Building resilience: Leading through trauma in nursing

Title : Building resilience: Leading through trauma in nursing

Abstract:

Nurses work through frequent, and often unrecognized, mental and physical challenges as part of their dedication to the profession. This level of dedication can often create patients out of nurses, and unmet expectations from our initial view of what it means to be a nurse. It’s vital to remind nurses, and teach students, that self-care is equally important; it’s essential (and ok) to ask for help when needed. Healthcare leaders must be proactive vs. reactive when providing support for frontline clinicians as part of their strategic plan and quality review process. Covid allowed open vulnerabilities and more visualization into an already fragile system of expecting super skills and dedication from nurses without full support of their needs. What is your role as a leader in strengthening the nursing workforce.

In this session, we will begin to discuss building resilience in nursing teams, and why it’s important. Has your leadership type changed in the last few years during the pandemic. You will be challenged to recognize your current preparedness to lead nursing staff through internal and external stressors, challenges, and potential cumulative trauma. There will be situational case presentations of unexpected, and often unrecognized sources of stressors, in hopes of acknowledging and diminishing future trauma and building a resilient nursing team.

By the end of the session, you will be more familiar with your current leadership type, and how to recognize the varied sources of stress, contributing lived experience/ trauma that may affect your ability to lead, and how to create support systems to build resilience in nursing teams.

Biography:

Dr. Geiger is an accomplished, results-driven, board-certified nurse executive with over 20 years of clinical leadership experience, leading national project teams and creating program initiatives in federal, corporate, and academic settings. She is the Chief Nursing Officer at Ingenovis Health.

She is board-certified as a Nurse Executive and Nurse Practitioner and maintains clinical privileges as co-founder and owner of a concierge-based health clinic for the uninsured. Dr. Geiger holds several board positions. She is the Chair of the Chief Nurse Advisory Board for Ingenovis Health, a board member of the National Diversity Council, and a board member of the American College of Education Advisory. She is often sought as a global motivational speaker and lecturer on nursing leadership, mentorship, and nurse education. She hosts the Clinician Voice podcast, and ACT for Health Professionals Webinar Series.

Dr. Geiger has served as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for National University, Vice President of Clinical Services/ Chief Privacy Officer for Muscular Dystrophy Assoc., and Head Nurse for Veterans Affairs Community Care. She has published and presented on multiple healthcare topics. She is passionate about clinician advocacy, health equity, and mentorship. She resides in Florida with her family.