There is a national outcry about the injustice and racism that has been happening across our nation. Nurses are not immune to the ails of society. Those same perils that our people are experiencing when they are out experiencing racism, are also happening in nursing. Our task force decided that we needed to create sustainable change as it relates to the experiences of our nurses and patients; racism in healthcare.

Each of us comes from different backgrounds, with different life experiences. In order to affect our discipline, we need to start with ourselves. As nurses we have the nursing process, which is our way of problem-solving. Naturally, we saw [racism] as a problem that we could use the nursing process in order to improve. We created a care plan for racism.

The first step is a 50-question assessment taken by nurses, nurse leaders, staff nurses. At the end of the assessment, the [staff] receive an action plan where everyone signs an acknowledgement that they agree and attest that they want to be a part of change. This is an inclusive way for nurses to assess where they are to educate themselves about what racism is, and to renounce any misconceptions about racism. This gets everyone on the same page so we can move this change forward.

I set the stage by leading differently. I am an authentic leader. I’m a servant leader. I try to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable with what they don’t know and what they know, and that they’re able to bring their whole self to the table to do the work that we’ve been called to do.

I have a diverse team, and I believe that diversity in thought and experiences creates a better experience for the group. I’m constantly making sure that I’m paying attention and building-in the diversity so that we have the right people at the table creating and developing processes that impact our patients. We have a diverse patient population, and I believe that the workforce should be diverse as well. It’s in the way that I lead the staff every day. I believe in talking through problems, and I also believe in being efficient. I believe in setting goals, making sure that everyone is aware of what the north star is and keeping everyone on task…Motivating everyone throughout this pandemic. It’s been a rough two years, and I think that being honest has been what has led me to be successful in such a trying time.

There’s opportunity to leverage technology in healthcare, to enhance the care that we give and not make it so burdensome, but you need to have the healthcare providers as part of the design team, which sometimes doesn’t happen. When you work as a team collaboratively to develop that technology, it can be more meaningful. Having everyone work to the top of their license–to the top of their ability–also requires everyone developing the work together. It’s not really about the license, but more about function. We need to ask, “How are you functioning in your role?” where we could be assured that we have the most qualified people making the decisions, and then move forward on that.

My “why” is really in the patients. I’m a consummate patient advocate, which is how I can now advocate for nurses. That advocacy that I can remember as a patient navigator for breast cancer patients speaking up when they didn’t understand the diagnosis and they didn’t understand their treatment–that’s the same advocacy that I do for the staff when they’re concerned that they’re being asked to perform a task that they’re really not clear on how to do it.

My “why” is the passion that I have for people in ensuring that they receive the best care possible. That is really fed by things that I’ve seen in my career that haven’t gone so well…Instances I’ve seen with family members where I’ve had to step in because I didn’t feel that they were going to receive the best care possible…Opportunities for staff when something was happening to them and I advocated for them. My “why” is justice–to be able to speak up and be a part of the conversation. Making sure that folks are heard is really important to me, and creating that environment of belonging. When folks feel they belong, they won’t leave.

There was a “White Coats For Black Lives” presentation outside [of the facility]. There was a march, a discussion, and a rally. There were signs and there were people speaking and leading the effort, and they decided to have eight minutes of silence. Everyone talked about their lived experiences.

When I was standing out there and I made my way to the front of the group, I saw that there were hundreds and hundreds of folks in white coats, and I saw the president of our organization standing there along with our senior leadership team. Our president was not standing in the front, but in the midst the rest of the staff. She was present, and she wanted to understand and be a part of what was going on. That was a moment for me when I saw that what leadership is; That you don’t always have to be leading the conversation, but sometimes your presence speaks volumes.

Listen to the full episode with Quanna N. Batiste to experience her moving story in its entirety, illustrating by these impactful quotes:

“We all are being accepted where we are. Yes, there may have been things in our past that have made us behave in a certain way, but we can all change. As long as you have breath in your body, you have the ability to change.”

“The power of the nursing workforce had been in the shadows before the pandemic. Nurses are the largest workforce in the Country, but no one really knew what nurses did until the COVID-19 pandemic came in. Now, there is insight into what nurses do, and there’s also insight into the stress and fatigue of the role and how we need to change healthcare in order to keep nurses in the profession.”

“I believe that leaders are trusted, and that trust is built over time. If you have that trust and you have those relationships, leveraging those relationships really helps to alleviate any concerns that would happen when you have quick-change moments.”

“My ‘why’ is justice–to be able to speak up and be a part of the conversation. Making sure that folks are heard is really important to me, and creating that environment of belonging. When folks feel they belong, they won’t leave.”

“This is what leadership is: That you don’t always have to be leading the conversation, but sometimes your presence speaks volumes.”