Dr Reid Ponte: Your work has been focused on expanding the role of nurses beyond their traditional roles. Tell me more about that.
Dr Sundean: I started my career as a neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) nurse. I loved the practice, the patients and families, the team I worked with. I thought I would spend my life doing this important work. Once we had our children, given my husband's work travel commitments, we made the decision together for me to stay home to do the important work of raising our sons.
Despite being a busy mom, I was restless professionally. I began to participate in my community in ways that gave me even greater fulfillment, joy, and purpose beyond that of partnering with my husband in raising our family.
I became a certified fitness and yoga instructor and led classes for a diverse group of people. I loved this work. I helped a lot of people and I learned from them as well. Contributing to community wellness was purposeful to me as a nurse.
At the time, I was also attending local charity events, particularly those related to health and healthcare. At an event for our local children's medical center, I became interested in volunteering my time to advance fundraising. After a few years, I became copresident of the organization. Based on covenant, I also became an ex-officio member of the corporate board of directors for the medical center.
Dr Reid Ponte: Did the people you were volunteering with know you were a nurse?
Dr Sundean: It's interesting, the fundraising group knew but the corporate directors did not know. It was certainly an asset on the fundraising board. One example was when foundation board members were considering how to allocate funds for patients, family, and staff that would contribute to a healing environment. I was shocked that nobody thought to involve staff, patients, and families in the process. Board members said, "How could we do that?" Naturally, I said, "Follow me. We are walking the halls, making appointments, and talking to people inside to see what matters to them."
My identity as a nurse did not seem necessary initially on the corporate board, but because of my education, socialization, and experience as a nurse, I was extremely valuable to the board and its mission. My input led me to being asked to serve on the strategic planning and quality improvement committees of the board. We were making decisions about services, strategy, and costs. I steered the group to remember the needs of patients, families, safety, and quality ahead of dollars at several key decision points. Recently, I urged the board quality committee to oversee the medical center's community benefit plan. As a nurse, I knew this was the right thing for the board to do.
It baffled me that decisions could be made at the board level about the strategy and direction of services without the voice of the nurse at the table. That was the turning point. It became clear to me that every organization focused on human care could benefit from the expertise and perspectives of nurses on their boards.
I had capabilities in developing effective relationships and communicating in compelling ways. No other board member had my skill set, knowledge base, and holistic perspective. I realized that I was highly valuable to the board and could really drive change.
This realization ignited me with a passion to assure that nurses use their skill sets and perspectives to influence what's happening in every board room around the world! I later became a member of our community YWCA. Currently, I also serve on the boards of the Connecticut League for Nursing and the Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce.
Dr Reid Ponte: So what came next? How did you get from there to now?
Dr Sundean: I was ignited! I knew I needed to get more education in order to have even more impact. I pursued a dual MSN/MHA degree at University of Phoenix and then a PhD at UConn. For my capstone, I had the opportunity to interview nurse luminaries like Angela McBride, Sue Hassmiller, Eileen Sporing, Mary Dee Hacker, and others to develop a business case for nurses on boards.
Susan Hassmiller, who was the senior nurse leader at RWJF, knew immediately that I had a spark and drive for advancing nurses as leaders and expanding the role of nurses in the all aspects of our society. On her urging, I began my work with the Connecticut Nursing Collaborative-Action Coalition. A year later, I became the director of the CNC-AC, leading a dedicated volunteer group of nurses in RWJF-funded projects advancing seamless academic progression for nurses, developing nursing workforce data infrastructure, and developing an online population health course for nurses. At the same time, I became involved with the Nurses on Boards Coalition and now serve as a work group coleader to demonstrate the impact of nurses on boards through research and other means.
Meanwhile, I was completing my dissertation and ready to pursue a faculty position. For my dissertation, I conducted a mixed-methods study to develop the rationale for nurses on boards in the voices of nurses who serve.1 At ENRS, I approached the University of MA Boston Table. I was told, "Our faculty need right now is for a 'Policy Person.'" I immediately said, "Well you found her!" The individual immediately sought out the Department Chair and the rest is history. I'm now teaching in the PhD and Undergraduate programs and I love it! My scholarship is geared toward nurses' impact as board members. Of note, I was recently awarded a Nursing Outlook journal Excellence in Policy Award for our article, "Nurses on Healthcare Governing Boards: An Integrative Review.2
Dr Reid Ponte: You've been doing some really wonderful and impactful work. Of everything you could focus on, what's the main message you'd like JONA readers to hear as a take-away from this interview?
Dr Sundean: I would encourage JONA readers to be confident about the strengths they bring to the table, whatever table it is! I would say to them, pay it forward; help others who they work with, who they coach and mentor, and encourage them to pursue a wide range of leadership-in healthcare, communities, and organizations of any kind.
I would also say, look for leadership in unconventional ways. Not everyone stands out as obvious leaders. But they might have that spark, that passion, that purpose to make a difference. Lift them up. Leverage diverse perspectives. Open doors for new nurse leaders so we can make the changes that are needed for the future of health, healthcare, and wellness.
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