Nursing leadership is the key to a successful unit. The best leaders know how to truly listen to staff and inspire nurses to be the best they can be for themselves and their patients, ultimately advocating for what is needed to provide the care necessary. Nora Fagan is among the best because she has listened from day one and understands what it means to be a bedside nurse. As a new director, Nora has harnessed the collective knowledge of her community and consulted with mentors to advance her leadership beyond her years. A team-oriented leader who models MMC values, she works to build relationships with each of her team members and encourages their professional development, all while prioritizing MMC initiatives and improving unit quality metrics.

Nora is approachable and fair, two characteristics critical to a successful leader. She cares about her staff and their well-being, beyond just work performance. Her commitment to her staff is exemplified by her open-door policy for staff, enabling them to come to her with any challenges or concerns hindering their or their patients’ success. Nora actively listens to her team members' options and concerns without interruption. She recently added evening hours to make herself more available to night shift team members.

While approachable, Nora doesn’t just listen to her staff, she uses the time to connect more deeply with the nurses on the floor and then to advocate for them and their patients. She always asks for input from all staff on important decisions to increase our unit culture's respect, value, and professionalism. Nora encourages committee participation in order for nurses to advance their career and for everyone’s voice to be heard. She is always willing to try team members' new ideas by encouraging them to develop a plan, such as encouraging one new nurse to form a new committee for CNAs. She encourages projects staff are passionate about, such as one nurse's sustainability work and two CNAs' completion of the PCT program. By fostering and encouraging the development and innovation of her nursing staff, Nora has not only improved patient care in her unit but increased RN and CNA retention.

Nora’s leadership helps to move the field of nursing forward. She belongs to several professional organizations and encourages membership for all staff. She is currently conducting a research project through the MITE Scholars Program to further develop a standardized IMC curriculum for RNs. She provides resources and tools for nurses to achieve CMSRN certification by working with nurses on the unit to create weekly quizzes for CMSRN candidates. Nora has also provided insights from her own experiences in a journal club to help staff begin a journal club that will provide CEU credit in the future. Nora’s encouragement of her staff to pursue continuing education and certifications has created a culture of growth and development in her unit. Nora’s commitment to the MMC strategic plan and unit-level goals has led to marked improvements in quality metrics in her unit. With a transparent and inclusive approach to achieving results, she updates her staff on initiatives through weekly updates and staff meetings. She involves all relevant parties including unit helpers, secretaries, CNAs, and nurses, with other disciplines as applicable. This team-oriented mindset has helped lead to a reduction in falls on our unit and increased awareness on how to prevent medication errors through a medication safety hour and increased scanning rates. Her drive helped lead us to be CAUTI and CLABSI-free for a year. Nora’s leadership skills have helped to transform a relatively young unit into a strong, respected unit with a team-oriented mindset.

Nora embodies the qualities of a strong leader who creates a safe haven for employees, facilitates professional development, and provides the tools for nurses to provide meaningful and compassionate care for each patient we serve.

Note: This is Nora's 2nd DAISY Award!