Kimberly Long 0:00

Welcome, Teresa Murphy. I'm so glad that you have had some time to sit with us this morning. I appreciate you taking your time to do so.

Theresa Murphy 0:08

Thank you, Kimberly. It's always a pleasure to see you and talk with you.

Kimberly Long 0:12

Likewise. Teresa, everyone, is the Chief Nursing Officer for the University of Southern California, Verdugo Hills Hospital. And the first question that I wanted to ask you is tell us a little bit about your professional journey and then follow that up with is it aligned with where you thought you would be?

Theresa Murphy 0:32

Really, it was a progressive journey over time. I think early in my career, very early, I just really my vision was to take care of people and take care of patients. As I sort of started in my career fairly early on, I think it became more evident that I had interest in a progressive track to in leadership. Even to surprise myself. One day I remember saying to my mom who was visiting the hospital with a relative was there, and the CNO walked by and I said, I'm going to have her job one day. So I uh surprised myself when I said that, I think. But I remember that was sort of a moment of realization that this was really a path I was interested in and as a way of having an impact on uh patients, maybe through the caregivers. So I sort of always sort of envision myself as being the nurse's nurse.

Kimberly Long 1:22

Oh, that's wonderful. Well, let me ask you this. In the course of your leadership journey, have you ever found a time when you just had to pause and take a pulse check?

Theresa Murphy 1:33

Yes, that happens daily. I think one of the values I try to remember or the behaviors I try to remember is that so much of what we do, some degree of crisis intervention. And that as leaders, it's really important that we're the sort of the calm one in the boat, so to speak, and listen and to manage ourselves because people look to us. And, you know, COVID was such a great example of that. That people were in the beginning, especially, people were afraid, uncertain. There was such an you know unclear period of time. And that as leaders, we needed to stay calm, stay informed, communicate, over-communicate, and to be that person that created that sense of safety, both physical safety and psychological safety.

Kimberly Long 2:22

Absolutely. I totally agree with you. And, you know, in the course of everything that's going on, because we know as a chief nurse and a hospital executive, there's always multiple things that are happening at once. And sometimes it might cause you to get so busy that you feel like you've disconnected from your purpose. How do you remain connected to your purpose and your personal vision?

Theresa Murphy 2:50

I think, first of all, I take my position as a nurse leader on the executive team of our hospital and within our health system as a really important role because I feel like in many ways I represent and speak for the nurses that uh take care of our patients. So that motivates me. And then staying really connected to my team and to the general nursing membership in our hospitals, knowing them, talking to them. I probably don't round as much as I could or should, but I look for other ways to supplement, whether it's communicating by an email or a card or stopping and talking to them in the hallways. But staying connected to the nurses is really important because they are living, you know, the day-to-day activities and challenges, and it's easy to get sort of pulled away from that. And trying to remember that that's our main focus. Also having a team that's not afraid to say, hey, we need you to show up, or, you know, really holding me aware of where the needs are. And I've got such a great team that are strong in in and of themselves, they escalate appropriately, and it really takes all of us together to do that.

Kimberly Long 4:00

Very true. And there's nothing more valuable than having a wonderful team around you, particularly the ones that will tell you what they're thinking and feeling so that you're aware of what's going on. The last question I have for you is if you had an opportunity to give advice to your younger self, what would you say?

Theresa Murphy 4:20

First surround yourself with people smarter than you and then support their success. You know, create a hard-working, balanced team that works hard, uses evidence, and also is able and willing to keep humor and have some fun together. I think the concept of shadow the leader is really powerful, that we set expectations and such that we don't have to be here every moment, but what those high quality expectations and care processes will carry on, whether we're here or not, has really been a meaningful sort of idea that I keep in mind. One of my favorite sayings is stay in joy or go in peace. And sometimes, you know, fit matters. And if somebody's unhappy, I want them to be happy and thrive. And if that's not here, then what can we do to help you find a place where that will be for you? But my expectation is stay in joy or go in peace. And then I underestimated as a young nurse and a young leader the importance of networking and connecting with other peers and inner really interdisciplinary co-workers, collaborate with people, but the networking really helps in success. And I really underappreciated that as a young nurse.

Kimberly Long 5:36

That's wonderful. Teresa, thank you so much for taking some time this morning. I really appreciate your time and your wisdom, and it's always a pleasure to connect with you.