Taking the road less traveled quite literally led Katie Boston-Leary, PHD, MBA, MHA, RN, NEA-BC to the nursing profession.

She was working at a newly-opened nursing home in Virginia when a gentleman informed her of a county-funded scholarship for allied health professionals. He assumed Boston-Leary must have been interested in a future career in healthcare. When she told him she wasn’t, he insisted she didn’t come back to work without pursuing the opportunity.

“Reluctantly, I decided to look into it… I went and stood in line for information, initially considering an occupational therapy assistant program… However, I was running late for my 11 PM shift and chose the shorter line. It was the associate’s degree nursing program,” she recalls.

“That's how I became a nurse. I got the information, brought it to work the next day, and started the program.”

Read on to learn more about how Boston-Leary went from “choosing the shorter line” to working as Senior Director of Nursing Programs at the ANA.

Finding Her Stride in Nursing

As Boston-Leary began studying, she became increasingly confident in her decision to enter the nursing field.

She graduated nursing school in 1993 from Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, VA and then attended Bowie State University, Maryland's oldest Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to attain her bachelor's degree. A few years later, she earned her master's in Business Administration and Health Administration, and later a doctorate.

“After finishing my doctorate, I wanted to impact the profession more broadly, which led me to the American Nurses Association. We found each other at the right time, just before the pandemic. I was looking for a change and they needed someone with recent practice and leadership experience. I had just ended my stint as a Chief Nursing Officer at two different hospitals and was ready for something different.”

Now, over four years later, Boston-Leary is still with the ANA and loves what she does.

Working with the ANA

A friend of Boston-Leary, who had worked at ANA for a few months, mentioned the job posting to her, asking if she knew anyone who would be a good fit. She initially ignored it, but after leaving a role as a CNO, she reconsidered the posting. “I said, ‘That actually could be me,’” she recalls. So, she applied and quickly realized it aligned with her experience and goals.

Now, Boston-Leary’s work with the ANA focuses on the programmatic and practice side.

Some of her responsibilities include being the voice of nurses in the media, supporting  legislation, writing policy and position statements, and overseeing the Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation program, which provides resources to help nurses with their overall health and well-being.

What Should We Change About Nursing?

“The way we work,” Boston-Leary says.

But what does that mean?

“It’s frustrating for nurses to see what happens in other industries,” she explains. “Nurses have loved ones working in other fields and see how technology has significantly improved their roles and reduced work burden. We need to look at how technology can help address patient acuity, provide surveillance for better care, and help nurses balance all their responsibilities. Additionally, we must leverage technology to lessen the physical and cognitive work of nurses.”

She hopes technology will improve nursing tasks like:

• Hunting for information in charts
• Gathering supplies
• Conveying information that could be shared by others
• Seeking out colleagues
• Documentation

The emotional labor of nursing will always be taxing, Boston-Leary says. But using technology can ease other challenges in the profession, ultimately increasing emotional resilience and longevity in the field.

At the end of the day, studies like this one—which Boston-Leary contributed to—show that nurses really do want to spend more time with their patients, but inefficient workflows often get in the way.

Teaching and Leadership Feed Into Each Other

“A nurse once told me, ‘Katie, this is not our mother’s med-surg,’” Boston-Leary explains, saying that med-surg units now function more like step-down ICUs and the expectations are much higher.

Nurses have to manage not just patient care, but also regulatory requirements and other expectations, including navigating the politics of healthcare. “Nurses constantly balancing these tasks creates a lot of stress.”

Boston-Leary says, as a result, we need to revise nursing program curricula. “Some innovation is happening, but many programs are outdated. When I teach nursing leadership, I start by asking if my students see themselves as leaders. Most say they don’t. I spend the next six to eight weeks showing them that they are leaders and that leadership doesn’t require a formal position.”

According to Boston-Leary, leadership and teaching are related. She adds that we need to move away from hierarchical, bureaucratic, and oppressive leadership styles, in favor of styles that empower nurses, while still guiding them through today's challenges in the practice setting. “Both education and leadership feed into each other and we need to prepare for what's here now, and adjust accordingly.”

The World Is Your Oyster

Boston-Leary says, as a relatively new leader, she was overseeing pre-op, OR, and post-op nurses. “I had the same agenda for all three groups, but I had to deliver it in different ways. They received information differently.” In her experience, the pre-op nurses liked storytelling and discussion, the OR nurses wanted concise and direct information, and the post-op nurses appreciated the emotional aspect, transparency, and vulnerability.

The anecdote illustrates how a growth mindset is crucial in leadership. “You have to be open to new experiences.

Sometimes, even when you think you have everything figured out, you need to adjust to your audience… This openness can lead to new ideas and opportunities, helping you excel.

It also helps you build a network of people invested in your success.”

Her advice for nurses who want to pursue leadership? “Social capital is essential for growth. With an open, positive mindset, the world's your oyster.”

An Abundance Mindset

Boston-Leary believes that having an abundance mindset, or believing the possibility for success is available for everyone, is powerful. She supports her colleagues and fellow nurses and cheers them on. “That’s what we ought to  do.”

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