NAME: Morris A. Magnan, RN, MSN, PhD
CURRENT POSITION: Registered Nurse Care Manager
CURRENT AFFILIATION(S): St Joseph Mercy Oakland, Pontiac, Michigan
AREA(S) OF SPECIALIZATION: Adult Health
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION: BSN, Madonna University, Livonia, Michigan; MSN and PhD, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
CERTIFICATION: None
Peggy Gerard received the 2008 Brenda Lyon Leadership Award from the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) at their 2009 annual meeting in St Louis, Missouri. This award recognizes an individual who has attained national recognition as a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) leader. Through publications, presentations, and participation in national forums, the individual has helped improve health care delivery, especially as it relates to CNS practice. The individual has been successful in mentoring others to become successful leaders.
Dr Gerard is professor and dean of the School of Nursing at Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, Indiana. Dr Gerard has been a CNS educator for many years and continues to be involved in the CNS program. Earlier in her career, she worked as a critical care CNS and mentored students and graduates in the CNS role. Dr Gerard has served in leadership roles on numerous state and local boards. She is the secretary/treasurer of the Indiana Nursing Deans and Directors organization and was 1 of 2 nursing deans appointed to serve on a statewide workforce development committee. She is vice president of the Board of Directors for St Catherine Hospital in East Chicago, Indiana, and chairs the Quality Assessment and Improvement Committee of the Board. At Purdue University Calumet, she led an initiative that created the first intercampus distance learning graduate consortium and has established educational cohort agreements with area hospitals for delivering baccalaureate and graduate education. Dr Gerard has chaired multiple university-level committees and task forces and served as interim vice chancellor for academic affairs in 2008. She has been the dean for the school of nursing since 2002 and is highly respected within the school and across the campus. One of her colleagues described her "as a leader who is creative in developing and communicating her vision for the School of Nursing and who possesses the leadership ability to empower faculty to make the vision happen."
Dr Gerard has also provided leadership to NACNS. While serving as NACNS treasurer, she established fiscal procedures and a reporting system that continue to serve as the foundation for the board's management of the association's finances. Dr Gerard was founding cochair of the Education Committee and then board liaison to that committee. She provided leadership for many of the projects that have moved NACNS to the forefront as the expert on CNS education including a national survey of CNS programs, development and publication of the CNS Program Directory, and development and implementation of NACNS's Program Consultation service. She cofacilitated the NACNS doctoral competencies task force and is now coleader of the Education Standards task force. Dr Gerard has approached every responsibility with great thoughtfulness and shared her wisdom freely for the benefit of NACNS.
Dr Gerard was asked to share her thoughts regarding leadership, mentorship, and CNS practice.
Describe your definition of leadership and why it is so important for CNSs to provide leadership today in health care
I define leadership as the ability of a person to create a vision of what should be and the capacity to translate that vision into reality. I believe a leader should always be alert to potential opportunities and open to new possibilities. An effective leader functions as a catalyst for change and, in the words of John Quincy Adams, inspires others to "dream more, learn more, do more, and become more." The current health care environment needs leaders who can develop innovative ways of providing care that are cost-effective and efficient and result in excellent outcomes for patients. Clinical nurse specialists are uniquely qualified to provide this leadership in health care systems because of their understanding of the many aspects of patient care, the role played by various health care providers, and the many variables that impact care and influence health outcomes.
What uniquely qualifies CNSs to serve in this capacity? As CNS faculty, what are the curriculum components you feel best prepare CNSs to be leaders?
To be successful in their positions, CNSs must be effective communicators, be adept at facilitating the work of multidisciplinary teams, and be able to see the "big picture" in patient care and health system issues. These are all characteristics of effective leaders. To prepare students to function as leaders, CNS programs should include didactic content in the areas of interpersonal communications, collaboration, project management, change management, root-cause analysis, and problem solving. Students should also have opportunities to develop these skills in clinical practice under the supervision of experienced CNS mentors.
Define your view of a mentor
When I think of a "mentor," I think of someone who excels in a particular role and who is also willing and able to share his/her knowledge and expertise with another. To be effective, mentors need to provide opportunities for professional and personal development. Clinical nurse specialists who precept CNS students are examples of mentors.
What do you think it takes to mentor others to become leaders?
Mentoring others to be leaders involves role-modeling leadership behaviors and also helping others to identify and develop their own leadership abilities. This includes helping someone think through how to manage certain situations by asking probing questions rather than just giving them advice. It also involves providing opportunities for others to take risks and implement their ideas while being available for consultation when needed. This requires the leader to provide encouragement and feedback on what is going well and what could be done differently. Mentoring others to become leaders also means that you provide opportunities for others to succeed and also to fail and learn from mistakes.
As a past NACNS Board member, what do you perceive are the key issues for CNS practice today?
Clinical nurse specialists must promote the CNS role and disseminate information on the impact CNSs have on nursing care and patient outcomes in the clinical setting. Clinical nurse specialists have to be the champions of safety and quality health care in their institutions. They should lead evidence-based practice initiatives and work to integrate best available evidence with patient preferences and their rich clinical expertise to impact patients at the point of care.
What can CNSs do or how do you see CNSs leading nursing in regard to these key issues?
Clinical nurse specialists play a critical role in identifying opportunities for improvement, developing and implementing solutions to clinical problems, and evaluating outcomes. Their clinical expertise, strong communication skills, and ability to facilitate collaboration make them the ideal choice to lead initiatives to improve the quality of patient care and to develop centers of excellence for treatment of specific health problems. Clinical nurse specialists work across the 3 spheres of influence to integrate evidence-based practice throughout the health care organization. They provide education to staff to develop their skills in locating appropriate sources of evidence and in evaluating evidence for implementation in practice. They help to create an infrastructure that supports integration of evidence-based practice such as providing staff nurses with easy access to evidence sources at the point of care and creating an environment where nurses base practice on evidence rather than on tradition.
What do you enjoy or value most about the role of a CNS?
The CNS role provides great autonomy of practice and an opportunity to showcase the valuable and unique contribution nursing makes to patient care. Every day brings new challenges and new opportunities. Through your work as a CNS, you can have a positive impact on patients and families, nurses and nursing care, and on systems of care. I can't think of a more exciting and vibrant role than that of a CNS.
What advice would you give a new CNS starting out in this role who would like to identify a mentor?
During the first few months in the position, a new CNS should spend time with all of the CNSs in the organization. This will provide an opportunity for the new CNS to discuss projects and issues and to observe how the experienced CNSs interact with nurses and other health care professionals. After a few months, the new CNS will have a clear understanding of the role of each CNS in the organization and of key organizational issues. An appropriate and willing CNS mentor will usually emerge as a result of these interactions.