Ramonita Jiménez, DNP, MPA, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer with Hackensack University Medical Center is our guest on the Healthcare Experience Matters Podcast this week for timely conversation on leadership empowerment.

Conducting today’s interview as our special guest host is Kathleen Lynam, RN, MPA, an Executive Coach and Senior Advisor with the Healthcare Experience Foundation (HXF).

We are honored to have Dr. Jiménez join our weekly program once again this week for an essential return appearance. If you missed our previous episode with Dr. Jiménez, please visit her first appearance on our program from November 2023, titled “How to Retain Great Nurses (No Matter Your Budget, Scope, or Size)”, here.

Both Kathleen and Dr. Jiménez have been key contributors to our ongoing series of healthcare leadership certificate programs.

We are just a week away from our second cohort of our Leadership Certificate in Foundations in Relationship Rounding event, which will take place on October 11, 2024. The event will feature one live, virtual 4-hour session starting at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. This rapid immersion learning experience will virtually cover, in four hours, the skills and practices that leaders need now to leverage rounding for improved patient care and team engagement results. Learn more.

Learning Objectives:

• Establish clear expectations and reduce leader variability.
• Strategies to engage patients across the continuum of care through relationship rounding.
• Align actions and conversations to the voices of patients, employees, physicians, and performance results.
• Reframe leaders to engage staff and physicians to build on the positive.
• Create closed-loop accountability for coaching, actions, and recognition to drive improvement.
  
  Continuing Ed Credits & Time Commitment. This certificate is PXI-approved for up to 4 PXE credits upon completion and consists of one online 4-hour session at 11am eastern on October 11.

Leadership Empowerment

One of the central themes of Dr. Jiménez’s discussion was the importance of empowerment in leadership. As she transitioned from managing a small team to overseeing a department with over 2,000 staff members, she learned that effective leadership requires delegating responsibilities while maintaining open lines of communication.

It’s not just about giving tasks away; it’s about trusting team members to take ownership and providing them with the resources they need to succeed. Dr. Jiménez emphasized the need to “trust but verify,” making sure that while she empowers her team, she remains available to support them when challenges arise.

Dr. Jiménez shared her practical approach to prioritization using the Eisenhower Matrix, which helps in determining what tasks are urgent and important. This tool aids her in navigating a busy schedule filled with meetings and leadership responsibilities, allowing her to focus on what truly matters for her staff and patients.

When it comes to the inherent challenges of delegation in healthcare leadership, Dr. Jimenez was nothing but candid with us. Like all leaders, she has encountered situations where projects did not go as planned.

Dr. Jiménez highlighted the importance of humility and adaptability as essential traits for leaders. By being open to feedback and willing to course-correct, leaders can foster a culture of continuous improvement.

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Leadership