Welcome to PhylPhacts!

Hello All, I know anxiety is high at this moment. No matter what we do for a profession, we are handling unprecedented changes at work, at home and in society to combat a new virus. We will learn much about to handle similar situations in the future. We will come together in great and small ways. We will survive this. This event does take leadership. And we are all leaders! Leadership is not always easy though. I had the great fortune of having lunch this week with two wonderful friends and excellent nurse leaders. We talked about our shared experiences, what we did well, where we could have improved…..and how our…

Hello All, I am sure you are inundated with information (both good and bad) about the Coronavirus, or what is now known as COVID-19. The absolute best source of factual and up-to-date information is the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) – www.cdc.gov . They are the gold standard for information, and are recognized worldwide for their expertise and support. They also provide practical and easy to understand information – and without whipping us into a frenzy! Just think about the outbreaks that have occurred just in the years between 2000 and now – Ebola, West Nile, Avian Flu, H1N1, MERS, Zika and the resurgence of the measles.…

Hello All, Isn’t that a great quote to start the day with? “I’m still learning” – attributed to Michelangelo. I am still learning too – and we should never stop! The last three blogs were deep. So I decided I should be more lighthearted this week! (I didn’t want to lose all of you as readers!) Here is an idea that I stole shamelessly from one of my dear friends, Loretta, many years ago. I start every day with a little bit of trivia and knowledge from the National Day Calendar website: https://nationaldaycalendar.com Did you know there is a national day of something each and every day? February 28th is both National…

Hello All, I wish I knew the name of the person who provided this great quote: “The difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is how you use them.” As a leader, there were times I should have used them as stepping stones versus stumbling blocks. (In fact, I may not have just stumbled, I fell flat!)  I am sure that there were times when I could have helped my staff use those stones better too! This leads me to what we can do as leaders when errors occur. I am going to share some personal thoughts; and I am also going to share information that I have recently gotten…

Hello All, Happy Valentine’s Day! The day of hearts and flowers – hearts and souls – love and kindness. Perhaps it is appropriate that I will be continuing the conversation about errors – and how to protect the hearts and souls of the patients and the staff – on this day. I know many of you have heard me say the following frequently (though I am sure a few people just rolled their eyes and said “a million times”!). ALL of the employees are the heart and soul of an organization. The bricks and mortar may be beautiful – the landscaping may be perfect – and it is the employees that bring the…

Hello All, Happy Friday! I hope your team won in last week’s Super Bowl! I always hope for an exciting game, and this game certainly was. They are two young and talented teams. We will be hearing great things about them for years to come! I have been thinking about errors and the aftermath of errors. (Bob does say it must be scary to be in my head!) Let me give you the two different reasons this has been in my head! In 1999 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published a report called “To Err is Human”. This report was groundbreaking and shined a huge spotlight on healthcare. The report…

Hello All, I am a member of a newly formed book club with a group of incredible, dynamic women.  It is a wonderful way to see our world from different points of view – from the books chosen to be read and how each of us interpreted the book. We just recently finished reading The Immortalist by Chloe Benjamin. This book was thought provoking and based on this: If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life? Let’s just say that lots of conversation was generated by that question! Would we live our life differently? Would we live larger? Would we be paralyzed with fear if…

Hello All, It is hard to believe that January is almost over! Time truly does fly (whether you are having fun or not – but I hope you are having fun!). I wanted to be sure that in the first month of this new year that I sent my congratulations and thanks to all nurses across the world! It s going to be an exciting year. Why? First because World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World Health Organization (WHO), has declared 2020 the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife. The Assembly further noted that this designation was to “advance nurses’ vital position in transforming healthcare around the…

Hello All, I bet that title grabbed your attention! LOL! You will see how Brad ties in at the end of the blog. You may skip ahead! In last week’s PhylPhacts I shared that soft skills included innovation and creativity are needed. This is especially true for the different solutions that will be required for improving the health of our communities. It is true that each individual is responsible for their own health; however, we all play a part in ensuring that each individual can be responsible. In HealthLeaders Analysis from December 2, 2019, author Mandy Roth reported on the results of discussions with “innovation experts” and the “remarkable perspectives” heard. This…

Hello All, I hope your holidays were wonderful! And that this new month/year/decade has started well. Our Christmas was both hectic and filled with heart. Bob and I had a quiet New Year’s – thank goodness! we actually stayed up to watch the ball fall. Will wonders never cease! The beginning of the year is always a time of reflection for me. I have been thinking a lot about leadership – what it takes to be a great leader. Energy, commitment, vision, passion. (Isn’t passion required in many parts of our lives?) There are many “hard” skills required – financial acumen, business strategy, managing productivity, etc. But these are just…