.png)
Pulse Check with Dr. Kimberly Long
Join nurse and healthcare leader Kimberly C. Long as she sits down with top nursing executives to uncover the defining moments that shaped their careers. In each 10-minute episode, guests share the challenges, breakthroughs, and insights that helped them grow as leaders. From inspiring team culture to improving patient care and navigating complex healthcare systems, Kimberly brings out practical lessons and actionable strategies that nursing leaders can apply every day. Whether you’re a seasoned CNO or an emerging leader, these conversations offer a front-row seat to the wisdom and experiences that drive success in nursing leadership.
Pulse Check with Dr. Kimberly Long
David Marshall – Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing Executive, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
What does it really mean to lead in healthcare without losing touch with patient care?
In this episode of Pulse Check with Dr. Kimberly Long, Kimberly sits down with David Marshall, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, to unpack a career that didn’t follow a straight line but led to powerful impact.
David shares how his journey from bedside nursing to executive leadership shaped his perspective on purpose, influence, and staying grounded in what matters most. He reflects on a pivotal “pulse check” moment where he reassessed his impact, made intentional shifts, and reconnected with frontline teams.
They also dive into the balance between precision and presence in leadership, overcoming imposter syndrome, and why giving yourself grace is critical to long-term growth.
This is a conversation about leadership, reflection, and making meaningful impact at every level of healthcare.
I am so excited to be here with David Marshall. He's the Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive for Cedar Saiyan Medical Center. Welcome, David. Thank you so much. And really, I'm excited to be here myself. I am so glad that you accepted our invitation. This is a mini podcast, and so we have four questions that we wanted you to give us your expertise on. And the first one is I want to hear a little bit about your career trajectory and then find out if where you are now is aligned with where you thought you would be.
David MarshallHeck no, it's not. I didn't start my nursing career to become an executive. I uh started to become a nurse, you know, because I thought nursing was where science uh and skill makes humanity. And um I wanted to be the best nurse that I could be. And um I think, you know, along the way, somebody noticed something in me and said, Hey, uh, you should become a manager. I didn't really want to be a manager, but I did it and at that person's suggestion. And uh then um I think that turned into being a leader. I had some natural ability or something that made people want to go into battle with me or follow me. And um, you know, I felt like nursing was where I belonged and nursing just felt like home, and that's the story, essentially. Uh I made a detour along the way and became a lawyer, but that's that's another story.
Kimberly LongOh my goodness. I'm sure that does help, though, with the work that you do also.
David MarshallIt does. I think every day it helps me, you know. So my career hasn't been linear, it's been iterative, and um, I think a lot of my colleagues are the same way.
Kimberly LongYeah, I agree with you. And you know, the name of this podcast is Pulse Check. And so can you tell us a little bit about a time in your trajectory that you had to pause and do a pulse check?
David MarshallYeah, you know, I had been our nurse executive, I guess, for um a chief nurse for a couple of years. And uh somebody asked me that question that nurses who aren't at the bedside often get asked is is do you miss patient care? My answer at the time was yes. And I thought about I was being a nurse. I had a full calendar, but my my impact sort of felt thin. So I paused and I checked my clothes and I asked, what impact am I really making? And what impact am I having on patients and the teams that I work with and outcomes? And where am I energized? Where am I depleted? And what can I change to get out of this funk? And you know, that really led to um practical shifts that endure today, more time with the frontline teams, clear guardrails about meetings that I will take and meetings I won't take, and a renewed commitment to making decisions um that move care forward. So I think I was the time in my life when I said being a leader doesn't mean you have to miss patient care because you influence it in in different ways.
Kimberly LongOh, I love that. Absolutely. And you touched on this a little bit, but with everything that you're responsible for as a chief nurse and not only in the hospital, but outside of the hospital, how do you stay connected to your purpose?
David MarshallWell, I think that my law experience taught me the power of precision, and nursing taught me the power of presence. And I think in leadership, those two things come together, and that's where impact happens. And I like making an impact. That's what thrills me, that's what keeps me going. And then in my job, I sort of serve as a bridge between clinical reality and organizational decisions, between patient needs and regulatory requirements and staff well-being and performance outcomes. And I just get a thrill out of making a tangible impact in those things.
Kimberly LongOh, David, I tell you, you're touching my heart right now. If you had an opportunity to give your younger self advice, what would you tell you?
David MarshallI recently wrote about this in my uh weekly nursing update. And I think if I was talking to my younger self, I would say that you you are not gonna always get it right. When you do get it right, it'll feel amazing. You'll feel gratified, but when you don't get it right, it's not gonna feel good. And give yourself some grace. Take a pause, learn, apologize when necessary, make things right where they need to be made right, and keep on going. I think it's probably grace with guardrails. See the human behind the outcome, and including yourself. Don't let imposter syndrome creep out. You are where you are because you know what you're doing. But it will creep in. And if it does, just let it ask. But listen, always look for growth points and then protect yourself, be equitable, trust the process, and own it. It's yours. Oh, that is wonderful advice. David, thank you so much.
