart of nurses by being supportive to excellent staff nursing practice and to nursing middle managers supervised by Ms. Sper. Ms. Sper is aware of her weaknesses, yet, portrays flexibility and approachability, empathy, sensitivity, and willingness to change, (Chafee & Arthur, 2002). Ms. Sper embraced the errors the past and learned from them, accepted that failure is bound to occur in every organization and in every career, and moved on to create success by revising nursing and patient care at Drake.

12 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 12 Ms. Sper recognizes the multigenerational factors in the nursing work force at Drake, and holds every employee to the same work expectations, and also considers individual needs and generational differences in her leadership approach, (Sherman, 2006). Ms. Sper discussed the need for increased teaching to younger staff about appropriate professional behavior and attire with regard to piercings, tattoos, and cell phone etiquette. Ms. Sper possesses characteristics that Generation X and Millennial nurses want in their nursing leader: honesty, ability to motivate others, a positive outlook, good communication skills, an approachable demeanor, knowledge, and support, (Sherman, 2006). Ms. Sper is from the Baby Boomer era, and values individualism, strong work ethic, and creative expression. Ms. Sper provides more coaching and mentoring to younger nurses, and empowerment for experienced nurses. Drake nurses and staff did not receive a pay raise this year; the carrot and stick motivation was not available. Yet, Ms. Sper managed to retain nurses, and recruit new nurses and leaders through empowerment, (Daft, 2008). Nurses know they will be supported by the CNO, and have found meaning in their work. There is an element of fear in the atmosphere due to the impending Health Alliance changes, and nursing terminations of recent past. Despite fears, nurses are staying at the Drake Center, in part, due to Ms. Sper creating an environment in which people can flourish, (Daft, 2008). Ms. Sper is in touch with followers. Ms. Sper is honest, competent, forward thinking and inspirational, as evidenced by the loyalty displayed from one of the DONs who helped arrange this interview. There was an air of community at Drake, a positive culture of inclusivity, conversation, caring, trust, and shared leadership, (Daft, 2009). During the interview, Ms. Sper took a phone call from one of the assessment team nurses, supporting the

13 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 13 nurse in working with a difficult referral source, and demonstrating many of the leadership and personal qualities mentioned thus far. Ms. Sper provides a model of engagement for nursing middle managers, (Mackoff & Triolo, 2008). Ms. Sper promotes a learning culture by encouraging ongoing career development and education. There is a culture of regard and respect for nursing at Drake. Ms. Sper is a strong voice and presence at the administrative table to advocate for nursing. Ms. Sper creates a culture of meaning for Drake nurses, communicating with clarity the Drake Mission and values, reconfiguring workload by improving staff mix based on staffing committee recommendations. There is a culture of generativity, led by Ms. Sper s goal to achieve competency, remove obstacles to nurse manager s access to senior leadership, and praise and awards for recognition of excellent care. Ms. Sper has also created a culture of excellence, establishing brand pride associated with Drake, communicating about grants, research, patient satisfaction, and success stories, (Mackoff & Triolo, 2008). The AACN Synergy Model for Patient Care is practiced at the Drake Center, though it is not recognized as the official professional practice model. Ms. Sper and the staffing committee examined characteristics of patients, clinical units and systems of concern to nurses, when revising the staff mix. These characteristics included: resiliency, vulnerability, stability, complexity, resource availability, and family participation in care, decision making, and predictability, (Kaplow & Reed, 2008). There are varying levels for each characteristic as the patient moves through the care trajectory at Drake, and varying levels based on individual patient, family, and nursing past experiences. Ms. Sper and other Drake leaders examined the nurse competencies of concern to patients, clinical units, and systems: clinical judgment, advocacy and moral agency, caring practices, collaboration, systems thinking,

14 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 14 response to diversity, facilitation of learning, and clinical inquiry, (Kaplow & Reed, 2008). Ms. Sper strives to obtain synergy, when the needs and characteristics of the patient, clinical unit, or system, are matched with a nurse s competencies, (Kaplow & Reed, 2008). An example of successful synergy was changing the staffing mix for LTAC from mostly LPNs with high error and omission rates, to mostly RNs resulting in a decrease in errors and omissions. Ms. Sper has managed to take the nursing team at Drake through the stages of group development in the past two years: forming, storming, norming, and performing, (Daft, 2008). Ms. Sper manages conflict within the nursing team and within the administrative team. The Case Management and Assessment nursing teams appear to be fairly self-directed, while the Skilled Care and LTAC teams appear to require more direction and support. Ms. Sper demonstrated effective communication skills and discussed ways the nurses at Drake have been inspired and united around a common sense of purpose and identity-quality patient and family care, (Daft, 2008). Ms. Sper also demonstrated five elements necessary for strategic conversations: an open communication climate, asking questions, active listening, discernment, and dialogue, (Daft, 2008). The interview was a two-way exchange that provided the author with a sense of hope that nursing at the Drake Center will continue to survive and thrive under the leadership of Ms. Sper. Ms. Sper will need to continue to demonstrate the four critical skills for effective communication during times of rapid change and crisis: remain calm, be visible, get the awful truth out, and communicate a vision for the future, (Daft, 2008). Ms. Sper recognizes the importance of leading by words and deeds, and forming a climate of psychological safety to promote quality improvement, (Ramanujam & Rousseau,

15 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO ). Ms. Sper is seeking credentialing and further education about effective administrative practices through appropriate professional organizations. It was difficult to assess whether Ms. Sper receives personal support and self-care necessary to function in the role of VP/CNO. It does appear that Ms. Sper has a high level of energy, intelligence, emotional, and physical fitness. Ms. Sper will need to continue to demonstrate the seven principles for asserting leadership influence: rational persuasion, liking and friendliness, reciprocity, developing allies, direct appeal, scarcity, and formal authority, (Daft, 2008). Ms. Sper has a strong ally. the Drake Center CEO, also an advanced practice nurse. Though Ms. Sper does not feel the need to exploit the VP/CNO position power, the conflict with marketing requesting an exception to patient confidentiality is an example of Ms. Sper using power to insist on appropriate practice and patient advocacy. Ms. Sper appears to be a very competent VP/CNO. The Drake Center has undergone much change in the past two years and will continue to experience a change of ownership in the coming year. Ms. Sper will need to maintain a sustainable nursing workforce in a healthcare system undergoing significant changes. Ms. Sper demonstrates mentoring leadership behavior, which will enhance staff development, assist nurses to adapt to new and different roles, and increase staff satisfaction, (Bally, 2007). Ms. Sper must continue to work with the senior administrative team to improved employee motivation, reducing employee turnover, increasing organizational resiliency, and enhancing the Drake Center s ability to succeed in the market, (McAlearney, 2006). Ms. Sper did not mention affiliation with the National Association of Long Term Hospitals,

16 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 16 which may be a resource for support and networking, (NALTH, 2009.) Another beneficial affiliation may be with the Acute Long Term Hospital Association, (ALTHA, 2009.) Ms. Sper may benefit from an executive coach. Investing in executive coaching and professional development has lead to a 53% increase in an organization s productivity, 39% increase in retention rate of managers, and 61% increase in job satisfaction, (Savage, 2001.) For the purpose of this interview, Ms. Sper was not asked about personal and professional support and outlets, though they are crucial in preventing burnout and turnover in CNOs. Ms. Sper appears to do an excellent job managing her own anxieties and that of patients, families, and staff, a primary function of people who work in healthcare, (Savage, 2001). Ms. Sper has created a leadership legacy in the two years as VP/CNO, with the improvements in quality care and nursing staff. Ms. Sper s initiatives thus far have been related to task achievement. It will be interesting to see if future years at the Drake Center will provide Ms. Sper with the tools to translate her vision into action, and expand further on the transformation of quality care that has been achieved thus far. There is striking fragmentation and turbulence in healthcare organizations worldwide that impede their capacity to provide quality care, improve patient safety, and retain the skilled professionals critical to both, (Institute Of Medicine, 2003). The age of inpatients in 1970 in the U.S. was 40.7 years, with 20 per cent of all inpatients 65 years of age or over; in 2002, the average age had increased to 52.1 years with 38 per cent of inpatients being 65 years or over, (Ramanujam & Rousseau, 2006). 15,000 to 98,000 patients in the U.S. are estimated to die as a result of avoidable mistakes in routine care delivery, (Institute of Medicine, 1999). Competition has put customer satisfaction high on the priority list of contemporary hospitals

17 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 17 in the U.S. along with implementation of increased technology to meet the needs of better informed consumers, (Ramanujam & Rousseau, 2006). Patient safety and quality skilled professionals were lacking at the Drake Center in years past. Ms. Sper has provided leadership that substantially improved the quality of patient care and staff at the Drake Center. Ms. Sper recognizes the aging of patient populations and that the need for LTAC, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation services will continue to grow. Ms. Sper has been instrumental in decreasing the rate of error and omission in patient care at Drake. The Drake Center website is user friendly and contains a vast amount of information to help informed consumers like patients and physicians access services easily. Ms. Sper is interested in bringing the latest technology to nursing services. Ms. Sper and the leadership team at the Drake Center could further develop safe practices and learn from the UPS model of reliable service and innovative employee relationships and apply management practices of known effectiveness to the healthcare setting, (Ramanujam & Rousseau, 2006). Though principles from the AACN Synergy Model are used to guide patient care, Ms. Sper and the nursing leadership team may wish to consider formally implementing and supporting that professional practice model at Drake.

18 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 18 References Acute Long Term Hospital Association, (ALTHA). (2009). About ALTHA. Retrieved November 13, 2009, from: Bally, J. (2007). The role of nursing leadership in creating a mentoring culture in acute care environments. Nursing Economic$, 25(3), Chafee, M., & Arthur, D. (2002). Failure: Lessons for health care leaders. Nursing Economic$, 20(5), Daft, R. (2008, 4 th edition). The leadership experience. Mason, OH: Thomson South-Western. Drake Center. (2009). Leadership team. Retrieved November 13, 2009 from: Drake Center. (2009). Levels of care. Retrieved November 13, 2009 from: Half, Robert. (2009). Quotes about leaders and leadership. Retrieved November 13, 2009, from: df Havens, D., Thompson, P., & Jones, C. (2008). Chief Nursing Officer turnover. JONA, 38(12), Hilzenger, D.S. (1987). Orderly served death to patients; Donald Harvey s string of killings almost went undetected. The Washington Post, August 21, Institute of Medicine. (1999). Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System.

19 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 19 Institute of Medicine. (2003). Keeping patients safe: Transforming the Work Environment of Nurses. Kaplow, R., & Reed, K. (2008). The AACN Synergy Model for Patient Care: a nursing model as a force of magnetism. Nursing Economic$, 26(1), Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2009). Five Best Practices. Leadership Excellence, July, Pgs Mackoff, B., & Triolo, P. (2008). Why do nurse managers stay? Building a model of Engagement Part 2, Cultures of engagement. JONA 38(4), McAlearney, A.S. (2006). Leadership development in healthcare: A qualitative study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27(7), McGuire, E., & Kennerly, S. (2006). Nurse managers as transformational and transactional leaders. Nursing Economic$, 24(4), National Association of Long Term Hospitals, (NALTH). (2009). About us. Retrieved November 13, 2009, from: Ramanujam, R., & Rousseau, D. (2006). The challenges are organizational not just clinical. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27(7), Savage, C. (2001). Executive coaching: Professional self-care for nursing leaders. Nursing Economic$,19(4), Sherman, R. (2006). Leading a multigenerational nursing workforce: Issues, challenges, and strategies. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 11(2), Manuscript 2. Storey, S., Linden, E., & Fisher, M. (2008). Showcasing leadership exemplars to propel professional practice model implementation. JONA, 38(3),

20 Leadership Snapshot: Drake Center VP of Patient Services & CNO 20 Grading of Leadership Snapshot Paper is according to the following criteria: 10 All elements of activity are completed as instructed. (10%) 9 Appropriate use of grammar/spelling and format including use of APA style (current edition). (10%) 25 Thoroughness of assessment and analysis (25%) 25 Logic, clarity, and feasibility and internal consistency of summary and analysis. (25%) 20 Appropriate application of the course content. (20%) 10 Appropriate referencing and adequacy of bibliography (10%) 99 Grade Barb, this was really a great opportunity to meet with someone who has such broad experiences and is in such an important leadership role. It must have been very informative and helpful to talk with her at a time when much is in a state of transition. You were really able to capture the essence of this leader s role. It is obvious that you understand what leaders do and how they accomplish the role through constant interaction with others. Hopefully, you found the interview and writing this paper to be an activity that expanded your insights about leadership and the way it relates to your own professional role. You have clearly integrated an understanding of the leadership content and principles from the course and your varied experiences. It was a pleasure to read your work throughout the quarter and to see your application of leadership principles in this final paper. Best wishes for your continued growth as a leader.