CNOs should frame questions correctly and bring in a variety of resources to solve problems, says this CNE.
Betty Jo Rocchio has more than 30 years of experience in nursing. She has a passion and drive for leveraging technology and data analytics to support nursing and clinical teams to enhance patient care outcomes.
Rocchio holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing and an associate in business administration from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Steubenville, Ohio. She started her career in direct patient care as a registered nurse (RN) in the intensive care unit; returned to school to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) and at the same time earned her master’s degree in health sciences at LaRoche College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Most recently, she obtained a doctor in nursing practice (DNP) in the nurse executive track at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Her previous experience includes nursing leadership roles at Mercy, a well-known nonprofit Catholic health care organization headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, and in the Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus, Ohio. Now, Rocchio serves as the chief nurse executive at Advocate Health, where she leaders 43,000 nurses.
On our latest installment of The Exec, HealthLeaders sat down with Rocchio to discuss her journey into nursing, and her thoughts on trends in the nursing industry. Tune in to hear her insights.
Social media is here to stay, and CNOs must adapt.
In an era where nurses and healthcare workers are not just caregivers but content creators, social media has become a double-edged sword—an unfiltered window into the world of healthcare, wielded with equal parts power and peril.
With nursing’s reputation as the gold standard of ethics slipping, CNOs must step into a new role: social media strategist. The same platforms that spark division can also inspire collaboration if approached with transparency and purpose.
Here are three ways CNOs can utilize social media.
Clear and frequent communication is key to change management, says this CNE.
On this episode of HL Shorts, we hear from Stefanie Beavers, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, chief nurse executive at OU Health, and HealthLeaders Exchange member, about how CNOs can streamline their change management processes. Tune in to hear her insights.
The HealthLeaders Exchange is an executive community for sharing ideas, solutions, and insights. Please join the community at our LinkedIn page.
In a social media landscape shaped by hashtags, algorithms, and viral posts, nurse leaders must decide: Will they let the narrative spiral, or can they adapt and join the conversation?
“I saw that on TikTok.”
Those five words have become an anthem of our times, sparking debates in boardrooms, breakrooms, and hospital corridors.
In an era where nurses and healthcare workers are not just caregivers but content creators, social media has become a double-edged sword—an unfiltered window into the world of healthcare, wielded with equal parts power and peril.
From frontline chronicles during the chaos of COVID-19 to viral dance trends and raw stories of burnout, the rise of “nurse influencers” has given the public unprecedented access to the heart of America’s most trusted profession.
But while this digital shift offers opportunities to amplify nursing’s voice and redefine its narrative, it also raises urgent questions: Is it possible for nurse leaders to regain control of the story when some posts expose cracks in the system? How can hospitals address growing dissatisfaction shared online without alienating their workforce or losing public trust?
With nursing’s reputation as the gold standard of ethics slipping, CNOs must step into a new role: social media strategist. The same platforms that spark division can also inspire collaboration if approached with transparency and purpose.
Nurse leaders who embrace these digital spaces can rebuild bridges, champion their teams, and reframe the conversation. Here's how.
CNOs need to lead through relational change to make major organizational changes run smoothly while maintaining a high standard of patient care, says this CNE.
HealthLeaders spoke to Stefanie Beavers, chief nursing executive at OU Health and HealthLeaders Exchange member, about how CNOs can handle change management processes and streamline times of organizational transition. Tune in to hear her insights.
The HealthLeaders Exchange is an executive community for sharing ideas, solutions, and insights. Please join the community at our LinkedIn page.
CNOs should work on communication and aligning their organization's identity in times of transition.
Mergers, reorganizations, and restructurings always take a toll on the workforce in any industry, but especially in healthcare.
Periods of rapid change in an organization can leave staff feeling confused, anxious, and unsure about new responsibilities and reporting structures. However, in healthcare, there's an additional variable: patients.
Robust change management processes are essential for CNOs to implement to help nurses, since they play such a large role in patient care in health systems.
According to Stefanie Beavers, chief nursing executive at OU Health, and HealthLeaders Exchange member, here are three tips for CNOs who want to streamline their change management processes.
If CNOs weren't at the table, the C suite would lack valuable perspectives and information, says this CNO.
On this episode of HL Shorts, we hear from Gay Landstrom, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Trinity Health, about why CNOs are a critical part of the executive team. Tune in to hear her insights.
Crisp, clear communication is key for CNOs who are trying to handle their change management processes, says this CNE.
Mergers, reorganizations, and restructurings always take a toll on the workforce in any industry, but especially in healthcare.
Periods of rapid change in an organization can leave staff feeling confused, anxious, and unsure about new responsibilities and reporting structures. However, in healthcare, there's an additional variable: patients.
Robust change management processes are essential for CNOs to implement to help nurses, since they play such a large role in patient care in health systems.
According to Stefanie Beavers, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, chief nurse executive at OU Health, and HealthLeaders Exchange member, a key focus of the change management process is solidifying organizational identity. In 2018, OU Health became a locally owned and managed nonprofit. They began integrating hospitals, clinics and physicians into a united health system, living into the role of an academic health system while building an inaugural executive team to lead the enterprise.
"So much change was happening within this health system, and there was really a need to solidify the identity," Beavers said. "We had a lot of change in executive leadership across the organization, and we went on a journey of cultural transformation."
Aligning identity
After becoming the chief nurse executive at OU Health in the spring of 2023, Beavers learned the importance of aligning identity within an organization.
"It was really important that I took some time to pause and reflect and understand, where have our teams been on this journey? What has been their experience?" Beavers said, "and then, what is the identity and true north of the organization as we move forward, and how do I intersect that in the most purposeful manner for our nursing frontline care delivery teams?"
Beavers noted that OU Health was developing and identifying what its mission and vision were, and its identity as an academic health system. So, Beavers focused on what this could mean for the nursing workforce, and how to combat confusion about policies and expectations.
"You've got to make sure that there is a strong connection to purpose for our frontline care delivery teams," Beavers said, "because one thing that does not change when you go through reorganizations, acquisitions, and mergers, is there are still patients to take care of that are in need of our services."
Transitioning with patients
According to Beavers, CNOs need to lead through relational change to make major organizational changes run smoothly while maintaining a high standard of patient care. The most important focus should be building strong relationships with patients, families, and the community, while maintaining access to care. Nurse leaders must also emphasize that patients are at the center of everything that goes on in a health system.
"No matter your industry, I will say everything boils down to people and process," Beavers said. "So, how do we wrap around our people and our workforce to make sure that they have processes that they need to deliver that high quality of care?"
Beavers also emphasized that nurse leaders must understand their data during times of transition. CNOs should identify data points and metrics that have changed between the prior organization and the present one.
"You've got to go back to the basics sometimes of looking at your core quality measures," Beavers said. "It's an intersect of that professional practice and professional identity for nursing, but also making sure you're driving through data and metrics that are measuring your performance with patients."
Beavers also believes that being present for the workforce is critical during organizational changes. CNOs should be clear about messaging, and what nurses can expect from leadership and the revamped organization.
"How are we present for the workforce? How is the voice heard of what they're experiencing?" Beavers said.
Communicating clearly
Crisp, clear communication is critical for CNOs who are trying to handle their change management processes, according to Beavers. Teamwork is another key component.
"I am very fortunate to be part of a very strong executive leadership team of remarkable human beings with experience from all over the country, all different backgrounds," Beavers said, "and it takes that element and being part of a strong team and how we manage each other up, [and] how we recognize how every different division is sitting within the organization."
At OU Health, Beavers prioritized how to disseminate new policy and priority information to the nursing teams in meaningful and purposeful ways.
"You can have strategy all day long, but you have to be able to articulate it and communicate it clearly to your teams and make sure they know the end goal," Beavers said.
Successful nursing programs take the entire organization and help from all disciplines to uplift nurses and make them successful at the bedside and in all aspects of care delivery.
"I'm also very fortunate that I have an amazing dyad partner in our chief medical officer," Beavers said. "I think it's important that our workforce and our team see us as a unified leadership team so that we're leaning in and leading together, and we're wrapping around and we're recognizing what's a challenge."
The HealthLeaders Exchange is an executive community for sharing ideas, solutions, and insights. Please join the community at our LinkedIn page.
CNOs must act as translators and bring the clinical perspective into the C suite, says this CNO.
HealthLeaders spoke to Gay Landstrom, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Trinity Health, about why it's important for CNOs to have a seat at the table, and what aspiring CNOs should learn before beginning their leadership position. Tune in to hear her insights.
Aspiring CNOs should take these steps to gain perspective as future leaders.
CNOs play an integral role in nursing.
They act as the voice for nurses in the executive space, advocating for investment in new programs that can better the patient care environment.
Nurses who want to become CNOs should consider the following steps, as recommended by Gay Landstrom, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Trinity Health.
