[Kimberly 0:00 - 0:10]
Hey, I'd like to introduce Karen Descent. She is the chief nursing officer at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital. Karen, thank you for spending some time with us today.

[Karen 0:11 - 0:12]
Oh, awesome. Thank you so much for inviting me.

[Kimberly 0:13 - 0:26]
Wonderful. So every leader has a journey that brings them where they are. Can you share yours? What experiences and challenges did you face along your path?

[Karen 0:26 - 1:06]
Oh, thank you for that question. You know, for me, I started as a, grew up as the oldest child in my family. So was very much the talkative one. My poor brother never got to get a word in edgewise as we were kids growing up. But I really focused on my father was ill when I was younger. So that really pushed me into nursing because I saw what nursing did. When I was in school. in high school I took classes to be a CNA and then became an EMT to really see if nursing was the journey I wanted to take. And it fit perfectly into what I wanted. I really wanted to take care of people.

[Karen 1:06 - 1:37]
So my journey into leadership has been framed by that. I've had some really influential leaders that stimulated that because I never saw myself in this role as a CNO. I figured they would drag me kicking and screaming from the bedside. And so the fact that I've actually am here now, having done CNO roles at large organizations, as well as now here at Hazel Hawkins, which is a critical care access hospital, has really changed how that looks and what my journey has been.

[Kimberly 1:37 - 1:49]
Oh, that is wonderful. I can certainly relate to that. As you look back on your career, is there a pivotal moment that stands out in your mind that defined the leader that you've become?

[Karen 1:49 - 2:29]
Wow. So I lost both of my parents before I was 30. My father passed away when I was 26 and my mother passed away when I was 29. And I think those experiences really formed me as a nurse and how I wanted to take care of patients and how I wanted families to feel when they were going through really traumatic events. And I have carried that over into my leadership because now rather than taking care of patients at the bedside, I'm taking care of the staff that take care of the patients at the bedside. And so I was really influenced by a couple of CNOs in my journey.

[Karen 2:29 - 3:07]
I didn't ask you if I could mention their names. Go ahead. So one of them was Sandy Proctor, who worked for years for the Sutter System in the Central Valley. And she rounded all the time, every single day, and made connections with every staff member that was out there. Asked them how were they were doing, what could they do. And that really formed me as a leader. I round on my staff all the time. I hand out Lifesavers to thank them for being Lifesavers. So have really incorporated that. And the other leader is Dr. Mary Lynne Knighten. And she really pushed me to get involved.

[Karen 3:07 - 3:21]
It's why I got involved with the Association of California Nurse Leadership in the first place. How I've had my long journey over 10 years now with ACNL. Because she really said, as a leader, you need to get involved and be on the forefront.

[Kimberly 3:22 - 3:42]
Oh, I love it. Thank you so much. Sometimes leadership can be isolating. And you find yourself sort of lonely sometimes. Have you experienced that? And if so, what strategies have you used to stay connected and grounded?

[Karen 3:42 - 4:19]
No, I agree. It can be very lonely being a leader at the top. You know, we spend more time at work with each other than we do at home with our own families. And so it's really creating that environment of a family environment. And it's so funny. Nowadays, you hear people saying, don't create a family environment at work, because it's not your family. And I don't ever really look at it like that. I feel that it's important to be leading with my heart and not just my head. How do I engage and know what's going on with my team? Because they, in turn, then check in on me.

[Karen 4:19 - 4:59]
I have avoided the loneliness at the top by creating that type of bonding. And also with me, I have built circles instead of silos. So really have looked at getting involved. When I talk about ACNL or I'm on the CHA CNO committees and those type of things, I really get involved, not only with that piece, but also in my personal life, volunteering in the community to really help me stay grounded so that I continue to reconnect as to why I'm doing what I'm doing. And then the last piece of that, I would say, would be continuous learning and mentoring.

[Karen 4:59 - 5:12]
So it fills my bucket so much to be able to mentor new leaders, to build my team so that they can continue to grow on their career as well.

[Kimberly 5:12 - 5:27]
That's wonderful. I like that term circles instead of silos. That's amazing. If you had to give one piece of advice to someone who was just starting their nursing career, what would that be?

[Karen 5:27 - 5:59]
It would be to ensure that you're getting into nursing for the right reason. I think a lot of times when I talk to people nowadays or talk to new grads who are looking to be part of a new grad program and you do the interview process, a lot of times people get into nursing now for the pay and for the flexibility of the schedule. And I'm really honest with people and say if you're not getting into nursing because you want to be that person who's sitting at the bedside holding somebody's hand while they're dying,

[Karen 5:59 - 6:35]
that you are getting into it because you have a love and a need to take care of people, you won't last because nursing is stressful. And leadership even much so, I think, you know, back to where we were most recently traveling through COVID. And what did that look like? Because we had so many nurses that got burned out. And I really started working on my own. I don't like using the word meditation, but maybe thoughtfulness. And I still carry it over. So every morning when I pull into work, I sit in my car and I set my intention for the day.

[Karen 6:36 - 7:08]
What is going to be the positive difference I'm going to make? So when we first came out of COVID, it was saying good morning and smiling at people because everybody had been wearing masks and nobody was making that personal connection anymore. And then when I get in my car to go home, I think about what is the positive thing I'm taking home with me every day. Some days it's just the fact that I liked what was for lunch in the cafeteria, right? But I have that. Exactly. I have that positive intent that I take home with me.

[Karen 7:08 - 7:29]
The other piece that I would remind people to do is remember to put humor in it and to keep touch with your own humanity because we all have to laugh. And you can tell I've put some of my own humor in here, but it really is so important to be able to continue to have that peace and not get stuck in negativity.

[Kimberly 7:30 - 7:38]
That is wonderful advice. Thank you so much for taking the time to spend with us this morning. I really appreciate it.

[Karen 7:38 - 7:40]
Absolutely. It's been my pleasure. Thank you guys so much.