8:00am – 8:15am
Chairperson’s Opening Remarks 

8:15am – 9:00am
Engaging Nurses in Quality Improvement
Nurses engaged in research and quality improvement projects report higher levels of job satisfaction, wellbeing, perceived higher levels of care in their workplace, with lower levels of unscheduled time off work. Additionally, first-line nurse managers are central to quality improvement work when changing work practices into better patient outcomes. Leading quality improvement efforts requires a knowledge of quality improvement principles, methods, and tools.   Learn how to use a quality improvement methodology in your daily management as well as how to coach and support nurses at the bedside to engage in improvement collaboratives.  This session will provide nurse leaders with practical examples illustrating how they can embed quality improvement in their daily management of their teams which can lead to higher quality and safer care.

Calai Elumalai, DNP, MSN, MHA, RN, ONC, CNL
Interim Chief Nurse Executive Officer, Siena Campus
Dignity Health | St. Rose Dominican

Carol Rajchel, RN, MBA
Market Director of Operations Center
Dignity Health | St. Rose Dominican 

9:00am – 9:45am
Operation Foley Freedom
​​Key takeaways you will learn about include::

1. A nursing unit-based intervention to reduce exposure to urinary catheters may be effective at quickly reducing CAUTIs.
2. Involve the frontline nurse in each step.
3. Establish a daily ritual of medical director & nursing director coordinated review of all urinary catheter patients with empowerment to remove unnecessary catheters.
4. Administrative support to backup decisions by the medical director & nursing director.

Kodi Craft MSHCM, BSN, RN
Sr. Director of Patient Care Services
University Medical Center 

9:45am – 10:15am
Networking & Refreshments Break 

10:15am – 11:00am
Enhancing Nurse Retention: Approaches and Strategies
Nurse retention is a critical concern for healthcare organizations, given its profound impact on patient care quality, organizational stability, and staff morale. This session will explore approaches and strategies to enhance nurse retention. We’ll identify multifaceted factors influencing nurse turnover, including workload, burnout, job satisfaction, organizational culture, and career development opportunities. We’ll also explore evidence-based approaches aimed at addressing these factors, such as implementing flexible scheduling options, fostering supportive work environments, offering professional development programs, providing mentorship and leadership opportunities, promoting work-life balance initiatives, and enhancing recognition and reward systems. We’ll also discuss the role of effective leadership, transparent communication, and data-driven decision-making in successful retention efforts. By adopting a holistic and proactive approach to nurse retention, healthcare organizations can mitigate turnover rates, enhance staff engagement, and ultimately, improve patient outcomes.

Joshua Martin, DBA, MHA, BSN, RN, NE-BC
Assistant Chief Nursing Officer
HCA Florida Osceola Hospital 

11:00am – 11:45am
Bridging the Communication Gap: Strategies for Front Line Staff Nurses and Nurse Executives
Effective communication between front line staff nurses and nurse executives is paramount for delivering quality patient care, ensuring organizational efficiency, and fostering a positive work environment. However, communication gaps often exist between these two groups, hindering collaboration and impeding the achievement of organizational goals. This session will explore strategies aimed at closing the communication gap between front line staff nurses and nurse executives. We’ll identify key barriers to effective communication, including hierarchical structures, differing priorities, and limited opportunities for interaction. We’ll also highlight the importance of organizational commitment and leadership support in facilitating successful communication initiatives. By adopting these strategies, healthcare organizations can enhance communication channels, promote mutual understanding, and ultimately, improve patient outcomes and staff satisfaction.

Carl Balcom, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE
Transitional Leader, Clinical Services Group
HCA Healthcare 

11:45am – 12:30pm
Addressing the Lack of Upper Management Involvement in Nurse Leadership
Nurse leadership is integral to the delivery of high-quality patient care and the overall success of healthcare organizations. However, the lack of upper management involvement in nurse leadership can pose significant challenges, hindering effective decision-making, resource allocation, and staff support. This session will explore the implications of inadequate upper management engagement in nurse leadership roles and offers strategies for overcoming this barrier. Topics to be discussed will include:

– Strategies for enhancing upper management awareness and engagement in nurse leadership

– Fostering a culture of shared governance

– Recognizing the value of nurse leadership in driving positive outcomes

– Leveraging the full potential of nursing leadership to enhance patient care quality, staff satisfaction, and organizational performance.

Kathleen M. Matson, DHA, MSN, RN, NE-BC
Nurse Administrator, Nursing Resources
Mayo Clinic 

12:30pm – 1:30pm
Luncheon 

1:30pm – 2:15pm
Leveraging Technology to Improve Care Coordination, Discharge Planning and Transitions of Care
In these challenging times in healthcare with overcrowded Emergency Departments, staff who struggle with addressing barriers to providing care and maintaining personal resilience, an increase in workplace violence, and the need to address social determinants of care, it has never been more important for leaders to support their teams and address these concerns. It is critical that Leaders become innovative and embrace technology solutions to support a seamless delivery of care. In this session, the Learner will:                

1. Identify key challenges in performance outcomes in Staff Resiliency, Length of Stay, Transitions of Care and Care Coordination
2. Explore Innovative Strategies And Technology To:
   a. Enhance Staff Resilience and Emotional Well-Being
   b. Reduce LOS through Discharge Milestone Development
   c. Development of an EMR Care Map to reduce LOS
   d. Institute Telehealth Visits forTransitional Care Management                            

Julie L. Mirkin, DNP, MA ACM-RN, Wharton Fellow
Senior Vice President / Chief Nursing Officer
The Brookdale Hospital Medical Center 

2:15pm – 3:15pm
Panel: Elevating Patient Experience
Patient experience stands as a crucial measure of care quality, directly impacting outcomes and organizational reputation. Nurse leaders, positioned at the forefront of care delivery, wield significant influence in shaping and enhancing patient experience. This session will explore strategies nurse leaders can employ to elevate patient experience through transformative leadership practices. We’ll discuss key themes such as fostering a patient-centered culture, enhancing communication and collaboration among healthcare teams, leveraging technology to streamline processes and improve accessibility, and implementing evidence-based care practices.

Carol Rajchel, RN, MBA
Market Director of Operations Center
Dignity Health | St. Rose Dominican 

Katie Flores MSN, RN, NE-BC
VP Nursing & Chief Nursing Officer
Holy Cross Hospital – Mountain Point Mountain Region

Calai Elumalai, DNP, MSN, MHA, RN, ONC, CNL
Interim Chief Nurse Executive Officer, Siena Campus
Dignity Health | St. Rose Dominican

3:15pm – 3:45pm
Networking & Refreshments Break 

3:45pm – 4:30pm
How AI will Transform Healthcare
AI is the next big technical transition in our healthcare system.  In this lecture we’ll review why you should care about AI and how the most common types of AI work.  We’ll also review how AI is being used currently within the healthcare system, including highlighting tools that you can apply right now to impact workflows, and how it is likely to be used in the next 5-10 years so you can be prepared for the future of healthcare.

Ryan Ribeira MD MPH
Assistant Professor
Medical Director, Adult Emergency Department, Department of Emergency Medicine
Stanford University School of Medicine 

4:30pm – 5:15pm
Red Saturday

Cyberattacks are occurring at greater frequency and having greater negative impact on health systems operationally and financially.  This session will trace the journey of a regional health system that was hit by a cyber attack causing it to be totally disconnect from technology; including complete loss of EMR, internal communication capabilities, lab and radiology programs, with even internet being off-line for almost a month.  Hear how preparation facilitated recovery and lessons learned to be better able to navigate the next attack.

Susan Small Russell, MSN RN
Chief Nursing and Patient Safety Officer
Singing River Health System 

5:15 pm
End of Day One

8:00am – 8:15am
Chairperson’s Recap 

8:15am – 9:00am
Navigating the Horizon: Envisioning the Future of Nurse Leadership
The landscape of healthcare is rapidly evolving, driven by technological advancements, shifting demographics, and changing patient needs. In this dynamic environment, nurse leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping the future trajectory of nursing practice and healthcare delivery. This session will explore emerging trends and challenges that will define the future of nurse leadership, underscoring the need for ongoing professional development, mentorship, and organizational support to empower nurse leaders to navigate the complexities of the future healthcare landscape effectively. 

Elizabeth Menschner, DNP, MAS, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Executive Director
Pennsylvania Organization of Nurse Leaders

9:00am – 9:45am
Stress Is Not Sustainable – Dealing With Today’s Burnout Reality
Employees are an organization’s greatest asset.  Investing in their health and wellness is integral to employee engagement and is imperative to a successful patient experience. The organization’s ability to empower the employee and partner with them in all recognition and improvement efforts are critical.  Hear how creating an organizational culture of wellness will positively impact the organization, improve the employee experience, and ultimately increase customer satisfaction. 

Key Take-Aways:

– Fresh perspective on understanding the connection between employee and customer experience

– Insights on employee engagement, wellness and emotional support

– Framework to optimize wellness through effective communication, empathy and compassion

– Techniques to empower the voice of the employee

– Best practices to create powerful relationships between leadership and the workforce.

David Weisman, PhD, CPXP, FPCC
Chief Experience Officer
NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens 

9:45am – 10:15am
Networking & Refreshments Break 

10:15am – 11:00am
The Nurse Manager Role in Recruiting Staff
The costs of high staff turnover in healthcare can be considerable. Not only are there direct financial costs of replacing staff, but other repercussions such as the loss of key skills, knowledge and experience, and the negative effect on workforce morale, just to name a few. In addition, high turnover represents a substantial burden both on human resources and nurse leaders, as they’re constantly recruiting and training new staff. With today’s nursing shortage as rampant as it is, these incidents are more widespread than we’d like to admit. Also, high staff turnover in healthcare, particularly in rural areas, poses significant challenges, including financial costs, loss of expertise, and diminished morale. This session will explore successful recruitment strategies as well as those tailored to rural settings.

Courtnay Caufield
Chief Nursing Officer
Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital 

11:00am – 11:45am
Preparing the Next Generation of Chief Nursing Officers in an Evolving Landscape
As the healthcare industry rapidly evolves and top medical talent becomes scarce, the healthcare industry is facing a shortage of experienced nursing officer (CNO) successors. To successfully meet the clinical and business demands of this complex role, current CNOs must begin proactively preparing the next generation of medical leaders. This session will explore the current state of CNOs, and identified key growth and development areas for aspiring CNOs.

Katie Flores MSN, RN, NE-BC
VP Nursing & Chief Nursing Officer
Holy Cross Hospital – Mountain Point Mountain Region 

11:45am – 12:30pm
Building Trust and Creating Work Life Balance- the Path to Sustainable Leadership Roles

Trust is at the heart of healthy relationship. How we cultivate those relationships with our nursing colleagues and direct reports affects patient care and our satisfaction in a leadership role. Lack of trust is a pervasive problem that undermines employee engagement and productivity. Building trust can be achieved through reliable follow through, clear communication, setting boundaries, holding everyone accountable- including yourself, respecting confidentiality and approaching each situation in a nonjudgmental way. This session will explore ways to develop your team through the creation of trusting relationships with clear boundaries to support a sustainable nursing leadership career with work life balance.

Christi DeLemos, MS, CNRN, ACNP-BC
Chief of Advanced Practice
University of California Davis Health 

12:30pm
Conference Concludes 

12:45pm – 2:45pm

Workshop: Addressing Problematic Employees
In every healthcare setting, the presence of problematic employees can pose significant challenges to organizational culture, patient safety, and staff morale. Nurse leaders, entrusted with fostering a cohesive and productive work environment, play a critical role in addressing and resolving issues related to problematic employees. Nurse leaders must navigate these complexities with empathy, professionalism, and a commitment to upholding patient care standards. This session will explore strategies and ethical considerations nurse leaders employ to effectively manage and, when necessary, remove problematic employees from their teams.

Veshawna Brown, MBA, BHA, RN, CWS
Chief Nursing Officer
Valley Health Specialty Hospital 

Patience Walker, PhD, MBA, MSN.Ed, RN, NEA-BC  
Chief Nursing Officer
Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center/Blue Diamond, FED