Daihnia Dunkley, RN, interviewed black women about their experiences as CNOs. Here's what healthcare organizations need to do to support these executives.
Monday, June 22, 2020

'I have been fortunate to work with several black nurse leaders, but then as I started to climb the [career] ladder, I realized how rare it was to actually work with the black CNO,' – Daihnia Dunkely, PhD, RN, professor at Farmingdale State College.

In positive psychology, studying the 'outliers' is encouraged. The theory is that if we study only the average, we will remain average. In nurse leadership, black women who are CNOs are rare. For her dissertation research, Daihnia Dunkely, PhD, RN, professor at Farmingdale State College in New York, interviewed women who make up this small group to explore their lived experiences.

"I wanted the 'cheat codes,'" she says in this week's feature story. "How did you do this? I already know that there are so few of you and I'm pretty sure you had challenges thrown at you, but you still did it. I wanted to know what that process looks like."

Read on to learn more about their success, challenges, and how healthcare organizations can support the professional development of black women as nurse leaders.

Also, in this issue:

Plus, don't forget to register­ for the upcoming HealthLeaders webinar, Nurse Retention: Statistics and Strategies. Speaker Sylette DeBois, DNP, MSN-Ed, RN, will provide attendees with the data and practical solutions to boost their organizations’ nurse retention.

 

What It's Like to be a Black Woman and CNO.
Daihnia Dunkley, RN, interviewed black women about their experiences as CNOs. Here's what healthcare organizations need to do to support these executives.
 
 
PPE Success During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Once upon a time, workers were told to use their surgical masks only once. Today, those masks get put into a bag at the end of a shift and used the next day—and maybe the day after that.
Long Time Coming: Identifying Systemic Sources of Stress in Healthcare
It may be a long time coming, but what's very much needed is a mechanism for identifying, by individual facility, specific systemic sources of patient stress.
Dealing With Disruptive Physicians During Meetings
It may be necessary to limit the time any one physician speaks to one or two minutes at a time.
Beaumont Health, Advocate Aurora Explore 'Partnership'
The announcement comes three weeks after Michigan-based Beaumont and Ohio's Summa Health called off their merger.
 
 

Must Reads

Inside Boston hospitals, A reckoning with racism
WBUR
How coronavirus affects nursing school admissions
U.S. News & World Report
Nurses protest, saying Research Medical Center puts profits over patients
FOX 4
Nurses stage dueling demonstrations at St. Rose Hospital amid coronavirus outbreak and state violations
The Mercury News
Mass. nurses renew calls to stop cleaning, reusing N95 masks
WBUR
 

I hope you enjoyed today's eNewsletter. We will be back next week with more news you can use. As always, send any tips, thoughts, or advice my way at jthew@healthleadersmedia.com or Tweet @jen_NurseEditor.

 

Jennifer Thew, RN
Senior Editor, Nursing