Chief Nursing Officer Advises San Francisco Students 'To Be Open To Everything'
Among all of the occupations in San Francisco, registered nurses have one of the highest number of job openings. For San Francisco nursing students that's great news; but after graduation, they will have to contend with other nursing candidates looking for local employment. For career advice, Nancy Lee, Chief Nursing Officer of Stanford Health Care, graciously offered to share valuable words of wisdom with current and future nursing students who have concerns about the future job market.
What is your background and education?
"I received my associate's degree in nursing from City College, then went on to receive my bachelor's degree in nursing and my Masters of Nursing Administration from Cal State Dominguez Hills. I began my career as a clinical registered pediatric nurse at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. Prior to joining Stanford, I was chief operating officer and chief nursing officer at Daniel Freeman Hospitals in Inglewood, California. I joined Stanford Health Care in 2002 and have been the chief nursing officer since 2009."
How has your education helped you in your current position?
"The master's degree in nursing gave me a broader view of nursing leadership and its role in health care. It provided me with a larger set of skills like advanced budgeting, strategic planning and influencing others. I would say that being in an influential role accounts for about 60 percent of what I do. My education gave me higher-level problem solving and skills to use in order to influence others that I use every day."
What career advice can you share with nursing students?
"My biggest piece of advice is to be open to everything, especially to the role that you start in and to the opportunities you're given. Many new nurses come out of school and think they should only work in a certain type of unit, or in a specific role. The nursing universe is changing dramatically. I would caution anyone against being locked into a concrete career path. This closes you off from options you don't even know about yet. For example, I met a person on the train last week whom I was able to set up an interview for at one of our cancer centers. I encourage people to be open and ask questions. There is nothing to be shy about and you have nothing to lose. A nurse, in my view, is one of the most important careers out there today."
Randy Yagi is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. In 2012, he was awarded a Media Fellowship from Stanford University. His work can be found on Examiner.com Examiner.com.