Kimberly Long 0:00

Hello, everyone. We are so fortunate to have Terry Hunter with us today. She's the Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for Washington Hospital Healthcare System. Welcome, Terry.

Terri Hunter 0:11

Thank you. It's good to be here with you, Kimberly.

Kimberly Long 0:14

I'm so glad that you consented to join us for a while this morning. And we just want to kind of get some feedback, expertise, and advice from you. How does that sound?

Terri Hunter 0:24

That sounds great. And how fortunate to be on today where we are on celebrating our certified nurses. So very exciting.

Kimberly Long 0:32

Oh, I think that's lovely. Well, congratulate all of them on our behalf. I will. So let me ask you something. The position that you are currently in, is it aligned with your career goals, what you originally intended to do?

Terri Hunter 0:47

You know what? It really is. I would have to say too, is my career goals, while in general they stay, my experiences and the things that I've gone through as I've gotten my education and you know served in different roles, I would say, you know, I learned different things and I've shifted. So like in the beginning, I may have not dreamed of being in this kind of position. Like it started out different. But all the mentoring and the skills that I've gained, it opens up new worlds that I didn't see in the beginning.

Kimberly Long 1:22

A lot of times things happen and we we deviate for some reason or another. Was there a particular thing that caused you to deviate, or was it something that you said, you know what? I think I want to do that.

Terri Hunter 1:35

You know, early in my career, I was an emergency nurse. And so, of course, that's where my passion was. And I thought for sure my my end goal was I was going to manage an emergency department. And obviously, as I've learned and grown, I've gained so many more skills and really gone above that level. But that was where I was comfortable. You know, I knew emergency medicine, and that's where I felt my leadership would have taken me. So I pivoted from that. I think also, you know, my my move to California, which happened about two and a half years ago, I spent 23 years with Intermountain Healthcare in the greater Salt Lake area of Utah. And, you know, highly regarded, great jobs, good opportunities. But I got that little bit of a nudge inside that I needed to grow and I was comfortable. I enjoyed my work, but I knew I needed to do something different. And I had to kind of sit with that feeling a little bit. But really, coming out here is something I never imagined that I would do.

Kimberly Long 2:36

Ah, well, we're glad you're here.

Terri Hunter 2:39

Thank you.

Kimberly Long 2:40

Has there ever been a major moment in your career where you had to pause and take a pulse check?

Terri Hunter 2:48

Oh, yes. If I could, you know, coming out here, it was the growth that I wanted. I wanted to be able to see people expand my mind about, you know, how people think, different races, cultures, religions, everything that goes into making humans be human, you know, which affects us in healthcare. And I really came to a very different area. This greater, you know, Bay Area is very diverse, and it's exactly what I thought I wanted. It was really hard. I came out during a time when we probably were going through one of the most difficult collective bargaining sessions that the system has known, and I walked right into it. And I know I was about a year into this, and I was like, what have I gotten myself into? It was hard. It was hard work. But as you know, Kimberly, it's it's kind of like even going to school. We grow through the hard times.

Kimberly Long 3:45

Exactly.

Terri Hunter 3:46

And I did. I had to take a moment and sit in my decision and a little bit of, oh my gosh, what did I do? And really coming down to the point of going, you know what, Terry, you are learning and growing. And Kimberly, I can tell you, after two and a half years right now, I am a different person. Who I am becoming is different in a good way. And I have expanded ways that I could not have if I would have stayed in my comfortable spot where I knew what I was doing, and I was surrounded in a system where they knew me, and I just didn't need to. But it's it's listening to those inner nudges that you get, those things that tell you to go back to school or, you know, do a challenging thing.

Kimberly Long 4:29

Oh, I love that. And you know what? You talked about sort of how you've evolved in in your role and with additional exposures. And sometimes we also run into times when we start searching for our purpose and what we're doing. Right. How would you advise other young executives or young executives on how to find and maintain connection with their purpose?

Terri Hunter 4:53

I think that some of that has come from watching my peers and really some of the mentors that I've had in my life, finding and identifying the things that make me happy. Because obviously pain is not always the easy, but what makes me happy? And I began to learn, you know, when you first leave the bedside, it's kind of like, oh, I don't want to leave the bedside. That's where I can do all the great work. And then you become a leader and you start seeing how you can expand yourself and really help caregivers to be able to help patients to be able to do that. And I think that as I've watched and watched others that I have mentored become CEOs and things way beyond me. And by helping them succeed, I grab hold of those moments and I grab hold of those people. I don't ever let those friends go. Some of the people I mentored have now become, you know, my little safety net. You know, we we talk about having somewhere to go or you can find commonality, and it's like it's those leaders, and sometimes you grew those leaders. But I think it's it's sitting in that those things that bring you joy and finding out why why do I find joy from that? What is it about that and how can I do it more? That's what I would say to the new ones. I would say, what brings you joy in your job, and then capitalize on that.

Kimberly Long 6:15

And then what advice would you give your younger self based on what you know now?

Terri Hunter 6:20

It's okay to not be perfect. I would say, you know, learn to be okay being uncomfortable. I'm saying that now, like I know I grow when I'm uncomfortable, but that was a hard step to take. Is that's like purposely leaving comfort and a good spot. But those are the great times to move forward, is when you're not forced to, but when you choose to. But I I think this whole thing of don't make mistakes, be perfect. It's like allow that grace to yourself that you would give to somebody who you are leading or who you are trying to mentor and give that to your own self. Yeah.

Kimberly Long 6:59

That is some of the best advice. And I think, you know, I'll I continue to take that advice now. Terry, thank you so much. I just appreciate you taking your time out of your morning to share some of your wisdom, wisdom, and expertise with us.