ACNL in Action: Lessons in Nursing Leadership

Great nursing leadership isn't defined by a title. It's built through curiosity, courage, connection, and a commitment to excellence. In this episode of ACNL in Action, host Charlene Platon sits down with Dr. Rhonda Foster-Smith, President of The Foster Smith Group, to explore what it truly takes to lead meaningful change in healthcare. Drawing from decades of experience as a nurse executive, leadership coach, and consultant, Dr. Foster-Smith shares the early lessons that shaped her leadershi...

Nurse turnover is one of the most persistent challenges in healthcare leadership, and one of the clearest signals an organization sends about its culture. So how do you build a culture nurses don't want to leave? In this episode, Charlene talks with Cheryl Reinking, Chief Nursing Officer at El Camino Health, which recently earned its fifth Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, placing it among fewer than 2% of hospitals nationwide. Cheryl has spent nearly four dec...

Advanced practice nurses are trained to fill critical gaps in care, from rural surgery to behavioral health to primary care. But many health systems don't fully understand what APRNs can do, where they can practice, or how to support them effectively. In this episode, Charlene talks with Surani Hayre-Kwan, Sheree Scott, and Elizabeth Pulatie, three advanced practice nurses from across different specialties. They talk about what APRNs actually do, the barriers limiting their practice, what's ...

Artificial intelligence is already changing nursing workflows, but many healthcare systems are making decisions without nursing leadership at the table. In this episode, Charlene talks with Nerissa Ambers and Carlene Lugtu, Director and Manager, respectively, of the Health Informatics Transformation Team at Stanford Medicine. They talk about why nursing leadership matters in the AI space and how nurses can help shape technology that supports patient care. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FN...

Charlene talks with Dr. Shannon Whittington, a nurse consultant and LGBTQ+ expert who helps educate healthcare organizations to better understand their patients and employees. They discuss some of the invisible barriers to healthcare that LGBTQ+ folks face, how lack of LGBTQ+ competence on the part of healthcare workers can affect patient trust, disclosure, and ultimately health outcomes, and what nurse leaders can do to create healthy environments for LGBTQ+ patients and staff. Host: Char...