Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Patrick Robinson, the Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Capella University. Dr. Robinson has a wealth of experiences and achievements in academia and nursing leadership, as well as clinical expertise caring for HIV/AIDS patients. We spoke about his journey in nursing, along with the work being done at Capella University and the Nurses on Boards Coalition to prepare nurses to be leaders in health care.

Some highlights from our conversation include words of wisdom from Dr. Robinson’s own mentor, Joan Shaver, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Arizona. In fact, when presented with a problem or challenge, Dr. Robinson often asks himself, “What would Joan do?” Here are three takeaways from this advice:

1. Don’t be afraid of resistance.
2. Let people grow naturally.
3. People have a spectrum for tolerance for change.

You’ll also be inspired by Dr. Robinson’s advice for ‘creating your leadership playbook’ and pursuing lifelong learning. Here are the three foundational ‘plays’ in his own playbook:

1. People and their growth matter.
2. If you’re going to be there, be present; and realize that you’ll need to be somewhat selective in what you take on. 
3. Ego will be one of your greatest assets and one of your greatest liabilities – pay attention to it!

Take some time to listen to our full conversation here.



Thank you, Dr. Robinson for this inspiring conversation and for the important work that you do!
 
About Dr. Robinson:
F. Patrick Robinson, PhD, RN, FAAN is currently Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Capella University. He obtained his bachelors and masters in nursing from Indiana University and holds a PhD in Nursing Science from Loyola University Chicago.   He completed a post-doctoral fellowship in biobehavioral nursing research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Prior, he served as Senior Vice President of Academics for Orbis Education, Dean of Curriculum and Instruction at Chamberlain College of Nursing, Executive Assistant Dean of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing and Chair of the Department of Health Management and Risk Reduction at the Niehoff School of Nursing at Loyola University Chicago.  

Prior to his academic career, Dr. Robinson held positions as an HIV/AIDS case manager, HIV/AIDS clinical nurse specialist, director of a HIV/AIDS specialty clinic and dedicated HIV/AIDS inpatient unit.  Dr. Robinson has a distinguished record of service to the HIV/AIDS care community and served as President of the national Association of Nurses in AIDS Care and as an officer of the HIV/AIDS Nursing Certification Board.  He maintains certification as an AIDS nurse (ACRN) from the HIV/AIDS Nursing Certification Board and is a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) through the National League for Nursing.  In 2006, he was named distinguished alumnus of Indiana University School of Nursing and was awarded the Frank Lamendola Memorial Award for exemplary leadership in HIV/AIDS care. Also in 2006, the American Association of Colleges of Nurses named him an Academic Nursing Leadership Fellow.  In 2008, he was honored by the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the University of Illinois Council on Excellence in Teaching and Learning for distinguished achievement in teaching. In 2010, he was awarded the Life Time Achievement Award from the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care for sustained contributions to the field of HIV nursing. DeVry, Inc. named Dr. Robinson the inaugural recipient of the Doing Well By Doing Good award in 2011 in recognition for his contributions to community service. In 2014, Indiana University School of Nursing honored him as part of its centennial anniversary as one of the top 100 Alumni Legacy Leaders.  Previously, he served as executive vice chair of the board of directors of Howard Brown Health Center, one of the nation’s premier LGBT health centers. Dr. Robinson is a fellow of the American Academy of nursing (FAAN) and currently serves on the advisory council for the National League for Nursing Foundation.