Healing the “I’m just a nurse” syndrome: How to keep the Nightingale lamp burning!

Title : Healing the “I’m just a nurse” syndrome: How to keep the Nightingale lamp burning!

Abstract:

Nursing professionals need to hit the reset button. Nurses are one of the largest groups of professions that holds a strong presence across the globe and yet, we remain dissatisfied and invisible. Ironically, one of the largest and needed professionals is the most under represented. We come out of the shadows when patients give us credit for their progress in healing but we don’t place ourselves in the limelight not only as comforters but also as healers. We tend to forget we are professionals, our act as is we are incomplete academically since we didn’t attend medical school and it’s time we have a more prominent voice. We need to have a stronger voice in Csuites, board rooms and at legislative tables. We need to stand proud if we choose to remain at the bedside for our entire careers. We need to find fuel in our everyday work lives to have more prominence and finally cure the “I’m just a nurse” syndrome. The objectives are to:

1) Identify nurses as a profession

2) Recognize signs of oppressive group behavior

3) Discuss strategies to strengthen ourselves as individuals and as a group

Audience Take Away:

They will be inspired to embrace their roles as nurses and healers across the globe. They will learn to become more organized within their organizations and with associations. They will truly under how strength in numbers emboldens a profession that continues to be less attractive to younger generations and take a prominent role in community and population health. I am conducting research on oppression in nursing and ways to overcome feeling marginalized and powerless as nursing professionals. The takeaway for nurses would be to list opportunities for recognition and organizing to have a presence in research and evidence based care.

Biography:

Katie Boston-Leary is a Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for Capital Region Health Health in Maryland, USA and is the current President of the Maryland Organization of Nurse Leaders. Katie joined CRH in 2018 and was previously the Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Union Hospital of Cecil County in Maryland. and In her newest role, she is accountable for nursing practice across all of CR Health which includes all nursing practice for inpatient, ambulatory and procedural settings as well as advanced practice providers, home health care and patient care services. 

Prior to joining CRH, Katie served as Senior Vice President, Patient Care Services at Union Hospital of Cecil County in Elkton, Maryland a 122 bed facility. There she was responsible for clinical, operational and financial leadership for nursing and clinical inpatient and outpatient services, Imaging, Anesthesiology providers and was the executive lead for Patient Experience and Patient and Family Centered Care. 

Katie received her bachelor of science in nursing from Bowie State University her master of business administration and health administration from the University of Maryland University College. She is pursuing her doctorate in health services from Walden University in Minneapolis. In addition, she is a fellow of the Johnson. She attended the nurse executive certification at Wharton University’s Nurse Leaders Program in Pennsylvania. She is certified by the ANCC as an advanced nursing executive and an operating room nurse. She was also inducted in Sigma Theta Tau.